Please Stop Laughing At Me
Written by Jodee Blanco
Summary
The book Please Stop Laughing At Me by, Jodee Blanco, is an Autobiography about the subject of school bullying. Everyone wants to fit in; everyone wants to be liked; and everyone wants to be apart of the "popular crowd". No one wants to go to school to be put down, excluded, and/or hurt physically and emotionally. But this was Jodee, and this book is her lifelong story which has helped millions of people from all walks of life.
Character Analysis
Survivor, expert and activist Jodee Blanco is one of the country’s pre-eminent voices on the subject of bullying. She is the author ofThe New York Times bestselling memoir, Please Stop Laughing At Me . . . One Woman’s Inspirational Story. A chronicle of her years as the student outcast, the book inspired a movement among bullying victims everywhere of all ages--in middle and high schools, on college campuses, at the workplace, and at home, who fill auditoriums and gymnasiums coast to coast to hear Blanco speak on how they too can reclaim their dignity and their lives. Referred to by many as “the anti-bullying bible,” it is required reading in hundreds of middle and high schools and numerous universities and professional organizations throughout the country.
Blanco’s work as a survivor turned activist has been recognized by The National Crime Prevention Council, The Department of Health & Human Services, the National Association of Youth Courts, Special Olympics, The FCCLA (Family, Career and Community Leaders of America), and hundreds of state and local entities from the PTA, regional law enforcement coalitions and suicide prevention organizations to school safety groups, mental health advocacy groups, and drug prevention programs.
Blanco’s work as a survivor turned activist has been recognized by The National Crime Prevention Council, The Department of Health & Human Services, the National Association of Youth Courts, Special Olympics, The FCCLA (Family, Career and Community Leaders of America), and hundreds of state and local entities from the PTA, regional law enforcement coalitions and suicide prevention organizations to school safety groups, mental health advocacy groups, and drug prevention programs.
Conflict/ Resolution
Conflict: Jodee is bullied for being different. Her friends want her to be like them bu,t she does not want to be like them. Her friends were cruel to her because she did not want to be mean to other kids, like they were.
Resolution: After twenty years Jodee is invited to her twenty year High School reunion. She decides to go but when she gets there she wont get out of the car. She sits in the car thinking about what if they still don't like me and make fun of me, what if they don't remember what they did, will I fit in, all she did was doubt herself. She finally goes inside and everyone greets her with warm welcomings and conversations. Afterwards she is invited to go out to drink with all of them, She had a great time and she could finally forgive them and herself.
Theme
Do not let anyone else tell you how to live your life. If your not doing something you love, your wasting your time. Live your own life and be a leader, not a follower. “you can do one of two things. You can learn how to turn your pain into purpose and make a difference in the world, or you can allow it to extinguish the light inside you” (p. 213).
Book review
I would give this book a five star rating. This book makes you feel Jodee Blancos pain. She have put a lot of her feelings into the story. She tells ayou how everything happened and how she reacted. She explains why she acted the way she did.
Jodee Blanco gives presentation on bullying at Onekama Schools