The bully society : school shootings and the crisis of bullying in America's schools

 by Jessie Klein.  In this thorough examination of the connection between bullying and three decades of school shootings in America, Adelphi University professor Klein pre-sents a compelling case that the strict gender rules by which American children and teenagers are unfairly forced to live are the driving factors in school violence. As Klein writes: "Although the forms of school violence may differ, the same patterns emerge. Boys (and, increasingly, girls) lash out to prove that they can fulfill their narrow gender prescriptions." Boys (and even girls) are increasingly required to show constant proof of their "masculinity" without the slightest hint of weakness, and those who don't succeed in impressing their peers are taunted and bullied, sometimes with extreme and disastrous results. Klein highlights the unfortunate intersections of masculinity, competitiveness, and American culture, demonstrating that these deeply ingrained social rules don't end when students move into adulthood; this isn't a problem just for kids, she argues, but for society at large. Klein's accessible research ranges from statistical analysis to interviews, all applied within a framework of sociological theory. However, Klein makes such a convincing argument that this overmasculinization is an American problem that it's hard (though tempting) to buy her final suggestion that perhaps kids just need to feel more connected at school to avoid the bullying and tragedies that can result. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved. --Publishers Weekly (Check Catalog)