Book Review: Letters To A Bullied Girl

The book Letters To A Bullied Girl by Olivia Gardner, Emily Buder, and Sarah Buder is not so much of a book, but a collection of letters in response to one girl's story. The story is actually that of Olivia Gardner's who was bullied in school. After suffering an epileptic seizure in front of her peers in middle school, the misunderstandings of the preteens led to the bullying of Olivia. They even went as far as creating a website of "Olivia's Haters," and wearing "I Hate Olivia" bracelets. Throughout her life she had to go through tough times, but strangers Emily and Sarah Buder gave her hope.

What was the author's purpose(s) in writing this book, and how can you tell? How well was this purpose achieved?

The purpose of this book is very clear; Emily and Sarah Buder want to showcase how supportive other kids could be, and that not all of them are mean bullies. Even if they have never even met the person before. Emily and Sarah worked together to start a campaign called "Olivia's Letters," which would ultimately turn into this very book. Strong messages of hope echo through each and every page of this book, with each being a different letter from a different person. The letters range from messages of hope to other kids sharing their experiences with being bullied, and to give things a little bit of a twist, even bullies wrote to Olivia. Each letter has it's own unique story to share and it takes quite a bit of courage to speak up, so the kids who contributed to the campaign were very brave themselves.

The book is not at all complicated; it is simply a rejuvenating read. The time Emily and Sarah put into making this book possible is worthy of mention. The letters put in this book were hand picked and read by the authors themselves, so each letter had a strong impact on them as well. The message of hope portrayed in this book is quite clear, which is exactly what the authors were looking to give you.

I was taunted about everything. The hair on my arms, the style of clothes I wore, my hairstyles, everything. Teasing and bullying is never justified, and I believe the reason why I was singled out was because I threatened these insecure people somehow. Maybe they thought I was too outgoing, or too intelligent, or too talented; but that was their problem. It takes a while to realize that, but I hope you do.

This quote is an example of a letter that relates to Olivia's story. It shows readers and Olivia that problems like bullying is everywhere in the world, and any case is not an isolated case.

How would you describe the author's style of writing? What's your opinion of the style?

The credited authors themselves did not write this book. They only put together this collection of letters through a process of reading almost thousands each day, only to pick the best ones. Because of this, the book is actually written by kids all over the world, and each of their styles are different. Changes in perspective come along once in a while, because you could be reading a letter written by a bullied person or someone that was once a bully, but saw what they were doing to others because of their actions. No two of these stories are the same, each individual has their own unique story to share for Olivia, and whoever reads this book, to read. The range of people that wrote these letters are actually quite amazing. You could be reading a letter written by a kid in fourth grade, but then you flip the page and all of a sudden it's the story of a person far into their senior years.

An example could be made by a letter written by a 45 year old man who was once a bully.

When I was in middle school and high school, I was particularly mean to a classmate. Ruthlessly mean, in fact. She was from a poorer family, heavier in size, had few friends. An easy target. The torment lasted far too long, probably through my sophomore year of high school. My behavior plagued me far longer than the four of five years I bullied my classmate. After much introspection, I know why I did it. The details aren't as important as the message: bullies feel better about themselves by picking on others. The bullying has nothing to do with the abused and everything to do with the abusers.

I have never seen a book like this before, and reading it my first time is very intriguing. The fact that it's a collaboration of many different people gives readers, such as myself, very different vibes as each page is flipped.

Find out about the author. How did they end up writing this particular book? Is the author's true life reflected in the book in any way(s)?

The authors, Emily and Sarah Buder, were a pair of sisters who read the story of Olivia Gardner. They were about the same age as Olivia, one of them just a bit older, but the emotions they felt when they heard about such atrocities being committed against this girl was powerful. It was powerful enough for them to start a campaign, "Olivia's Letters." They urged their peers to write letters to Olivia. Each letter contained messages of hope and understanding. The goal of the sisters was to let Olivia know that she wasn't alone in the world and that there were many others that are, or were once like her. The response to the campaign was overwhelming and they had their work cut out for them, so they hand picked letters and turned them into a book.

As far as I know, the book does not reflect the life of Emily and Sarah in any way. I would at least hope so as well.