Rating: 
Summary: Hard book for a former target of bullies to read.
Review: Jodee Blanco writes a heart-breaking autobiography about growing up as the target of school bullies. Smart and kind, Jodee became the favorite punching bag of bullies throughout elementary, middle, and high school, and only as an adult did she become successful and happy.This book was especially hard for me to read. While I never had to endure the intensity of bullying that Ms. Blanco had to, I, too, was a target of school bullies. And like Ms. Blanco, I thought I'd put it all behind me - until I struggled to read Please Stop Laughing At Me, and found myself reliving memories I'd rather forget. Though this book was hard to read, it was definitely worth it. If you've ever been a target of bullies, consider this book part therapy as it will definitely prompt you to work through some issues. I only wish I could give a copy of this book to anyone who ever called me names or pushed me or stole my clothes during gym. This book should be required reading in school - it is a cautionary tale that shows we, as a society, should never, ever again say that bullying is just "kids being kids."
Rating:
Summary: This was great
Review: This was such a great book. I was reading it on an airplane and i was crying almost the entire time. The reality of it is herat wrenching and I admire Jodee Blanco for going into her past and writing this book. There was nothing in this book i didn't like but if you aren't looking for a tear jerker, reality check i seriously would not recomend it.
Rating:
Summary: Truthfully Spoken
Review: I felt that Jodee's story was told very factually. I too endured abuse at the hands of my classmates for most of my entire time in school. I am suprised at some of the negative reviews. Obviously the negative people just don't get it. Being 'picked on' in school really does stay with you during your adult life - the constant need to measure up to others expectations, the drive to be like everyone else. As Zoe Jesnik once stated, "it is a world of hate created for absolutely no reason whatsoever". There is no rhyme or reason for why it happened. Yes, perfect and not so perfect kids get tortured too. You do not have to instigate any of the hate to have it heaped upon you. Obviously the negative feedback is from those who just 'fit in' at least a little - try NOT fitting in at all. The message of this book is simple...this book gives 'we outcasts' a chance to know and to feel like we aren't the only ones who have experienced such treatment. This book was never touted to be a self-help book, per se, but rather one of many women who are getting the courage to share their horrible experiences. Do you know what it feels like to think that you were the only one ever treated that badly? It haunts you. Thank you Jodee for showing me that I am not the only woman in her 30's who still bears the scars inflicted by bullies.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome! Inspiring!
Review: I'd like the thank Jodee Blanco for writing this. I, too, was bullied, and beat up by classmates. I helped me relate to someone else and realize I wasn't the only one. This book was powerfully honest and passionate. Again thanks. I haven't really came to terms in forgiving my bullies yet, but I will someday.
Rating: 
Summary: Too Much of a Wallow, Not Enough Overcoming...
Review: As a victim of bullying from grade school through high school, I wanted to like this book. In fact, I was annoyed when I read some of the negative reviews here. They seemed to be written by bullies themselves. Then I read the book. Oh boy. A great deal has been made of it being written in response to the Columbine shootings. Recent information, however, reveals the Columbine shooters weren't victims of bullying so much as they were contemptuous psychopaths who thought themselves superior to EVERYONE and planned to kill EVERYONE from the meanest jock to the lowliest nerd. I'm not sure "Please Stop" is going to help stop the creation of future Klebolds and Harrises. Nor is it going to do much for victims of bullies beyond assuring them that lots of other people get bullied--some worse than others. I would ten times rather Jodee had expounded on the resources she had to draw upon to get through high school. I would like to have heard about the skills she developed to go from high school victim to real-world success story. (How DOES someone so hated and so downtrodden become a publicist for Muhammad Ali and Jim Carrey?) I would rather have read about what kinds of support she and her various outsider friends gave each other to buffer the cruelty they suffered. Instead, we get 200 plus pages of graphic description of how mean everyone was, how clueless the world was, and (apparently) what a nice, saintly girl Jodee was. (I was bullied,too, but even I know that I wasn't Bernadette of Lourdes--I could be snarky and prissy and deliberately dorky. Does this excuse my tormentors? No. Does it explain their behavior? A little. Did I knock myself out trying to make them like me? Not on your life. I found my own strange little circle of buddies and together we got through it. Do I have days when I get mad on behalf of the teenager I was? Sure. Then I remember I am NOT the teenager I was and I get back to my real life.) Would I recommend this to victims of bullies? Well, I'm a librarian and I know some kids who would likely eat this up with a spoon. Sure, I'd recommend it. I would caution them that it won't help them with their troubles beyond the "you're not alone out there" speech. Would I recommend this to people who might be bullies? Chances are they are the ones reading it. I know waaaay too many kids who viciously pick at their classmates, peers and friends, yet read all of David Pelzer's books and comment on how much they wish they could save the child he was from being abused. They attend popular films in which underdogs overcome tremendous obstacles tossed in their paths by bullies--and they will root for that underdog. But even though their often do and say to their peers things much worse than Jodee suffered, they will not recognize themselves in the bullies at her schools. (Heck, almost none of Jodee's tormentors saw themselves as bullies, either. They remain clueless and, I suspect, some of them suck up to her because of who she is now and who she knows.) I wish I could recommend it for the detailed descriptions of the inner resources Jodee discovered and the phenomenal skills she developed to become the person she is today. Sadly, I can only recommend it as a kind of "printed pity party" that will leave victims wondering how to heal themselves and move on.
Rating:
Summary: The Courage to Take a Stand
Review: It is absolutely wonderful that there are fluent writers such as Jodee willing to take a stand for all those who are still enduring painful torture from bullies. Most of the time that I read this book I could identify so very well with the feelings that Jodee had and the daily grind that she found herself going through. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has ever been a victim! I also recommend this book for school faculty, parents, and anyone in social services who deals with children. I can only pray that Jodee's bravery in telling her story will help us to end the violence in our schools.
Rating: 
Summary: I Would If I Could
Review: I would "stop laughing" if I could, but I can't because this is the single most ludicrous piece of tripe I have ever read. The only thing "inspirational" about this book is the manner in which it demonstrates that a "vanity press" publishing house will print ANYTHING. From poor grammar and inappropriate syntax to mindbending delusions of persecution and delusions of grandiosity, Jodee screams for editorial and psychological intervention. Although I am certain that she was a troubled child who experienced peer problems, this book is a victim fantasy. Throughout each vignette of her "inspirational story", Jodee contradicts herself with implausible situations of herself as the noble victim against evil peers and ignorant professionals. This book is an embarassing and pathetic attempt to promote the author's narcissitic vision of herself. Save a tree. Don't buy it.
Rating:
Summary: Unintentionally Hilarious Title
Review: I'm sorry, Jodee, I COULDN'T stop laughing at you! Armed with a cup of tea, lounging on a cozy couch, I anticipated an interesting, empathic, even cathartic experience as I settled in to read this book. I was the subject of merciless bullying in junior high and still have raw memories of those times. So about two pages into the second chapter, as it dawned on me that this book was hideously, jaw-droppingly awful, I started laughing and laughing. Come ON! The little girl she befriends is deaf, nearly blind, somewhat crippled, AND she wears faded, patched clothing? Who was she, the Little Match Girl? And Jodee's school forbade the special ed students from attending the prom for "insurance reasons"? So Jodee single-handedly tries to sponsor the "Reject Prom"? Even the nuns at "Holy Ascension" turned against her for outdoing their own holiness! What a book. The one-dimensional dialogue! The saintly perfection of Jodee! The asymmetrical tubular breasts! I certainly feel better about MY life. And doubly glad that I never attended any school reunions. Jodee inspired me, all right -- to laugh myself sick over her "true" story.
Rating:
Summary: Very Amazing Inspirational Story!
Review: I loved this book and think it is one of the most inspirational true stories. I could read it over and over again and still be stunned by the horrible things she went through. One of the biggest reasons I like this novel is because she tells everything like it really happens in real life so I could relate. In this story a woman tells her inspirational life story. Her childhood is like many others and she tells what happened to her and how she handled it and managed to live through it and overcome it. All of her school years up until she graduated high school she went through bullying, teasing, physical and emotional abuse, a deformity, and trying to explain to her parents what was happening in her life. She tries everything to change her life but it always end the same, until she graduates and starts working on her career. After she thinks she has started to recover from all the hurt she experienced she goes back to her 10 year high school reunion. What she finds there is something she would have never expected in her life. I would recommend this to everyone in the world because everyone could learn from it: victims, people just wondering, parents, and even bullies. There's something in this book for everyone. I would also recommend this to people who like true stories or need help if their going through similar situation. It is a wonderful book!
Rating: 
Summary: More than inspirational
Review: While Please Stop Laughing at Me is inspirational, it is also a book that is important enough to be read by school teachers and administration. Much of what Ms. Blanco describes in her book still goes on today. And sometimes even teachers are the bullies. While Ms. Blanco went on to a great career, others who were bullied may be self-destructive, and even commit suicide. I believe that it is comitting soul murder to bully someone, to make their life hell - a dictionary defines bully as an abuser - and no one deserves to be abused in order to "toughen up." Many today still consider bullying a 'rite of passage.' Research shows that young bullies (and it starts young) often grow up to be big bullies - those who bully (abuse) their children and spouses. If any parent still believes that bullying is just a "boys will be boys thing" here's a question: Would you like for your daughter to marry one? Would you like your grandchildren raised by one? Here's a question for school personnel: If bullying isn't so bad, would you like your son or daughter to work for a bully? Would YOU like working for, or with, a bully? It behooves us all to read Ms. Blanco's book, and to do some research on the effects bullying has on a child. Instead of "toughening them up," it often destroys them emotionally.
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