Anti Bullying Week Readathon discussion

Thank you so much for joining and supporting the Anti Bullying Week Readathon, which will coincide with Anti Bullying Week, raising awareness of this issue that has affected so many of us.

The readathon will run from 16th-22nd November (midnight-to-midnight for all timezones).

The idea is to read as many books as you can relating in some way to the issue of bullying during the week. How many books you read is totally up to you, but in the readathon spirit it's good to push yourself to read more than you usually would.

There are no rules, other than the inclusion of the 'bullying theme' somewhere in the book, whether it's the main theme of story or just a small feature within the overall plot - whatever you're comfortable with or have on your TBR.

Over 150 books have been suggested featuring varying levels of bullying, aimed at readers of all ages, so there should be something for everyone to get involved. You don't have to read books from this list, they're just suggestions in case you're stuck. The list can be found here: https://www.goodreads.com/group/books...

The official hashtag is #AntiBullyReads and I will be using it to chat with everyone who's taking part on twitter before, during and after the readathon. Use it for TBRs, updates and discussions so that we can all get involved and maybe even make some new friends along the way.

Have fun, read lots, and stay kind <3

EDIT: I have made the group artwork available for anyone to download from here: http://bit.ly/1GOymvo

There's square images for Instagram (or anywhere else you want to share!), and a twitter banner.

Please feel free to use them online along with the hashtag #AntiBullyReads to help spread the word and show your support :)

Okayy !! Hi my name is gina !

Oh I am so excited about this! I think it is important for us to be able to discuss such serious topics with others around the world. Thank you for hosting this readathon :)

Hi, my name is Sandra and I have a booktube channel (currently inactive due to school!)
I think this is an amazing idea!!! Last month in my Education: Schools and Society class we had an entire unit on classroom diversity and equality. One of the main topics was bullying and we watched a documentary called Bully. It is so devastating and it makes me so angry to see so many people ignore the issue.
Hopefully you do this again next year, it is such a creative way to raise awareness :)

Thanks Sandra for adding me to your awesome group. I'm not sure if you know but both of my novels that are free to download on Goodreads deals with bullying. I was working on an anti-bullying campaign two years ago at Barnes and Noble for my first novel. I applaud you talking about this. Here are my two novels if you don't mind me adding it.



Sincerely,
Leonard

Hi I am Ken. I love this idea of the readathon because bullying is such a wide spread problem. Thank you Sarah for organizing it.

Sandra wrote: "Hi, my name is Sandra and I have a booktube channel (currently inactive due to school!)
I think this is an amazing idea!!! Last month in my Education: Schools and Society class we had an entire un..."

I'd definitely like to make it an annual thing if people want it! :)

This is an amazing support group! Really glad it's been done. I'm not the type to read really fast but I can read two books about bullying to support this cause! :)

Hi everybody ! I'm Jessica, I'm 33 and I am Belgian.
I have a booktube channel (in french) and a blog.
I was bullied during 6 years in high school and now I really want to share my experience and try to help young people who are living the same situation now.
I read some books about bullying that I really loved and for this particular week, I'm reading 13 reasons why.
Thanks to Sarah for this read-a-thon. :)

PS : Sorry if I made mistakes ;)

Hello I'm JJHeart

Hi, All. My name's Aimee. I'm a former victim of bullying, and the author of Every Ugly Word (in which the protagonist is severly bullied). I was invited to join the group by @Booknut101 (Thanks!)

Thank you for adding Every Ugly Word to the to-read list. And thank you for putting together events like this. Obviously bullying is an issue very close to my heart. If there's anything I can do to be of use during the readathon, or any questions about Every Ugly Word, please let me know.

Happy (?) reading!

Hi, Jess. Good to see you here :)

Aimee wrote: "Hi, All. My name's Aimee. I'm a former victim of bullying, and the author of Every Ugly Word (in which the protagonist is severly bullied). I was invited to join the group by @Booknut101 (Thanks!) ..."

Thanks for joining Aimee! Anything you can do to spread the word about the group would be amazing. It's not too late for people to join, and there's a lot of people out there who don't know about it yet, and it seems to be a real support for some people which is just fantastic!

I read Every Ugly Word and I loooooved it ! I cried during my reading because I saw myself in the character of Ash.
Great book ! I want to have it in paper back ? Will it be released in paperback Aimee ?
And I want it to be translated in french of course !!!

Jesslivraddict wrote: "I read Every Ugly Word and I loooooved it ! I cried during my reading because I saw myself in the character of Ash.
Great book ! I want to have it in paper back ? Will it be released in paperback A..."

Thanks, Jess. I know I still owe you an email. Sorry! Paperbacks are under consideration at my publisher. Honestly, the more they hear people want it, the more likely it is to happen. Feel free to contact the publisher contact on my website contact page: http://www.aimeelsalter.com/p/contact...

Sarah wrote: "Thanks for joining Aimee! Anything you can do to spread the word about the group would be amazing. It's not too late for people to join, and there's a lot of people out there who don't know about it yet, and it seems to be a real support for some people which is just fantastic! "

I'd love to. Is there a non-Goodreads page that's kicked it all off? What link should I promote?

Aimee wrote: "Sarah wrote: "Thanks for joining Aimee! Anything you can do to spread the word about the group would be amazing. It's not too late for people to join, and there's a lot of people out there who don'..."

My announcement video was the first contact about the whole thing http://youtu.be/0bL9qcaWlNk but this group is the base of operations so that's probably the best link to share :)

Jasmine wrote: "Hi my name is Jasmine. I love this idea of the readathon because bullying is such a wide spread thing and some people say its no big deal when it really is."

Hi Jasmine! You're right, bullying can do a lot to a person, even when it doesn't seem 'that bad' to some people. I hope this week will help people see it a bit differently :)

hi im shianna and i cant stand seeing someone get bullied but i love your idea of the readathon because it shows us that someone cares

Hi. I'm Kath and I'm new here :) I love the idea of this readathon. People need awareness.

My name is Lorna Stremcha and I am seeking readers and reviewers for my new book, Bravery, Bullies and Blowhards.... Let me know if you are interested. Thanks

Dear Miss Stremcha,
I'd be delighted to have the opportunity to review your book (:

Dear Miss Stremcha,
I'd be delighted to have the opportunity to review your book (:

Marissa wrote: "Dear Miss Stremcha,
I'd be delighted to have the opportunity to review your book (:"
I would love for you and others to read and review my book.

Bravery, Bullies & Blowhards: Lessons Learned in a Montana Classroom
This is a true story. Names were changed to protect the most innocent of all---the schoolchildren who were affected by the misdeeds of those who were supposed to protect and educate them. One woman chose to question those in authority. And they did everything in their power to bring her down.

This is more than a story of one woman’s struggle with the system. It’s a warning to parents and teachers alike. This could happen in your town. It could happen to you.


Lorna Stremcha is the author of, Lose the Baggage, Lose the Weight…a woman-to-woman recipe for life, an award-winning educator and coach, an advocate against school and workplace bullying, a listed speaker for Bullying Police USA and one of the first thirteen individuals to co-author the healthy work place bullying act in the United States. Today, Lorna shares her life lessons with others in hopes of helping them live a healthier life after bullying and sexual harassment. She is currently working with young adults she taught. After all mentoring is the name of the game. Plan! Love! Live!

Hello everyone,

I'm kouk, 31 yrs.
As a child i got bullied a lot.

I personally feel that the name calling is worse than when people beat you.
Those bruises fade but the words are engraved within me.

I have made peace with the people that did this to me and i forgave them, but i will never forget & we shouldn't ever forget what bullying can do to a person!

Thank you for organizing this read a thon!
It's a good thing to put attention to this!

Helloo! I'm Sammeh, I love this, I think it's a fantastic idea so I shall of course be joining in! My TBR (if anyone wants to know) can be found here! http://sheisthebloggerwithnoname.blog...
Bullying needs to be stopped and fast far too many people have suffered already.

Hello, Im Gisela and so happy to be part of this. I wished that something like this existed when I was younger and bullied.
I moved on from that time but I still want bullying to not be a thing as far too many have suffered and suffers daily with this issue.

Hello! I'm Jade, I love this idea cause it is encouraging reading AND fighting a very serious problem! I'm thinking of going to the head of english at my school after 1/2 term, it would be really cool to get everyone involved especially the younger years (I'm in the 6th form) and maybe get some kind of fundraising woven in with it.

Jade wrote: "Hello! I'm Jade, I love this idea cause it is encouraging reading AND fighting a very serious problem! I'm thinking of going to the head of english at my school after 1/2 term, it would be really c..."

It would be amazing if you could get your school involved Jade, that was one of my big goals this year because I think it's where the root of a lot of the problems happen. There's a leaflet design you can download if that would help explain the idea :) x

Hello, my name is Francesca, and I'm from Italy. I was bullied in middle school for not being popular and pretty. It effected me quite a lot at the time, but luckily I had few real friends who understood me and were there for me. I know that those people who hurt me then are not doing particularly great in life right now, while I feel quite satisfied with my life, boyfriend, school, and job. Please stay strong if you're being bullied, talk to your parents, counselor, grandparent, adult in general, and remember that you're beautiful, and great, and amazing.

Hello! I'm Duda!! Feel free to add me here and follow me on Twitter @dudaisreading!!!

Welcome Duda!

We talked on Twitter.

I wish you a lot of fun with the readathon!

Francesca wrote: "Hello, my name is Francesca, and I'm from Italy. I was bullied in middle school for not being popular and pretty. It effected me quite a lot at the time, but luckily I had few real friends who unde..."

Talking about it has helped me, i even wrote about it.
It has made sure that i was able to move on.

I am glad you are doing well Francesca!
Bullying has affected us all & i'm happy we all made it out so much stronger and that we can all talk about this & hopefully be of some help to kids out there!

Hi I'm lena
I was really happy that you have made anti-bullying readthon I have asked all my bookworm friends if they like to do it around about 11 have said yes some have Facebook and instergram I hope you do this a annual thing my list of books will be on my self very soon if people need help on books

Hello I'm Ali and I'm so excited to be taking apart of this amazing readathon! This is an issue that has made me interested and hopefully one day help those who need it.

Hi, I'm Martha :)
I am so glad you are doing this! I was bullied a lot when I was younger, and even though I have moved on, it has still affected my life. Nobody truly understands how much bullying, mentally or physically, can affect a person unless they actually experience it themselves. I am so excited to join this readathon and I am going to try my best to spread the word :)

Hi, I am Lea, 25 and I am from Croatia. I am really excited for the readathon :)

So glad to participate this year! :D Thank You Sarah for bringing awareness and hosting this read-a-thon!

Hi :-) my name is Mia and I'm from Cuba. I've been bullied many times before. When I was 5 my family moved to Costa Rica and that's where I met my first bullies. I was constantly picked on for the 6 years we lived there because of how I talk, walk, you name it. I was pushed and tripped in the hallways. All my belongings; notebooks, pencils, books, etc. were thrown in the garbage or stolen. Once a boy in my class cracked my lip by hitting me in the face with the classroom broomstick. He was cheered by everyone else for throwing out the trash. I allowed it because I didn't know any better, I wasn't aware that I had options. Years like this made me believe I deserved it. Now I know that's not true. No one deserves to be treated badly. There ought to be more acceptance in the world. I'm so glad to participate in this event and I hope that my participation helps someone who may be going through tough times. Remember that there's always help for those who seek it. Good luck to you all and let the reading begin! ;-)