Book Description

Told from the lens of her adolescent voice, Mary Powell portrays the story of being bullied in an all-girls Catholic high school. "I shut myself in one of the stalls and cried quietly. The pain in my chest was nothing compared to the pain in my heart," recalls the adolescent Mary Powell on one of the worst days of her academic life. The awkward teenager who would eventually become a psychotherapist and professor tried to surround herself with as many friends as possible and to be the best dancer, cheerleader, and bully of safe targets in order to compensate for years of being a loser. Suffering as a victim of bullying and abuse was the problem that caused her depression, low self-esteem, angry outbursts, sexual promiscuity, and desperate efforts to impress people. Dr. Powell reveals with honesty what bullying feels like and looks like from the inside and outside. Her story is both blue and gold, heartbreaking and heartwarming, but ultimately demonstrates there is hope for victims illustrated by the author's success in adult life. This is a memoir of an adolescent struggle with bullying growing up in Queens, NY. Readers will experience Mary's anguish, honesty, and persistence in surviving her daily life of torment. The author attempts to show her resilience and how she overcomes many obstacles. This memoir captures a moment in time and a formative excerpt of her life. It felt deeply important for her to tell her story for other survivors of bullying and to educate the public at large about this devastating social problem.