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I Wrote on All Four Walls: Teens Speak Out on Violence
"Nine teens share their experiences with violence."
The explosive teenage years can make young people more prone to violence...and more vulnerable. The accounts in I Wrote on all Four Walls are authentic and riveting. Sixteen-year-old Janice finds herself the target of cyber-bullying and physical intimidation at school. Allan remembers coming out at age fourteen and learning that safety can be as much about who you know as who you are. Don at age eight terrorized his younger brother, an aggression that escalated into the torture of another boy at fifteen.
I Wrote on all Four Walls collects the harrowing stories of nine contemporary teenagers who have witnessed, been the victim of, or instigated acts of violence... sometimes all three. In their own words, these teens offer thoughtful testimony on how such experiences have impacted on their lives, and their choices in dealing with those repercussions. Each experience is as unique and complex as the teens themselves. But one common element is clear: violence builds walls, and these teens want to speak up and break out.
I Wrote on all Four Walls also includes an afterword by youth services specialist Dr. Fred Matthews, an internationally respected authority on teen violence. Dr. Matthews, a community psychologist and Director of Research and Program Development at Central Toronto Youth Services, explores how both victims and perpetrators can come to terms with violent events and gain control of their lives.
The explosive teenage years can make young people more prone to violence...and more vulnerable. The accounts in I Wrote on all Four Walls are authentic and riveting. Sixteen-year-old Janice finds herself the target of cyber-bullying and physical intimidation at school. Allan remembers coming out at age fourteen and learning that safety can be as much about who you know as who you are. Don at age eight terrorized his younger brother, an aggression that escalated into the torture of another boy at fifteen.
I Wrote on all Four Walls collects the harrowing stories of nine contemporary teenagers who have witnessed, been the victim of, or instigated acts of violence... sometimes all three. In their own words, these teens offer thoughtful testimony on how such experiences have impacted on their lives, and their choices in dealing with those repercussions. Each experience is as unique and complex as the teens themselves. But one common element is clear: violence builds walls, and these teens want to speak up and break out.
I Wrote on all Four Walls also includes an afterword by youth services specialist Dr. Fred Matthews, an internationally respected authority on teen violence. Dr. Matthews, a community psychologist and Director of Research and Program Development at Central Toronto Youth Services, explores how both victims and perpetrators can come to terms with violent events and gain control of their lives.
144 pages, Paperback
First published September 4, 2004
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21 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 15, 2021
This is one of my new favorite books. This book has lots of sensitive stories but is so informational at the same time. My favorite story was when people would talk about how they did drugs and stuff, and how they bloomed and got so much better. Stopped doing drugs, being a better person, and went to school again. One of the people in this book was 14 when they started partying and doing drugs. Now they are such a better person.
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August 26, 2012
A really touching book with stories written by several different teens about their individual lives and the violence they encountered. I found it, at times, difficult to read, often bringing tears to my eyes,my heart aching for these young people. I probably should give it a higher rating but it really took me out of my comfort zone. Its difficult to think about what many people endure, living and growing up in families facing such violence and fear on a daily basis. It's a book everyone should read. Maybe it will encourage some to seek help, and others to reach out to help those in need.
February 3, 2017
This was really heartbreaking. The stories of these kids really highlights how much of an influencer violence is in a person's life. It wasn't the best written collection of stories but it was still really good.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews