Interpersonal Relations, Adolescent Psychology, Social Psychology & Interactions, Teenagers, Parenting Girls, Teen & Young Adult, Child, Children's Studies, Sociology, School Safety 

Odd Girl Out: The Hidden Culture of Aggression in Girls by Rachel Simmons uncovers the near-invisible phenomenon of female bullying. From years of interviews with girls and with women who had been bullied as girls, Simmons concludes that girls passive-aggressively use their relationships as weapons against each other because they have not been socialized to healthily assert their needs and their anger. This “alternative aggression” can leave frightening emotional scars that never fade, but is largely dismissed by society as “girls being girls” because it does not look like bullying in the traditional (male) sense. In addition to explaining the workings of female bullying, Simmons advises parents, teachers, and school administrators on how to help victims and perpetrators of female bullying; she also explores the influence of social media on female bullying and differences in socialization and behavior among non-white, middle-class girls.