Bad Stuff in the News - Hardcover

Rabbi Marc Gellman; Monsignor Thomas Harman

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1587171325 ISBN 13: 9781587171321

Publisher: SeaStar Books, 2002

Synopsis

How can we cope in a world filled with pollution, poverty, and violence? In our media-centric society, this is a question that kids come face-to-face with at increasingly young ages. And ever since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on America, our personal safety has never felt more in danger.
With their unique combination of sensitivity, insight, and humor drawn from their years of counseling experience as clerics, nationally known commentators Rabbi Marc Gellman and Monsignor Thomas Hartman address such front-page tragedies as hate crimes, terrorism, school and sports violence, and substance abuse. After exploring some of the complex factors that lead such tragedies to happen, each chapter addresses what small but important steps might be taken in order to prevent them from happening again. And although some "bad stuff" is unavoidable, they invite readers to discover how simple acts of comfort can make a big difference.

This essential handbook for today's modern youth will help kids and parents deal with confusing, troubling, or scary events, while showing them how to take part in repairing the broken world around them.

About this title

About the Author

Rabbi Marc Gellman is one half of the well-known "God Squad," along with Monsignor Thomas Hartman. The two are authors of Lost and Found: A Kid's Book for Living Through Loss and How Do You Spell God? Answers to the Big Questions from Around the World. He

Monsignor Thomas Harman is one half of the well-known "God Squad," along with Rabbi Marc Gellman. The two are authors of Lost and Found: A Kid's Book for Living Through Loss and How Do You Spell God? Answers to the Big Questions from Around the World. He

From School Library Journal

Grades 6-10--In the introduction, Rabbi Gellman and Monsignor Hartman explain that their intention is to help readers avoid becoming either overly frightened by or desensitized to the ongoing flood of bad news on television and in the newspapers. In each chapter, they elucidate ways to understand why these things happen as well as ways to fix them, if not now, then as readers grow up. Chapters cover terrorism; school violence; natural disasters; physical, sexual, and emotional abuse; hatred and racism; "bad sportsmanship"; serious illness; and more. The discussions offer definitions and examples, followed by sections called "Stuff to Understand," about the forces and factors that precipitate such events, and "Stuff You Can Fix," practical suggestions for coping with disaster or contributing to solutions. The authors emphasize, however, that many problems are for adults to handle. They remind readers that there is oftentimes room for negotiation and mutual understanding between children and parents, and that some things, like clothes, are about taste, which is different from good and bad. They close with the gentle reminder that the world is not yet perfect, but that that is OK. The book is illustrated with collages of headlines. It would be useful in a number of classrooms, including social studies, civics, and journalism, and for initiating discussions on the realities of the destruction of the World Trade Center.
Sylvia V. Meisner, Greensboro Montessori School, NC
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: SeaStar Books
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 1587171325
• ISBN 13: 9781587171321
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 128