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Nobody Left to Hate

Holt Paperbacks, July 2001
ISBN: 978-0-8050-7099-6, ISBN10: 0-8050-7099-0,
5 x 7 1/2 inches, 208 pages,
Trade Paperback, $15.99

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Categories and Subcategories

See All Categories Education Education - All Titles Psychology Psychology - All Titles Sociology Sociology - All Titles

On April 20, 1999, the halls of Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, reverberated with the sound of gunshots as two students, highly armed and consumed with rage, killed thirteen students and seriously injured twenty-three before turning the guns on themselves. It was the worst school massacre in out nation's history. Can we prevent a tragedy like this from happening again?

In Nobody Left to Hate, one of our nation's leading social psychologists argues that the negative atmosphere in our schools—the exclusion, taunting, humiliation, and bullying—played a major role in triggering the pathological behavior of the shooters. At the very least, such an atmosphere makes schools an unpleasant experience for most normal students.

But it doesn't have to be. Nobody Left to Hate offers concise, practical, and easy-to-apply strategies for creating a more supportive, stimulating, and compassionate environment in our schools. Based on decades of scientific research and classroom testing, these strategies explain how students can be taught to control their own impulses, how to respect others, and how to resolve conflicts amicably. In addition, they show teachers how to structure classes to promote cooperation, rather than competition, without sacrificing academics; on the contrary, education is greatly enhanced.

For parents, teachers, or anyone concerned with what is happening in our schools, Nobody Left to Hate provides a simple and effective plan of action that will make their children's school not only a safe place, but a more humane place of learning.

Praise

"At a time when many people in public life are offering quick fixes and punitive strategies based upon faulty analyses of the problem, Aronson offers a road map for changing the social environment of the school from competition and nastiness to cooperation and acceptance. Bravo!"—James Garbarino, Ph.D., author of Lost Boys: Why Our Sons Turn Violent and How We Can Save Them and Professor of Human Development at Cornell University

"An important book. It has the potential to change how the public and policy makers think about the Littleton tragedy and how to make our schools safe havens where the joy of learning is the focusænot the fear of violence. Aronson is the leading social psychologist of our era and a scientist with an extraordinary record of accomplishment and a communicator par excellence."—Len Saxe, Ph.D., Professor of Social Welfare, Brandeis University

"What a great idea to apply social psychology to the schools of today . . . Aronson's knowledge of social psychology, his research, and experience on cooperative learning in schools, and his rhetorical gifts make him the perfect person to write this book."—Dave Myers, Professor of Psychology, Hope College, and author of the textbook Psychology

"Aronson's brilliant social psychological analysis of the Columbine High School massacre . . . offers a root cause solution based on decades of scientific psychological research and wise theory by the author and his colleagues."—Philip Zimbardo, Professor of Psychology, Stanford University

"Wonderfully written. Lucid, energetic, and engaging. The topic is of huge interest and importance . . . [Aronson's] optimism and empathy come through loud and clear."—Susan Engel, Director of Program in Teaching, Williams College, and author of The Stories Children Tell

About the Author(s)

Elliot Aronson

Elliot Aronson's, professor at University of California, Santa Cruz, standing as one of the world's most distinguished and versatile social psychologists is reflected in the wide variety of national and international awards he has received for his teaching, for his scientific research, for his writing, and for his contributions to society. Among these awards: in 1970, the American Association for the Advancement of Science awarded him its prize for distinguished basic research in social psychology. In 1975, the American Psychological Association presented him with the National Media Award for writing his book The Social Animal. In 1980, he received both a distinguished teaching award and a distinguished research award from the American Psychological Association. APA also awarded him the Gordon Allport prize for his contributions to the reduction of prejudice and the betterment of intergroup relation. In 1981, he was named Professor of the Year by the American Council for the Advancement and Support of Education. In 1994, he received the Distinguished Scientific Career Award from the Society of Experimental Social Psychologists. Inducted in 1992, Elliot Aronson is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 1999, he received the American Psychological Association's highest award for a lifetime of scientific contributions.

Excerpt

1WHAT HAPPENED AT COLUMBINE?It was April 20, 1999, the day that the corridors, the classrooms, and the library of Columbine High School reverberated with the sound of gunshots. Two students, consumed by rage and armed with an arsenal of guns and explosives, went on a rampage, killing a teacher and several of their fellow students. They then turned their guns on themselves.

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