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Odd Girl Out  By  cover art

Odd Girl Out

By: Rachel Simmons
Narrated by: Ruth Ann Phimister
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Publisher's summary

When boys act out, get into fights, or become physically aggressive, we can't avoid noticing their bad behavior. But it is easy to miss the subtle signs of aggression in girls: the dirty looks, the taunting notes, or the exclusion from the group, that send girls home crying.

In Odd Girl Out, Rachel Simmons focuses on these interactions and provides language for the indirect aggression that runs through the lives and friendships of girls. These exchanges take place within intimate circles, the importance of friends and the fear of losing them is key. Without the cultural consent to express their anger or to resolve their conflicts, girls express their aggression in covert but damaging ways. Every generation of women can tell stories of being bullied, but Odd Girl Out explores and explains these experiences for the first time.

Journalist Rachel Simmons sheds light on destructive patterns that need our attention. With advice for girls, parents, teachers, and even school administrators, Odd Girl Out is a groundbreaking work that every woman will agree is long overdue.

©2002 Rachel Simmons (P)2002 Recorded Books

Critic reviews

"Ruth Ann Phimister is an earnest and sincere narrator....This book is an important addition to the research on bullying, and this audio presentation makes it easy to follow." (AudioFile)
"Bolstered with numerous revealing anecdotes and quotes, Odd Girl Out does an excellent job of articulating to adults exactly the pain and subtle warfare that many teen girls experience, and Simmons offers thoughtful motivations for both bullies and the parents who are reluctant to rein them in. She also offers admirable, groundbreaking insight into an all-too-common issue and will be invaluable to any adult struggling to help a girl get through her teens." (Booklist)

What listeners say about Odd Girl Out

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Compelling and informative

Every mother of a girl should read this book. My 8 year old daughter is in the early stage of struggling with these very issues. This is a book that raises your level of awareness and will hopefully leave you better equipped to help your daughter handle the ups and downs of her social world.

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19 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Validation

I've tried several times to write a review for this book, but was unable to complete one until now, because of the emotion that overwhelms me. I was the odd girl out through my high school years and couldn't speak of it at home, for the attitude was, "well, what did you do to deserve it?"

Every mother of a daughter and every teacher of girls needs to read this book and recognize the silent suffering of the girls in their care. Just because there are no physical bruises doesn't mean there's no damage done. Please let's acknowledge and treat this area of "silent aggression" for the sake of our daughters, sisters and girls everywhere.

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Captivating and informative

The author’s approach to telling the story through year long case studies keeps the listener’s attention. Drawing conclusions about girl bullying through these experiences makes for an accurate assessment of this age-old, but not increasingly concerning dilemma.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Good book, not so good reader...

Would you consider the audio edition of Odd Girl Out to be better than the print version?

NA

What was one of the most memorable moments of Odd Girl Out?

Realizing I was not alone in my experience.

Which scene was your favorite?

NA

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Because this book touched my childhood, I did not want to listen to it in one sitting, it was too close to home and too emotional.

Any additional comments?

I really enjoyed the book, I did not care for the reader. Half way through the book she desperately needed to drink some water, you could hear how dry her mouth was, She was constantly smacking her lips which made it difficult to enjoy the book.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great!

Excellent book.

Predates the smart phone generation so this will function best as a foundational analysis of the major factors and dynamics of dealing with conflict when one’s not allowed to show it openly and honestly. Many aspects are truly universal to all forms of covert aggression but in this case the participants are so young n have yet to experience the real world the damage is magnified since it often set the tone for later relationships.

Ruth does good job but sounds like they didn’t give her a microphone screen bc could hear every breath inhalation n lick. Probably not an issue for most except the few of us who listen at 2.5X and 3X speed.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars
  • lo
  • 08-10-18

Enlightening look at bullying behaviour

This helped me to understand the bullying I endured as a child, and also to realise that many adult women have not grown out of the unhealthy culture of hidden aggression. Although many of the scenarios described were of schoolchildren, I found that it is not too different from some adult friendship groups.

Narrator could be better but overall the flaws did not distract from the good content.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Much more storytelling and roll playing

there's a lot more storytelling in role-playing in this book than other books that are like it. Wasn't quite my cup of tea, but if I were going to have my daughter read a book this will probably be the one.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A must listen

This book isn't just for girls, it is for moms, dads and all people who have interaction with a female.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

what was the point of this book?

This book is full of trauma dumping stories of bullied girls - nothing anyone who was a middle school girl or watched Mean Girls didn't already know. It completely lakes any nuances about neurodiversity. the lady straw for me was the use of the euphemism "differently abled". Disabled is not a dirty word. DNF

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Gives new insight to how mean girls can be.

Would you listen to Odd Girl Out again? Why?

I work in a school and found this book very helpful by giving insight to how mean girls can be. It points out behavior and patterns that people working with girls shroud watch for and address. I feel listening to this book every year would help me reach out to those children who need my help the most

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

The film that shows how words hurt more then sticks and stones......

Any additional comments?

This book was right on target with girl's behavior. The description of bullying tactics that girls use may be more harmful then when boys fight. This book will make you remember some of our most hurtful times growing up.

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