Synopses & Reviews
It does not necessarily take a fist to create a punch in the gut. This fourteen-story YA fiction anthology delves into the experience of being bulliedsocially, emotionally, physically, psychologically, and sexually. The school hallways, walks home, and house walls are no longer the boundaries for intimidation and harassment. With the rapid-fire response time of social media and smartphones, bullying has lost all limits, and the lines among truth, lies, and real accountability have become blurred.
Featuring some of the hottest voices in YA literature, both bestselling and on the rise, Cornered includes works from Kirsten Miller (New York Times bestseller The Eternal Ones), Jennifer Brown (Hate List), Elizabeth Miles (Fury), Jaime Adoff (The Death of Jayson Porter), Lish McBride (Morris Award finalist Hold Me Closer, Necromancer), Matthue Roth (Losers), Sheba Karim (Skunk Girl), Kate Ellison (Butterfly Clues), Zeta Elliot (A Wish After Midnight), Josh Berk (The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin), and James Lecesne (Absolute Brightness and founder of the Trevor Project).
Review
Kirkus Reviews
"… a diverse, robust collection that looks unflinchingly at cruelty. (Anthology. 12 & up)
Review
Bookshelf: What We’re Reading"This is an excellent book for teens…This would make an excellent choice for sparking off discussions on this very difficult topic….Worthwhile, but difficult."
Seventeen’s book club
"You'll love it if... you're looking for a summer read that's moving and inspirational.Cornered will give you the courage to face-off the bullies at your own school, and help victims get help."
Booklist
"Helpful for teachers, guidance counselors, and teens trying to stop bullying, yet engaging for readers simply browsing this important topic."
Seventeen Book Club
“You'll love it if...you're looking for a summer read that's moving and inspirational.Cornered will give you the courage to face-off the bullies at your own school, and help victims get help.”
Lambda Literary.org
“The authors in Cornered use their stories to take us inside the minds and skins of those who are being bullied, and the bullies themselves, to show readers just how wrong thinking teen-aged harassment is “not that bad” can be… an intensely personal and unsettling look at the problem, and will hopefully move them to do more than just say, “It Gets Better,” and join in the battle against it.”
Alexis Burling
“Cornered has something for every kind of kid—male and female; LGBT and straight; sportsy, artsy, and bookish. … Not for the faint of heart, every story in this excellent collection is worth its weight in gold.”
Charleston Gazette
"Reading "Cornered" could really open your eyes to the world around you. It may make you realize some things that may change you or how you feel about others. "
School Library Journal
“…a solid recommendation to teens and a definite gateway title to promoting the short-story genre.”
Mother Daughter Book Club blog“Books such as Cornered are important bring reality into the equation. It looks at the humanity of those who are victims, and, as hard as it may be to believe there is humanity in those who victimize, it looks at that as well. Some of the stories are difficult to get through. Others have more of a lighthearted feel where victims triumph. All of them will take your breath away. I recommend Cornered for mother-daughter book clubs and any reader aged 14 and up.”
About the Author
Rhoda Belleza is a freelance writer and editor who has worked with Paper Lantern Lit. She has been published on TheRumpus.net and currently lives in Brooklyn, NY.