What do you think?
Rate this book
Nobody Left to Hate: Teaching Compassion after Columbine
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 our nation's history. Can we prevent a tragedy like this from happening again?
In Elliot Aronson's Nobody Left to Hate, on 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.
In Elliot Aronson's Nobody Left to Hate, on 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.
208 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2000
12 people are currently reading
250 people want to read
About the author
Elliot Aronson
98 books249 followersElliot Aronson (Born January 1932) is listed among the 100 most eminent psychologist of the 20th Century, best known for his Jigsaw Classroom experiments, cognitive dissonance research, and bestselling Social Psychology textbooks. He is the only person in the 120-year history of the American Psychological Association to have won all three of its major awards: For distinguished writing (1973), for distinguished teaching (1980), and for distinguished research (1999). In 2007 he received the William James Award for Distinguished Research from APS.
Aronson has taught at Harvard University, the University of Minnesota, the University of Texas, and the University of California, Santa Cruz. He is the recipient of many honors. He was chosen by his peers as one of the 100 most influential psychologists of the 20th century, he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and won the prestigious William James Award from the Association for Psychological Science for his lifetime achievements. He has won distinguished research awards from a variety of professional organizations, including the American Psychological Association, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Society of Experimental Social Psychologists, and others. He also won the Gordon Allport Prize for his work on reducing prejudice. In 1982 he was named "Professor of the Year" by the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education.
Aronson has taught at Harvard University, the University of Minnesota, the University of Texas, and the University of California, Santa Cruz. He is the recipient of many honors. He was chosen by his peers as one of the 100 most influential psychologists of the 20th century, he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and won the prestigious William James Award from the Association for Psychological Science for his lifetime achievements. He has won distinguished research awards from a variety of professional organizations, including the American Psychological Association, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Society of Experimental Social Psychologists, and others. He also won the Gordon Allport Prize for his work on reducing prejudice. In 1982 he was named "Professor of the Year" by the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
November 22, 2017
This book has a conversational tone and reads quickly, and I think it's worth reading although it can feel a bit dated. What really made this book (which came to me accidentally) worth reading was the revelation that the author created the jigsaw method of teaching, which features prominently in my graduate program, both in how classes were conducted and what we were advised to do. The author seems both intelligent and kind and I'd read other things he's written, especially more about the jigsaw method.
July 28, 2022
Excellent book on why we should be teaching empathy and compassion to our students, by the person who developed the jigsaw technique which helped students in the desegregated Texas school rooms in the 1970s.
This book was written after the Columbine shootings, and I’m not sure much has changed since then. Many people still do not have empathy or compassion for each other, as heightened by the political climate. Especially after the most recent school shooting at Uvalde, we have to continually ask ourselves as teachers if we are doing enough to create collaborative classrooms that also teach compassion and empathy.
This book was written after the Columbine shootings, and I’m not sure much has changed since then. Many people still do not have empathy or compassion for each other, as heightened by the political climate. Especially after the most recent school shooting at Uvalde, we have to continually ask ourselves as teachers if we are doing enough to create collaborative classrooms that also teach compassion and empathy.
September 5, 2025
This book seems well-intentioned and written by a compassionate author. It also does not use meaningful metrics to defend jigsaw learning, which impeded so much of my early education and introduced far more social stress than I would have experienced otherwise. It also promotes the repeatedly debunked myth that the Columbine shooters were bullied rather than bullies themselves. This myth has been cited by at least four mass murderers in their manifestos.
January 28, 2013
Elliot Aronson is a social psycologist who gives a response to the Columbine shootings in this book, Nobody left to hate. He asks school communities to really think about how much they tolerate bullying and conflict in their schools. The accepted attitude that put-downs, clique-generated ostracism, and the isolation of the un-cool that has permeated school atmospheres must end. Aronson then presents a method called jigsaw to improve student acceptance of one another. This is a group work approach which makes each student an expert on part of the assignment and then the teacher of that material. This forces the group members to support each student because the students are tested on each other's material. He tried this approach in the newly integrated school system in Austin, TX with great success. He also encourages seeking out the isolated in each school to find ways to include them. This does not mean finding the students with poor grades since both shooters at Columbine had acceptable grades. It means being aware of each student's role in the school and how he or she is being treated by peers. It is a big challenge, but making the effort can saves lives so the challenge must be met. This book made me not only want to make the effort to speak to each student in my current school situation, and it made me reflective of my own role in my high school. I was the unnoticed loner. So why did I not shoot anyone? Family, church and out-of-school friends made the difference. A visit with a loner to see if his or her life is filled with support away from school could make all the difference. The school learns that the student is not really isolated and the student is a bit more included at school because someone, even if it is an adult, now knows them better. The message is: Reach Out so everyone feels noticed and accepted by someone. This is a short and quick 178 pages to read that really makes you think. I really suggest that you take the time to read this one.
June 20, 2021
Should be read by every educator in the country.
February 11, 2019
Uno de los temas que más me motivaron para estudiar Psicología fueron las matanzas entre adolescentes en sus colegios que de cuando en cuando asolan Estados Unidos. Siempre quise averiguar qué pudo pasar por la cabeza de aquellos que decidieron tirar todo por la borda matando a todo el que se pusiera por delante antes de suicidarse. El detonante, el hecho que quizá más ha movido mis pasos fue la masacre del instituto Columbine, en Littleton, Colorado. Curiosamente, a pesar de ser hechos como este los que más empuje me dieron, no he tenido aún la curiosidad de leer algún libro especializado sobre el tema. Sé que hay muchos autores que se beneficiaron en aquel momento de la tragedia y sacaron libros más bien malos prometiendo dar todas las claves sobre por qué Eric Harris y Dylan Klebold decidieron matar a cientos de personas a sangre fría (finalmente fueron trece los asesinados).
Nuestro profesor de Psicología de los Grupos habló de pasada hace unas semanas de la matanza de Columbine, y cuando terminó la clase me acerqué y le pedí que me recomendara algún libro sobre el tema.
Elliot Aronson, el autor, es un psicólogo social inventor del método de enseñanza Jigsaw, el cual promulga que las clases, en vez de ser únicamente magistrales, deberían apoyar la socialización del estudiante con sus compañeros a la vez que se enseña. Así, si se hacen grupos de cuatro o cinco para preparar un tema en concreto – por ejemplo, la II Guerra Mundial – uno se encargaría de añadir qué papel tuvieron los soviéticos en la Guerra, otro podría desarrollar el rol determinante de la bomba atómica, etc. Si en la clase hay veinte estudiantes, se podrían formar cuatro grupos de cinco personas. En cada grupo uno se encarga de un tema, como ya se ha dicho, y cuando ya han puesto en común sus trabajos, se reunirían además con los otros miembros de los otros grupos que han desarrollado el mismo subtema. De esta manera la socialización es cada vez más heterogénea, haciendo que todos se unan por un objetivo común, aprendiendo a la vez el desarrollo del tema propuesto. Al final, logramos enseñar y a la vez lograr que los alumnos se respeten entre si, no dando a nadie de lado. Por supuesto, llevar a cabo esta técnica requiere de su estudio y su puesta en práctica. Aquí dejo un enlace que lo explica más detalladamente (en inglés) – JIGSAW
Pero en realidad este método es una de las soluciones que propone Aronson al que él cree es el problema principal que descadenó el desastre: el ambiente opresivo y maltratador en las aulas. Os dejo algunos párrafos muy interesantes del libro que hablan del por qué de vez en cuando alguien explota y mata a sus compañeros. Siento que estén en inglés. Si a alguno le interesa el tema y no sabe inglés que deje un comentario y los traduzco en un rato libre que tenga.
In the wake of the Columbine tragedy, many schools instituted zero-tolerance policies for weapons, for drugs, and, sometimes, for fighting. In my opinion, schools should make a similiar kind of serious attempt to reduce or eliminate bullying, taunting and insulting behavior. It is astonishing to me that we permit children to be victimized by the kind of verbal violence that adults would not tolerate in their own workplace. Indeed, in many instances, adults subjected to such harassment would sue not only the perpretator, but also their employer for allowing such an intolerable work environment.
We [scientific social psychologists] have discovered and tested ways of transforming the general atmosphere of schools from highly competitive, cliquish, exclusionary places – places where you would be shunned if you were from the “wrong” raza or the “wrong” ethnic group, came from the wrong side of the tracks, wore the wrong kind of clothes, were too short or too fat, too tall or too thin, or just “didn’t fit in” – into places where students have learned to appreciate one another and experience empathy, compassion, and respect for one another.
Ahora, una explicación sobre por qué suelen ser adolescentes y varones los que cometen estos actos.
Before leaving this chapter, I should point out that there is at least one additional element that all the school massacres had in common: All of the shooters were adolescent boys – obviously. I say “obviously” because 1. The shootings took place in or around middle schools and high schools – places that are populated by adolescents; and 2. Girls, although fully capable of verbal agression, physical violence, and even murder, have almost never committed mass murder. So what is there about being and adolescent boy?
As everyone knows, adolescence is a time of physical growth and sexual maturation – a time of incredibly huge and rapid physiological and hormonal changes. But these changes follow rather different paths for boys and for girls. Adolescent girls experience a sharp increase in the production of estrogen, develop breasts and pubic hair, and begin menstruating. Adolescent boys are flooded with testosterone, begin to grow facial hair and pubic hair, undergo a changing voice, witness significant growth in their testes and penis, and experience ejaculation. When I say that adolescent boys are “flooded” with testosterone, I am not exaggerating: Adolescent boys have testosterone levels up to eighteen times as great as childhood levels. (For girls the comparable difference in estrogen levels between childhood and adolescence is much smaller). Testosterone is an hormone that is not only associated with sex; it is also associated with aggression. As one indication of this association, it has been shown that convicts serving time in penitentiaries for violent crimes have considerably higher testosterone levels than those serving time for nonviolent crimes.
For both boys and girls, being accepted by their peer group becomes increasingly important – even vital – during adolescence. It is out of a strong desire to be included that youngsters are tempted to dress alike, follow the crowd to the tattoo parlor and the body piercer, develop similar taste in music, films, food and so on. It always hurts to be rejected. But, at this particular stage of our development, rejection can be excruciatingly painful. Although it is tempting for us parents to dismiss our teenagers’ machinations as “merely going through a stage”, we need to bear in mind that the pressures are intense and the pain is real. For our children, adolescence is not simply a stage in their lives – it is their lives. In 1999, one out of every five adolescents had seriously considered suicide, and one out of ten had attempted it.
Being an adolescent boy in America also includes the extra burden associated with growing up in a culture of honor. The role models for adolescent boys in America are rough, tough heroes who are adept with weapons and fists – not wit. If you are an adolescent boy, you would be inclined to identify with John Wayne, Arnold Schwartzenegger, or Clint Eastwood, not Woody Allen.
Recomiendo el libro a todos los interesados en la psicología aplicada a la enseñanza, así como a los que se pregunten cuáles son las raíces de la socialización, especialmente en la infancia y en la adolescencia. El autor deja muy claro cuál seguramente fue el problema, y cómo se podría haber evitado. Las malas noticias son que en los institutos se sigue sin prevenir el maltrato escolar y el bullying. Y eso, en países como Estados Unidos, donde comprar un fusil de asalto resulta tan fácil, es un problema muy grave.
Esperemos que alguien haga algo antes de que tengamos otro Columbine…
Nuestro profesor de Psicología de los Grupos habló de pasada hace unas semanas de la matanza de Columbine, y cuando terminó la clase me acerqué y le pedí que me recomendara algún libro sobre el tema.
Elliot Aronson, el autor, es un psicólogo social inventor del método de enseñanza Jigsaw, el cual promulga que las clases, en vez de ser únicamente magistrales, deberían apoyar la socialización del estudiante con sus compañeros a la vez que se enseña. Así, si se hacen grupos de cuatro o cinco para preparar un tema en concreto – por ejemplo, la II Guerra Mundial – uno se encargaría de añadir qué papel tuvieron los soviéticos en la Guerra, otro podría desarrollar el rol determinante de la bomba atómica, etc. Si en la clase hay veinte estudiantes, se podrían formar cuatro grupos de cinco personas. En cada grupo uno se encarga de un tema, como ya se ha dicho, y cuando ya han puesto en común sus trabajos, se reunirían además con los otros miembros de los otros grupos que han desarrollado el mismo subtema. De esta manera la socialización es cada vez más heterogénea, haciendo que todos se unan por un objetivo común, aprendiendo a la vez el desarrollo del tema propuesto. Al final, logramos enseñar y a la vez lograr que los alumnos se respeten entre si, no dando a nadie de lado. Por supuesto, llevar a cabo esta técnica requiere de su estudio y su puesta en práctica. Aquí dejo un enlace que lo explica más detalladamente (en inglés) – JIGSAW
Pero en realidad este método es una de las soluciones que propone Aronson al que él cree es el problema principal que descadenó el desastre: el ambiente opresivo y maltratador en las aulas. Os dejo algunos párrafos muy interesantes del libro que hablan del por qué de vez en cuando alguien explota y mata a sus compañeros. Siento que estén en inglés. Si a alguno le interesa el tema y no sabe inglés que deje un comentario y los traduzco en un rato libre que tenga.
In the wake of the Columbine tragedy, many schools instituted zero-tolerance policies for weapons, for drugs, and, sometimes, for fighting. In my opinion, schools should make a similiar kind of serious attempt to reduce or eliminate bullying, taunting and insulting behavior. It is astonishing to me that we permit children to be victimized by the kind of verbal violence that adults would not tolerate in their own workplace. Indeed, in many instances, adults subjected to such harassment would sue not only the perpretator, but also their employer for allowing such an intolerable work environment.
We [scientific social psychologists] have discovered and tested ways of transforming the general atmosphere of schools from highly competitive, cliquish, exclusionary places – places where you would be shunned if you were from the “wrong” raza or the “wrong” ethnic group, came from the wrong side of the tracks, wore the wrong kind of clothes, were too short or too fat, too tall or too thin, or just “didn’t fit in” – into places where students have learned to appreciate one another and experience empathy, compassion, and respect for one another.
Ahora, una explicación sobre por qué suelen ser adolescentes y varones los que cometen estos actos.
Before leaving this chapter, I should point out that there is at least one additional element that all the school massacres had in common: All of the shooters were adolescent boys – obviously. I say “obviously” because 1. The shootings took place in or around middle schools and high schools – places that are populated by adolescents; and 2. Girls, although fully capable of verbal agression, physical violence, and even murder, have almost never committed mass murder. So what is there about being and adolescent boy?
As everyone knows, adolescence is a time of physical growth and sexual maturation – a time of incredibly huge and rapid physiological and hormonal changes. But these changes follow rather different paths for boys and for girls. Adolescent girls experience a sharp increase in the production of estrogen, develop breasts and pubic hair, and begin menstruating. Adolescent boys are flooded with testosterone, begin to grow facial hair and pubic hair, undergo a changing voice, witness significant growth in their testes and penis, and experience ejaculation. When I say that adolescent boys are “flooded” with testosterone, I am not exaggerating: Adolescent boys have testosterone levels up to eighteen times as great as childhood levels. (For girls the comparable difference in estrogen levels between childhood and adolescence is much smaller). Testosterone is an hormone that is not only associated with sex; it is also associated with aggression. As one indication of this association, it has been shown that convicts serving time in penitentiaries for violent crimes have considerably higher testosterone levels than those serving time for nonviolent crimes.
For both boys and girls, being accepted by their peer group becomes increasingly important – even vital – during adolescence. It is out of a strong desire to be included that youngsters are tempted to dress alike, follow the crowd to the tattoo parlor and the body piercer, develop similar taste in music, films, food and so on. It always hurts to be rejected. But, at this particular stage of our development, rejection can be excruciatingly painful. Although it is tempting for us parents to dismiss our teenagers’ machinations as “merely going through a stage”, we need to bear in mind that the pressures are intense and the pain is real. For our children, adolescence is not simply a stage in their lives – it is their lives. In 1999, one out of every five adolescents had seriously considered suicide, and one out of ten had attempted it.
Being an adolescent boy in America also includes the extra burden associated with growing up in a culture of honor. The role models for adolescent boys in America are rough, tough heroes who are adept with weapons and fists – not wit. If you are an adolescent boy, you would be inclined to identify with John Wayne, Arnold Schwartzenegger, or Clint Eastwood, not Woody Allen.
Recomiendo el libro a todos los interesados en la psicología aplicada a la enseñanza, así como a los que se pregunten cuáles son las raíces de la socialización, especialmente en la infancia y en la adolescencia. El autor deja muy claro cuál seguramente fue el problema, y cómo se podría haber evitado. Las malas noticias son que en los institutos se sigue sin prevenir el maltrato escolar y el bullying. Y eso, en países como Estados Unidos, donde comprar un fusil de asalto resulta tan fácil, es un problema muy grave.
Esperemos que alguien haga algo antes de que tengamos otro Columbine…
June 26, 2024
Even though outdated at this point, I found myself agreeing with Aronson overwhelmingly until the final third of the book. It felt like a real bait-and-switch as he shilled out his own jigsaw technique which is just repackaged cooperative group projects. I’m not saying it wouldn’t work, I’m just saying I wasn’t expecting a sales pitch at the end of a book about evidence-based interventions to potentially stop the next Columbine. It felt unethical and like he was capitalizing on a mass shooting.
Aronson has a lot of great information in this book, messaging most social scientists and psychologists today would agree with. I just wish somebody would’ve told him to include other important interventions as well so he didn’t make it sound like his method will save every school and all of mankind. Because kids these days have a lot of group projects, and there are flaws in that mode of learning, too… right fellow people who had to do the entire project themselves because the rest of the team saw they could take advantage of the situation? 🙄
Aronson has a lot of great information in this book, messaging most social scientists and psychologists today would agree with. I just wish somebody would’ve told him to include other important interventions as well so he didn’t make it sound like his method will save every school and all of mankind. Because kids these days have a lot of group projects, and there are flaws in that mode of learning, too… right fellow people who had to do the entire project themselves because the rest of the team saw they could take advantage of the situation? 🙄
October 10, 2021
As a current high school senior, I can sympathize and indeed put forth my own experiences about exclusion and the ruthless competitive state of today's classroom. To me, who has read hundreds of books in my lifetime, this was probably one of the most life changing. I think that every student, teacher, parent, and legislator should read it. Hell -- I think it should be required reading for everyone on earth.
Nobody Left to Hate is a beautifully written novel about the process of teaching students empathy and compassion, but more than that it is an ode to celebrating each others differences. The author is witty and at points overly funny (I laughed at one of his anecdotes for a straight 10 minutes).
It's hard to describe what all exactly this book teaches you, but I don't have to try, because you can just read it. So do it! Read it! It's a short book, a fast read, and it won't cost you much time.
Nobody Left to Hate is a beautifully written novel about the process of teaching students empathy and compassion, but more than that it is an ode to celebrating each others differences. The author is witty and at points overly funny (I laughed at one of his anecdotes for a straight 10 minutes).
It's hard to describe what all exactly this book teaches you, but I don't have to try, because you can just read it. So do it! Read it! It's a short book, a fast read, and it won't cost you much time.
May 10, 2023
Aronson's topic is relative today. The first half was a good compilation of thoughts and information. The second part was a reiteration of The Jigsaw Classroom. I'm curious to see how that would work in studies today(not necessarily related to bullying). The points about respect were valuable, as were the points on the different teaching styles. But I'm still not convinced that Jigsaw is the best way.
February 5, 2022
Huge reading recommendation!
Major Themes:
• Columbine School Shooting
• Root-Cause-Interventions of School Shootings
• How to create empathy towards „losers“ and out- groups
• The Jigsaw Classroom
It is very easy to read and uses understandable language.
Major Themes:
• Columbine School Shooting
• Root-Cause-Interventions of School Shootings
• How to create empathy towards „losers“ and out- groups
• The Jigsaw Classroom
It is very easy to read and uses understandable language.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 20, 2008
My notes and quotes:
Aronson begins with describing the problem of school violence, specifically the Columbine shootings. He explains that the first reaction to a problem of this magnitude is to look for a quick fix (e.g. ten commandments in schools, gun control, violence in the media, etc.). He explains why these solutions will not work and don't really address the problem. He goes into the history and contributions of social psychology in order to explain how it can help solve the problems faced in schools today.
He explains the powerful effects of social situations on people and how they behave (e.g. cites the Milgram experiment among others showing how normal people can be influenced by circumstances). He distinguishes the difference between "pump-handle solutions" and "root solutions" to changing the environments of schools today. The pump handle solutions include reducing the number of available guns to young people, limiting exposure to violence in media for young children, and increased security in schools.
He then goes into the root causes of many of the problems. The most important of which is social exclusion and persecution of people that do not fit into the "normal/popular" category of adolescents. The separation between the winners and losers in school is almost universal across the country. The persecution associated with being a loser is what often leads to dsyfunction academic and social skills. He also explains how important it is that all children are taught more social skills in order to be successful in the future. He stresses that it should be taught the same way as academic skills are because they will be just as crucial to getting a job.
Emotional intelligence is also explained in terms of how it predicts later success in life. Some of the components of emotional IQ is the ability to delay gratification. Also stresses the importance of preventing the emotional problems that shooters at Columbine faced. Programs that promote strategies for learning how to deal with stresses and problems are discussed and explained. Emotional intelligence is also associated with academic achievement because it enables students to effectively deal with emotional problems so they can focus on academics.
Some of the programs talked about include empathy programs that teach kids how to imagine other points of view. He discusses ways to reduce and elminate bullying and teasing in schools, especially through jigsaw teaching. One of the things the jigsaw classroom promotes is to reduce competition and increase cooperation among students. Extreme competition has been shown to have many harmful effects on the social atmosphere in schools. The jigsaw method basically consists of dividing the class into specialized groups where each person learns a part of the lesson. After learning the material each person returns to their group and teaches them the material. The strength of the technique is that each person needs everyone else in order to learn the material. Aronson goes into specifics and variations of the technique depending on the situation. He ends with a troubleshooting list of things that can occur when instituting jigsaw teaching.
Aronson begins with describing the problem of school violence, specifically the Columbine shootings. He explains that the first reaction to a problem of this magnitude is to look for a quick fix (e.g. ten commandments in schools, gun control, violence in the media, etc.). He explains why these solutions will not work and don't really address the problem. He goes into the history and contributions of social psychology in order to explain how it can help solve the problems faced in schools today.
He explains the powerful effects of social situations on people and how they behave (e.g. cites the Milgram experiment among others showing how normal people can be influenced by circumstances). He distinguishes the difference between "pump-handle solutions" and "root solutions" to changing the environments of schools today. The pump handle solutions include reducing the number of available guns to young people, limiting exposure to violence in media for young children, and increased security in schools.
He then goes into the root causes of many of the problems. The most important of which is social exclusion and persecution of people that do not fit into the "normal/popular" category of adolescents. The separation between the winners and losers in school is almost universal across the country. The persecution associated with being a loser is what often leads to dsyfunction academic and social skills. He also explains how important it is that all children are taught more social skills in order to be successful in the future. He stresses that it should be taught the same way as academic skills are because they will be just as crucial to getting a job.
Emotional intelligence is also explained in terms of how it predicts later success in life. Some of the components of emotional IQ is the ability to delay gratification. Also stresses the importance of preventing the emotional problems that shooters at Columbine faced. Programs that promote strategies for learning how to deal with stresses and problems are discussed and explained. Emotional intelligence is also associated with academic achievement because it enables students to effectively deal with emotional problems so they can focus on academics.
Some of the programs talked about include empathy programs that teach kids how to imagine other points of view. He discusses ways to reduce and elminate bullying and teasing in schools, especially through jigsaw teaching. One of the things the jigsaw classroom promotes is to reduce competition and increase cooperation among students. Extreme competition has been shown to have many harmful effects on the social atmosphere in schools. The jigsaw method basically consists of dividing the class into specialized groups where each person learns a part of the lesson. After learning the material each person returns to their group and teaches them the material. The strength of the technique is that each person needs everyone else in order to learn the material. Aronson goes into specifics and variations of the technique depending on the situation. He ends with a troubleshooting list of things that can occur when instituting jigsaw teaching.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 14, 2008
In Elliot Aronson's book, Nobody Left to Hate, he does a profound job of conveying strong emotions felt by those involved in and affected by the Columbine shooting to his reader. I know that I personally felt saddened, touched and overall; very grateful for all that I have after reading this novel. He creates vivid images of the real-life situation, and describes the anger, sadness, and pain that was, and still is felt by the parents who lost their loved ones at Columbine. At one point in the book, he even asks the reader to "walk in the shoes" of one of the parents who lost a child to this terrible tragedy. I especially enjoyed how he points out how different people have different emotions toward different situations. No one is exactly alike. Some parents feel anger, some depression, and while some feel compassion for the troubled shooters, some feel extreme hatred towards these evil boys. This brings the book around to the main point: who is to take the blame for all the bad? Aronson centers around the thought that if tradgedy strikes, humans look for who is to blame for the tragedy. All the people involved seem to be trying to dig down deep to the main cause of the problem. As they begin to dig, they realize they seem to be in a "bottomless pit". Every problem seems to lead to another. This seems to be a great spark for the title: Nobody Left to Hate. After reading this novel, I was sparked into thinking about how different choices lead to different consequences, and everything happens for a reason. Perhaps the choices of the parents of the shooters led them to make the choices they made, or maybe the parents of the shooters parents made bad decisions, and so on and so forth. This is what leads us to the question, who is really to blame? While each being is accountable for his own actions, these actions may be based on decisions or affected by feelings or thoughts of others. I enjoyed how Aronson ends the book on a positive note of optimism for the future, so that terrible situations will not occur. Overall, Aronson does a phoenomonal job of stating the facts, while also pulling in great literary work to keep the reader engaged and not bored.
November 17, 2011
I read a quote in another book about school killings from a parent who had, I believe, lost their child in the Westside Middle School massacre. Sadly I don't remember the exact wording..... The gist of it was that after the tragedy, the experts crawled out of the woodwork to come and "help the healing", support the victims and help the town recover - and then write their books, from their unique insider/expert perspective, with little regard for either the accuracy of the content or the effect it would have on those involved. This book, in my opinion, is an example of an "expert" stroking his ego and fleshing out a fairly sketchy theory.
Bland.
And sticking the word Columbine on the cover probably accounted for the vast majority of his sales. I cannot imagine why anyone would bother to read this, unless it was on the set text list for a course, probably taught by Elliot Aronson.
Bland.
And sticking the word Columbine on the cover probably accounted for the vast majority of his sales. I cannot imagine why anyone would bother to read this, unless it was on the set text list for a course, probably taught by Elliot Aronson.
January 23, 2011
Hmmm...what to say, what to say. This actually was fairly good, but I was not expecting, nor wanted a "school book." This is a psychiatrists twist on classroom equality. A good theory, but alas, I am not a teacher and have no use for it all. I skimmed most of it and read the interesting to me parts.
September 12, 2008
To be honest i didnt really like this book as much as i thought i was going to. The book is about physcology and why people do the things that they do. Im not real big into physcology so it was a little difficult to understand sometimes.
February 6, 2010
Read the social animal, aside from his part on Jigsaw learning techniques much of what he writes about in this little book is covered in his more popular title.
January 16, 2011
I did not realize this was a text book type read. It was good. Interesting theories--of which I think would be beneficially in the school setting.
February 13, 2014
3.75. This book was interesting and very optimistic. don't know if it'll solve the problem of school violence, but it's a start.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews