Odd Girl Out: The Hidden Culture of Aggression in Girls

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.

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n 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. 6 X 9.

Author Biography: Rachel Simmons graduated from Vassar College in 1996, where she studied Women's Studies and Political Science.

In 1998, she received a Rhodes Scholarship from New York State to study at Oxford University where she began her research of female bullying and the psychology of girls.

In the course of her research, Simmons has directed a girls leadership camp for the Sidwell Friends School in Washington and has advised teachers in schools all over the country. She has worked in politics in Washington and New York City and currently lives in Brooklyn.