This is a valuable book on an entrenched social problem. In contrast to the majority of books that address solutions to bullying, this study examines possible encouragement or reinforcement of bullying and "mean girl" behavior arising from popular culture--largely, in this study, in film and television. (The one chapter on alternative media, although useful, could have been developed more.) Oppliger (mass communication, Boston Univ.) strongly disputes the US Department of Health and Human Services' official definition of bullying behavior, which it describes as impulsive, hotheaded, and dominant. Instead, she argues that bullying behavior is deliberate, repeated, and largely unprovoked. The author separates into their own chapters bullying and mean-girl attacks, since each gender employs different attack techniques. In a concluding chapter, she recommends specific children's books that seek to empower children in dealing with bullying and mean-girl actions directed both at themselves and at other children. Certain positive films and videos are suggested for adolescents who are more likely to accept visual media and celebrity counsel. Summing Up: Recommended. All readers. M. R. Grant emerita, Wheaton College