Hot Buttons: Bullying and Image Editions Book Reviews (Kregel Blog Tours)

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I read Hot Buttons Image Edition (Hot Buttons Series) and Hot Buttons Bullying Edition (Hot Buttons Series) by Nicole O'Dell, in exchange for honest review from Kregel Blog Tours. I also have purchased the Dating and Internet Editions a few months ago, through Amazon.

The books are written from a Christian perspective. I wanted to review them because I do have a teen niece and a teenager.

I started out reading the image edition. I struggle
with self-image and self-worth, even as an adult. I started highlighting from page one. O'Dell had wrote "the teens and tweens of today aren't willing to take God's word for it, or for our word for it--after all, what do parents know?" Most teens listen to their peers versus their parents or God. For me, I was a decent teenager until 18. I did not do drugs. I did not have sex. Never seen detention in my life. Did my homework. I was afraid of my grandma, the disciplinarian. My mother left the discipline up to my grandma, which is why her kids turned out so wonderful (insert sarcasm here). My biggest problem was my mouth. I didn't cuss much but I was quick with sarcasm and arguing with folks.

I was (and still is) an outcast. I wasn't popular. I didn't date. I didn't have sex.  I was (and still am) antisocial. I didn't go to football games or dances. I didn't hang out with the "Black folks" (as someone told me). I joined AFJROTC in high school. I read books, wrote poetry, played on the computer, and made decent grades.

I couldn't wait to turn 18 and start living and experiencing the things, I felt I was missing out on. Those developmental and life-learning experiences.

I see the kids today: Having a lot of sex; doing drugs; missing a lot of days out of school; making bad grades. I don't understand it because I never been there (as a teen).

Some of the issues discussed in the Image edition includes weight gain; eating disorders; celebrity influence; and body piercings.


Next, the bullying edition focuses on suicide; bullying; and teasing. I have been teased as a child,  from classmates and from family members. I was picked on about my weight. I was picked on because I loved to read and write poetry. I was picked on because I was a loner. I was picked on because I didn't "hang out with the black folks." I was told I wasn't pretty. I was told I wasn't feminine enough to get a man, let alone married (because I hated the beauty shop and rarely got nails and hair done). I was picked on because of good grades (even as an adult in college).

I also have teased my nephew and niece. My church has been discussing bullying for the last few weeks. I have been a bully to folks and didn't realize it. (FallBrook Church Bullies Sermons).

Both books end with a biblical foundation of putting on the armor of God; confession,  forgiveness and starting over fresh.