The Devil in the Classroom : 100,000 copies sold within one month after release

With bullying at schools now considered a serious societal problem, the book titled, "The Devil in the Classroom," published by POPLAR Publishing, is creating a sensation with its proposed countermeasures against bullying.

Released on December 20th with an issue of 30,000 first-edition copies, the book reached its 4th impression with a release of 100,000 copies in a matter of a single month.

The author, a clinician who is active in both Japan and abroad, provides consultations and treatments to many families as a psychiatrist of the Tokyo Metropolitan Child Consultation Center. His book was written with the urgency "to immediately save children who are suffering from bullying" and focuses on "what needs to be done to prevent further acts of bullying." It was speedily planned, drafted, and published within a little more than a month.

The book mainly addresses how adults, especially parents, should respond, arguing that it is not realistic to expect victimized children to overcome the problems of bullying on their own, especially with the ways the phenomenon occurs today. The author elaborates that bullying can take the form of mass bullying, where an entire class bullies just one child, or that it can take place surreptitiously to keep teachers and parents in the dark, and that anyone can become the victim or the perpetrator.

For these very reasons, aid and comfort from parents, who are the closest adults to the children, are all the more necessary. However, if they fail to provide these things in the correct manner, they may end up aggravating the situation. Many parents therefore find themselves at a loss and become troubled at this stage.

The book exposes various realities of bullying and comments on its psychological underpinnings, while suggesting effective attitudes and conducts parents should take. Its advises are specific and clear, such as "carry out the problem solving separately from the investigation to determine blame."



*Some of the book titles are tentative translations.
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