In the book Odd Girl Out: The Hidden Culture of Aggression in Girls, author Rachel Simmons describes how girls create a hidden culture of indirect aggression. Rather than express anger openly, girls express aggression in a hidden way using tactics such as gossiping, spreading rumors, passing notes and criticizing. Simmons describes the reasons for this behavior, explains the type of behaviors that occur, shows the effects the behavior has on other girls, and offers many methods of addressing the problems. Her description, analysis, and insight, makes the book one offering valuable lessons that educators and school counselors can use to address the problem.

             Simmons' account of the problems offers valuable insight for several reasons. Firstly, she does not simply describe what girls do but also goes beyond this to explain the reasons why this behavior occurs. This makes it clear that the behavior is not a result of girls being inherently cruel or spiteful, but is caused by a culture that develops because of the way they are raised. This means that the book gets to the heart of the problem. At the same time, Simmons does not only offer an academic look at the problem. Instead, she bases the book on the real experiences of girls. This allows the book to offer an honest view of exactly the type of behaviors that occur. For educators and school counselors, this means that it becomes easy to identify the kind of damaging behaviors occurring. The use of personal accounts does not ignore the emotional impacts of the acts of aggression. By allowing women and girls to explain the effects on them, the reader is able to see the significant impact they have. This helps to make it clear that the actions of girls are not trivial actions, but ones that cause significant harm. Finally, Simmons' account does not treat the issue as if some girls are bullies and others are victims. Instead, she shows that most girls become both.