COE Faculty Member Publishes Children鈥檚 Book on Overcoming Poverty and Bullying
January 22, 2025 鈥� Dr. Rosie Phillips Davis鈥揳 former president of the American Psychological Association
and vice president for Student Affairs at the University of Memphis 鈥� has added another
title to her long list of accolades, children鈥檚 book author. Her new book 鈥淩osie鈥檚
Superpower鈥� tells the story of a young girl growing up in poverty and how she used
her imagination to overcome her economic situation and the bullying that went with
it.
鈥淏ullying affects one in five children, with its impact often lingering well into adulthood,鈥� Davis said. 鈥淧oor children and those who are perceived as 鈥榙ifferent鈥� are disproportionately targeted. 鈥淩osie鈥檚 Superpower鈥� offers these children hope, showing that even in the face of adversity, their minds are their most powerful tool.鈥�
It was during the COVID-19 pandemic, when Davis found herself working from home like many others, that she decided to draw from her own personal experiences to write the book. Davis grew up in poverty in Memphis during the 1960s. Davis鈥檚 father, a garbage man, held an I Am A Man sign during the 1968 Sanitation Worker鈥檚 Strike. Meanwhile, her mother cleaned homes for white families, all to give Davis and her siblings a chance at a better future. 鈥淩osie鈥檚 Superpower,鈥� according to Davis, is more than her story but a story for anyone who鈥檚 experienced or is currently experiencing poverty and/or bullying.
She elaborated, 鈥淚t is for every child who has ever felt they didn鈥檛 belong and every adult who carries the scars of being told they weren鈥檛 enough. This book fosters resilience, imagination and the courage to dream beyond difficult circumstances.鈥�
Davis is currently a professor of counseling psychology within the College of Education鈥檚 Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology and Research at the University of Memphis.
鈥淩osie鈥檚 Superpower鈥� is now available for purchase on , and .
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