COE Faculty Member Publishes Children’s Book on Overcoming Poverty and Bullying

January 22, 2025 – Dr. Rosie Phillips Davis–a former president of the American Psychological Association and vice president for Student Affairs at the University of Memphis – has added another title to her long list of accolades, children’s book author. Her new book “Rosie’s Superpower” 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.

“Bullying affects one in five children, with its impact often lingering well into adulthood,” Davis said. “Poor children and those who are perceived as ‘different’ are disproportionately targeted. “Rosie’s Superpower” offers these children hope, showing that even in the face of adversity, their minds are their most powerful tool.”

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’s father, a garbage man, held an I Am A Man sign during the 1968 Sanitation Worker’s Strike. Meanwhile, her mother cleaned homes for white families, all to give Davis and her siblings a chance at a better future. “Rosie’s Superpower,” according to Davis, is more than her story but a story for anyone who’s experienced or is currently experiencing poverty and/or bullying.

She elaborated, “It is for every child who has ever felt they didn’t belong and every adult who carries the scars of being told they weren’t enough. This book fosters resilience, imagination and the courage to dream beyond difficult circumstances.”

Davis is currently a professor of counseling psychology within the College of Education’s Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology and Research at the University of Memphis.

“Rosie’s Superpower” is now available for purchase on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Walmart.

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