[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”4px||4px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”17px||4px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]April 9, 2025 ̶ ̶ ̶ Dr. Rosie Phillips Davis – a former president of the American Psychological Association and vice president for Student Affairs at the University of Memphis – sat in the campus bookstore at the UofM to read her recently published children’s book to several elementary classes from Campus School. “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.”
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ specialty=”on” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”2px||0px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_image src=”https://news.memphis.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/04042025BOOKREADING-MS016.jpg” alt=”Dr. Rosie Phillips Davis, a professor of counseling psychology within the College of Education’s Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology and Research at the University of Memphis, read her book %22Rosie’s Superpower%22 aloud to classes from University School’s Campus School.” title_text=”04042025BOOKREADING-MS016″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][/et_pb_image][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ specialty_columns=”2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_row_inner _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column_inner saved_specialty_column_type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]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 Workers’ Strike. Meanwhile, her mother cleaned homes for white families, 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.
“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,” Davis added. “This book fosters resilience, imagination and the courage to dream beyond difficult circumstances.”
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column_inner][/et_pb_row_inner][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”1px||2px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”5px||5px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”-5px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”]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.
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”4px||5px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_divider color=”#003087″ divider_weight=”5px” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][/et_pb_divider][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”2px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]Media Contact:
Parker King, Assistant Director
University Media and Public Relations
University of Memphis
(O) 901.678.4822
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