Rescuing Adolescence from the Myths of the Storm and Stress Years
September 3, 2007
The book jacket promises “Groundbreaking Research Reveals Everything You Think You Know About Teens Is Wrong,” but what the book really delivers is simply the notion that the teen years need not be a time of sullenness, angst and rebellion. Lerner encourages parents to “promote healthy, positive, admirable, and productive behaviors in our young people.” His approach focuses on “the Five C's”: Competence, Confidence, Connection, Character, and Caring. He theorizes that a kid secure in “the Five C's” will probably be equipped to avoid real “storm and strife” during adolescence. The how tos of such an enterprise are a bit hard to pin down, so Lerner uses anecdotes to examine how parents might guide a teen's behavior in a specific situation. For parents with kids in serious trouble (unsafe sex, drugs, violent behavior, etc.), a small chapter toward the end of the book will have to suffice. Lerner's positive approach to parenting sometimes may be a little simplistic, but his optimism is encouraging. Parents worried about the negative teen behavior they see exploited in the media may well respond to Lerner's average-reader friendly voice and proactive advice.
September 15, 2007
Most teens will be good teens, not delinquents, drug addicts, school dropouts, or violent sociopaths but smart, caring, enthusiastic, and ready to contribute to society. Such is the good news presented by Lerner (director, Inst. for Applied Research in Youth Development, Tufts Univ.), who for 30 years has studied teens by focusing on how they thrive. Regardless of culture, race, or environment, he writes, teens who easily transition to adulthood share a cluster of Five Cs: competence, confidence, connection, character, and caring. Then, a sixth C may emerge: contribution. Lerner discards the myth that adolescence must be stormy. He writes for parents, explaining how to nurture the Five Cs and help teens become adults. A realist and common-sense thinker, Lerner also advises on what to do when real trouble starts brewing. He argues that parents and other adults can begin to transform communities and uses anecdotes from Mark Twains "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" to ask: How did Huck and Tom become such courageous, extraordinarily strong, likable kids? And what might have become of Huck if a true community had surrounded him? A positive, sensible book sure to garner much interest nationwide.Linda Beck, Indian Valley P.L., Telford, PA
Copyright 2007 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.