The Good Teen: Rescuing Adolescence from the Myths of the Storm and Stress Years (Hardcover)

~ Richard M. Lerner PH.D (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

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. (Oct.)
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Review

“The most prolific developmental psychologist of our era has distilled his decades of insight into The Good Teen, a very accessible analysis of adolescence as it deserves to be understood.”
--Graham Spanier, President, Penn State University

"With unchallengeable research and analysis, Dr. Richard Lerner's terrific and very important book, The Good Teen, totally refutes and rejects the fear and demonization of teenagers so prevalent in America today--and shows us how we must recognize the treasure that teens are and work to develop fully their great potential, for the teens themselves and for our society."
--Former U. S. Senator Fred Harris, Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Milton S. Eisenhower Foundation.

"There is no one in America today who understands teenagers better than Richard Lerner. The Good Teen overflows with gem-like insights based on Lerner's own groundbreaking research, his "positive youth" perspective, and his own experience as a caring and successful parent. Readers will find lots of useful advice about questions that arise everyday in contemporary family life. "
--William Damon, author of The Moral Child, Professor of Education, and Director, Stanford Center on Adolescence, Stanford University

“This outstanding book, written by one of the nation's leading authorities on adolescent development, is a critical read for all interested in youth. It merges scholarship with anecdote to produce a volume that is as informative as it is engaging. For any parent, youth worker, educator or health professional as well, The Good Teen provides valuable insights that debunk the myth that this is an age of storm and stress.”
--Robert Wm. Blum MD, MPH, PhD, William H. Gates Sr. Professor and Chair Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

“At a time when poverty, inequality and school segrega... --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Crown; 1 edition (October 9, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307347575
• ISBN-13: 978-0307347572
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #734,222 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding, April 14, 2009

By	Adrian Fonseca "AFonseca" (Tustin, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The book was great, it gave me a lot of great ideas and inside stuff I didn't know about what teens are going through in these time. The books is great and I would recomend it even if your child is just a little one.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars too technical, February 11, 2009

By	moruz (Weymouth, MA) - See all my reviews

I thought this book read like a psychology text book. While the author gave examples, it was still very dry reading and not very interesting. I thought a lot of the information was common sense.

2.0 out of 5 stars dissapointing, October 15, 2009

By	M. Silva - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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This review is from: The Good Teen: Rescuing Adolescence from the Myths of the Storm and Stress Years (Paperback)

the approach of this is too much like a research paper not as a parent support tool.