Hurt: Inside the World of Today's Teenagers (Youth, Family, and Culture) (Paperback)

by Chap Clark (Author)
Key Phrases: systemic abandonment, many midadolescents, adolescent landscape, Patricia Hersch, United States, David Elkind (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
If parents, educators, and youth workers were to read only one book about helping adolescence—this would be the one. Chap Clark managed to get inside the world of US teenagers and reveal the depths of angst, pressure and loneliness they feel. Hurt is a illuminates the under layers of teen culture, the places where adolescents are most honest and vulnerable, only to discover that today’s youth are indeed a tribe apart—and it is the adults who have isolated them.

Most of Clark’s research took place in Crescenta Valley High School in north Los Angeles County. One might wonder how a middle-aged dad could get inside the heads of so many teens from so many walks of life. He did this by doing what most adults are unwilling to do—spending time with teens and asking questions, by showing a genuine curiosity in their world and a willingness to hear their answers without judgment. The results are riveting.

Ultimately this is an indictment of our increasingly adult-centric society that is more invested in adult interests than the individual needs of our youth. By the time adolescents enter high school, most have been subjected to at least a decade of adult-driven agendas. He slams coaches who are so invested in winning at youth sports that they leave mediocre athletes on the bench or pull them off the team. He points to the once playful dance classes that somehow morph into intensive dance training and regional competitions. Or the high school junior who faces a nightly four-to-five hour marathon of homework only to rise at 7 a.m. for morning band practice before AP calculus. We reward youth for their adult-pleasing achievements, failing to consider the price of isolation, stress and fear of failing that this generates.

Clark (the author of Daughters & Dads 1576830489 and From Father to Son 1576832945) concludes the book with solid recommendations for turning this tide. Unfortunately, he often defends his research and recommendations, as if a critical academic was looking over his shoulder. The truth is this book belongs less to the world of academics and more appropriately in the hands of anyone who lives with or directly works with teenagers. --Gail Hudson

Review
"This book made me face what I intuitively knew was real but pretended wasn't: The youth of our culture have been deeply wounded by our collective neglect and adult-driven self-focus. Young people need adults to understand what they are going through and people to care about them without a personal agenda. This book was very helpful to me and my attitude toward teens will never be the same."

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Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Baker Book House (October 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801027322
• ISBN-13: 978-0801027321
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #20,161 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #40 in	Books > Parenting & Families > Parenting > Teenagers

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Thought Provoking Book on Today's Youth, February 25, 2005

By	Mark Baker (Santa Clarita, CA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

My roommate was given this book a few months back. Since I work with the Jr. High group at church, I figured I might find it helpful, so picked it up. What I found was a thought provoking book on today's youth sub-culture.

The book focuses most on high school students or mid-adolescents as the author calls them. His premise is that adults have started abandoning kids early in life, making the transition from childhood to adulthood a longer and harder process. Teens draw away from adults, not as much out of rebellion, but to cope. The majority of this book is devoted to various aspects of teen life and how it develops and plays out. Chapters such as Peers, School, Family, and Sports hit the nail on the head. And I'll confess I found some shocking stuff in the chapters on Sex, Ethics, and the Party Scene.

I did have some problems with this book. At times, it seemed to go too far into the self-esteem trap. Yes, we need to care for kids, but we also need to acknowledge that not everyone is created equal, something that seemed to be over looked at times. Still, most his examples were of things going too far in the other direction, which makes his points very valid.

Another area was the various ethics discussions. While many of these chapters were eye opening for me, he never addressed ways to teach morals. In fact, he seems to blame adults for problems such as cheating but never blames the kids or discuss how the problem should be addressed.

The last two chapters are a discussion of ways to solve the problem of abandonment, but they seem to be impractical and fall short. City wide meetings for everyone involved with youth? What we really need is a radical shift in our entire culture. Not that I'm exactly sure how to go about doing that, either. So I'm probably little better then he is.

On the whole, this book is an eye-opener about the problems today's high schoolers face. While not perfect, it should be read by anyone who cares about today's teens. Maybe then we can come up with workable solutions to let them know we do care.

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A "Must Read" for anyone who works with young people!!, December 21, 2004

By	Steven R. Norris "srnorris58" (Pasadena, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Imagine this, taking a sabatical from your career as a seminary professor, and instead of resting or reflecting during your time off, you elect to teach public high school for a year, all with the intent of better understanding the lives and culture of young people.

This choice to teach high school was the basis for Chap Clark's groundbreakign book, "Hurt", which I heartily recommend to anyone connected with middle and high schoolers in America. As a former youth worker and parent of a teenager (and another approaching teenage) I cannot say enough about this book for its clear perception of the state of youth culture.

Prepare to be surprised, shocked, offended, and awakened to the state of our youth. This book will make you mad, sad, scared, and hopeful. Prepare for a paradigm shift. Clark has done careful research of the world of high school students, and his work examines their world of "clusters", or friendship groups, and also includes insightful glimpses of the social world, moral confusion, lonliness, and sexual behavior of our young.

I say "our young" because they really belong to us. This is our country's future, and Clark points out in vividly clear language the pain they face, the confusion they deal with, and the ways we adults have abandoned them.

However, this book is not a complete downer. Each chapter ends with hopeful suggestions for change; ways in which the cultural afflictions young people face can be healed. Hope is abundant, and change is possible.

If you truly care about middle and high schoolers, this book is for you! Make it your book club choice, buy it for your friends, fellow teachers, adminstrators, school board members, and youth workers!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Book!, October 6, 2005

By	Kirsten Shaw "Kirsten" (California) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

You MUST read this book if you have or work with teenagers! Mr. Clark's insights are fresh and deep. There is no surface content in this book, yet the writing is clear and accessible for anyone. His research and conclusions are of the utmost importance and will change the way you view the teenagers you thought you knew, or reinforce both your greatest hopes and worst fears. I heard Mr. Clark speak at a youth worker conference shortly after reading this book and was moved by his heartfelt concern for the youth of our nation.