Real Teens, Real Stories, Real Life (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

With incredible openness and honesty, 39 teens tell their stories, covering topics like falling into drug and alcohol abuse, getting hooked on pornography, struggling with homosexuality, participating in the occult, attempting suicide, becoming pregnant, being physically abused, living in foster homes, going to jail, getting kicked out of the house and living on the street, and other heart-wrenching experiences. The good news is that every one of these teens had a life-changing encounter with God. They experienced the grace, forgiveness, and healing that turned their sorrow into joy. Yes, some still have struggles and scars-but all are with a hope they didn't believe was possible. Suzanne Eller, a writer and youth worker, has carefully helped the teens to craft and edit their stories in a way that is candid and real, but without glamorizing or sensationalizing the hardest moments of life. The result is a book that provides teens with a unique opportunity to receive in-your-face spiritual insights-because it is coming from people their own age who have "been there." Even teens who are not in extreme situations will be inspired by these stories that reveal God's power to transform lives.

About the Author

Suzanne Eller and her husband, Richard, live in Muskogee, Oklahoma with their three children. Suzanne is active in youth ministry in Muskogee, and writes for a variety of magazines, including Guidepost, Today's Christian Woman, and Focus on the Family.

Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: RiverOak (November 30, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1589195000
• ISBN-13: 978-1589195004
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #800,884 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #38 in	Books > Teens > Health, Mind & Body > Drug & Alcohol Abuse
  #65 in	Books > Teens > Social Issues > Drug Use & Abuse > Nonfiction

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Real Teens, Real Stories, Real Life, February 27, 2003

By	Rebekah (North Carolina) - See all my reviews

I will never forget the night that I wanted to die.

I didn't want to tell anyone. I didn't want to tell anyone about the tears that I had cried when they weren't looking. I didn't want to tell anyone that I didn't have a reason to get out of bed in the morning. I wasn't going to tell anyone.

But I needed to tell someone. And I needed to hear someone say, "I know what it's like to be depressed." But no one was saying it. And I wasn't telling.

I was tied up in my own fear that someone would think that I was crazy. And I couldn't afford to be different from those around me - God knows that I didn't want to be any more of a misfit than I already was.

What I didn't know was that there were thousands of teens experiencing similar thoughts, and they too felt that they had had nowhere to turn. They too, were suffering in a dangerous silence.

One of those silent teenagers was a young boy named Darrin. Darrin was so addicted to pornography that he tried to take his own life. He had no hope.

Around the same time in another area of the US, Jennifer Harmon was learning to live again. After a serious diving accident, Jennifer was left dependant and paralyzed from the neck down. Jennifer had nowhere to turn.

I've never met Darrin, or Jennifer. But their stories of hope and life have inspired me to live life to the fullest.

I've never heard Darrin say, "I know how it feels to be depressed," and I've never put my arm around Jennifer and laughed with her so hard that my stomach hurt. But it doesn't matter - because these teens are just like me, with stories just like mine.

They're Real Teens, with Real Stories, in Real Life. They're just like you and they're just like me - they're not afraid of the word, "suicide", they're not afraid to talk about the pain they feel, and they're not afraid to share their honest feelings about love, life, and God.

Their stories are presented in a book that was published this month by T. Suzanne Eller, entitled, Real Teens, Real Stories, Real Life.*

The publisher, Suzanne Eller, remembers what it was like to suffer extreme emotional pain as a teenager. Coming from a difficult home situation, Suzanne questioned the love of God. In fact, she questioned His very existence.

"I asked God to show me that He existed," Suzie says. "And when He did, He rocked my world."

One of the ways that God continues to rock Suzie's world is by giving her the opportunity to edit and compile the book, "Real Teens, Real Stories, Real Life".

Suzie began working on the book when she realized that there was no other book for teenagers that handled the tough issues. "I'd look in a bookstore," says Suzie, "and I'd ask myself the question, `why are we not talking about the things that matter?'"

When Suzie began her work on the book, teens from around the world volunteered to share their personal stories. From tragedy to triumph, Suzie's book is packed with true and inspiring accounts written by "Real Teens", containing "Real Stories", about "Real Life".

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome and true Reality, February 26, 2003

By	"clouded_dude" (Oklahoma) - See all my reviews

I bought the book and read the entire thing in a day. I must say the trueness and the reality of it touched me deeply. The teens Suzie wrote were teens that have gone through some of the everyday problems that most teens go through these days. I know one story in particular touched me. It talked about looking in God mirror than worrying about what everyone else thought about you. It was really great and I would recommend it to all and any. Rock On Suzie.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Honest, awesome, written just for teens - I loved it!, May 3, 2003

By A Customer

This book kept my interest from the first word to the last. It was honest and real and didn't talk down or preach about issues that matter to teens. It was open and honest and identified with the things that teens face, but showed God to be powerful and merciful. Perfect gift for a teen from a parent, grandparent or anyone who knows a teen who needs to know that God is not afraid of the tough stuff. In fact, he's HUGE in our lives and can walk with us through whatever we face and not only bring us out on the other side, but change our lives forever. He's awesome. This book is awesome.