Surviving High School: Making the Most of the High School Years [Paperback]

Mike Riera (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1997

High school—we all remember both the exuberance of youth and its awkwardness. Your body developed, your relationships to your family and friends shifted, you gained more responsibility and made a bid for independence. With all those changes, it's no wonder you felt confused and stammering, overwhelmed and speechless. You wanted and needed someone more experienced to help you along, someone who might not have been your parents. Kids today have many of the same questions and problems, and are still looking for that person to talk with. Seriously, if you think it was bad for you then, can you imagine going through it now? Enter Mike Riera and SURVIVING HIGH SCHOOL.This is the book you wanted then, and the book you can give to that teenager in your midst now. Written in a lively dialogue format, with a decidedly hip-but-responsible tone, SURVIVING HIGH SCHOOL strikes the balance between guidance and choice. Mike covers all the hot topics and gives teenagers the information they need to make good decisions for themselves.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"Becoming familiar with yourself is no easy task. In fact, it's going to take many courageous acts, some brutal, some ecstatic." This companion workbook to Uncommon Sense for Parents with Teenagers is directed at the kids themselves. With subjects ranging from "Getting Your Driver's License" to "Romance" to "Being Gay," Michael Riera's non-judgmental tone and good advice make this a book that teenagers might actually like their parents to give to them.

About the Author

MICHAEL RIERA, Ph.D., is the author of Staying Connected to Your Teenager; Right From Wrong: Instilling a Sense of Integrity in Our Children; and Field Guide to the American Teenager. He is also an award-winning columnist, educator, television commentator, radio host, and national speaker on issues of adolescence, families, and parenting. A 19-year veteran of schools in the roles of counselor, dean of students, teacher, and consultant, Riera lives with his wife and two kids in Berkeley, California.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Celestial Arts; Soft Cover edition (March 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0890878250
• ISBN-13: 978-0890878255
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 0.4 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,037,668 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars High School Revealed, February 14, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Surviving High School: Making the Most of the High School Years (Paperback)

Surviving High School written by Mike Riera is a wonderful combination of factual information and personal experiences. This easy to follow book deals with issues such as friendship, sex, stress, parents, personal safety, drugs, and alcohol. Each chapter presents information in a logical manner. At the end of each chapter the reader finds a "Think About It" section. In this section, readers can really think about the topic and how it relates to their lives. I definitely recommend this book to high school students of all ages. I strongly feel that anyone can benefit from reading this book.

58 of 74 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Parents - Beware!, December 30, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Surviving High School: Making the Most of the High School Years (Paperback)

As a guidance counselor (like the author), I agree that it is helpful to write to teens in a language they can understand (not filled with parental "shoulds", for instance). However, my husband and I changed our minds about sharing this book with our teenage sons after reading most of it (enough to realize it was going in the trash). We were shocked at the "anything goes" content. The author fills his book with comments from teens, with the intent to help the reader see how others have handled challenges. One particular comment in the "Sex" chapter was by a girl who explained why she feels better because she WAITED SO LONG (until she was 17) to have sex.
The author suggests that teens with questions talk with their guidance counselor or school nurse. Never was there ANY reference to talking to your parents as a possible resource. In fact, when considering WHEN you're ready to have sex, the author states that you should gather others' opinions and listen to how they answered this question. He then follows with teen stories (aged 15 and up), provided to help your teen make that decision of WHEN (instead of perhaps even choosing to wait until marriage - a word that was never ONCE mentioned in this chapter). He at least takes a moral stand regarding rape, but no other mention of anything wrong unless it doesn't feel right to you. Sex is much better with romance, but he admits that sex is still great without romance! (What's romance? Soft lighting and soft music? A committed relationship? How does he define "romance"? He doesn't.)
If you choose to buy this book with the intent to help your teen gain a better understanding of the challenges in high school, READ THE BOOK FIRST! Clearly this "guidance" counselor seems to have his own agenda, and as a parent, you'd better be aware of what you're sharing with your children in the interest of "helping" them. If you want your children to even give some thought to the idea of "right" and "wrong", then this may not be the book for them. After reading this book, your teen will understand that feeling good about his/her choices is the only consideration. Scary stuff.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars To the point, about the book., January 22, 1999

By 

Ben Jordan([e-mail]) (Downingtown, Pennsylvania, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Surviving High School: Making the Most of the High School Years (Paperback)

Surviving High School, a book on the perils of post-secondary schooling, by Mike Riera. There is no prologue, no introduction -- the words contained within are the most important thing to the reader, and the author knows this. The book contains 18 chapters on a variety of dangers to the high school student: various chapters individually analyze and explain possible solutions to problems brought about by drugs, sex, social discrimination, homosexuality, and even things as seemingly simple as getting your driver's license. The author's experience is supported very well by interviews with a number of current students, who add their own knowledge and experiance. This gives the book less of the feel of most books concerning problems associated with the teenage yeasr, books scribed by Ph.D.'s and other doctorates who merely cite cases regarding the problem at hand. It is much easier to relate to the words of a 16- or 17-year-old than to that of a 42-year-old specialist. This is not to say that Mike Riera does not offer good advice, on the contrary. However, many teenagers find it hard to relate to or even consider information presented by anyone much older than themselves. This book is valuable for many reasons. First and foremost, it helps students in difficult times to realize that they are not alone in their suffering and offers them tried and tested solutions to their problems. Second, and nearly as important, it gives parents, teachers, and everyone else involved with young people a sense of the problem's facing high school students today. This is not to say that people do not care, but times change quickly and the problems of 20 years ago are not the problems of today's youth. Riera brings out the issues and deals with them simply and individually, making it easy to read. The chapters are sensibly broken up for those lacking the time necessary to read the entire book. Readers interested in a specific topic can easily find anecdotes and solutions relevant to their own problem. Recommended for anyone who is looking for help or suggestions on how to deal with high school today.