The Teen's Guide to World Domination: Advice on Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Awesomeness [Paperback]

Josh Shipp (Author)

Book Description

Release date: August 17, 2010

Josh Shipp has been serving up a healthy dose of “advice with an attitude” to millions of teens for over a decade, in front of packed auditoriums across the country. For the first time ever, Josh is pulling together all of his unique advice for “world domination” into a must-have survival guide. Hilarious, inspirational, and authentic, Josh offers golden nuggets of wisdom for everything that has you freaking out (pretty much all the stuff you can’t fathom addressing with Mom and Dad). So, summon your inner hero and learn to dominate the seven “villains” that are keeping you from awesomeness.

GHOSTS: All your painful memories and bad mistakes, which are holding you back and causing self-doubt. Confront them once and for all

NINJAS: Back-stabbing “friends” who earn your trust to fulfill their own agendas. Call them out and they won’t stand a chance

PIRATES: Bullies and bad boyfriends who take advantage of you. Write them off and tune them out

ROBOTS: Well-intentioned but misguided grown-ups, who want to “program” you to be like them. Understand how parents, teachers, and counselors operate to improve your communication

VAMPIRES: Negative influences and addictions, which draw you in and steal your identity. Regain your self-esteem before you get bit

ZOMBIES: Chronic complainers who drag you down with their pessimism. The best zombie-repellant is gratitude! Learn that it’s not what happens to you, it’s how you respond

PUPPIES: They seem all fun and innocent on the surface, but often blindside you with hidden consequences. Learn how to think smart about money, your hot girlfriend, and other temptations

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Drawing from his own experiences as a troubled youth, plus nearly a decade of motivational speaking to teen audiences, Shipp offers an unusually stimulating approach to making life decisions, rejecting bad choices, and nurturing a sense of self-identity. In his view, it is all about “dominating” one’s own self and world (without dominating those of others, which is evil) by identifying and dealing with teeming hordes of “villains”—which include Ghosts (i.e., self-imposed fears and limitations), Robots (who seek to replace individual paths with preprogrammed career expectations), and similarly metaphorical Ninjas, Zombies, Pirates, Vampires, and Puppies. Though he waxes platitudinous toward the end (“Never settle for good”; “You need to have a plan”; “Cool isn’t for sale”) his hip vocabulary, vivid imagery, and confrontational rhetoric (“In your face, but on your side,” as he repeatedly writes) should keep readers engaged, and may well prompt some slackers to get off the stick. Grades 8-11. --John Peters

Review

“Two standing ovations and an encore.” - Georgetown University

“Our generation doesn’t have a ‘Dear Abby,’ but we do have a ‘Hey, Josh.’
- CNN’s Young People Who Rock

“He’s like the Dr. Phil for teens.” - FOX

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (August 17, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312641540
• ISBN-13: 978-0312641542
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 6.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,886 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #43 in Books > Teens > Social Issues

More About the Author

Josh Shipp stars in the documentary TV Series Jump Shipp, is the founder of Youth Speaker University and was listed on Inc. Magazine's 30 under 30 list of successful entrepreneurs.

He's spoken at Harvard University, Stanford, UCLA, M.I.T. and to over two million young adults live.

He has contributed as a behavioral expert for such outlets as MTV, CNN, Anderson Cooper Live, Good Morning America, The New York Times, Oprah.com, and more.

Abandoned and abused as a child and raised in many different foster homes, Josh has taken his past of hurt and neglect, turned it around, and uses it as a catalyst for helping others.

Say hello at www.HeyJosh.com

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 35 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read book for teens and parents August 17, 2010

By Consuelo Maraved

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I purchased this FANTASTIC book for my 14 year old daughter and we BOTH loved it! Funny, honest, down-to-earth, heartwarming, with lots of GREAT advice for this sometimes "challenging" stage of life. I love how the book outlines the "seven villains that are keeping you from awesomeness." It truly makes the message stick in your mind long after putting the book down.

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I'm recommending this book to ALL of my friends August 21, 2010

By Chris Jenston

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Length: 1:44 Mins

My parents picked up this book for me and I was totally surprised how amazing it was.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I wish I had read this sooner... August 18, 2010

By Kendra Wren

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

"The Teen's Guide to World Domination WILL make you laugh. This book will change the way that you look at yourself and your goals. If you take Josh Shipp's words to heart and put them in motion, you will not only take control of your life, but you will obtain your goals to a higher degree then you ever thought possible. As a collegiate athlete I use these skill often, and wish I would have had them earlier. Every teen will laugh at every page. Hilarious!"