Book Review - Embracing the Awkward

About the Book

Who are you? Young adults struggle with lots of issues; finishing up school, finding a career, finding a partner to be with and most importantly figuring out who they are. But who are you? That can often be an overwhelming question to ask, especially when you feel like the people all around you have it figured out and you’re just falling behind them. In fact, you may even have questions that you would NEVER feel comfortable talking to other people about for fear of being judged or even rejected by them. Don’t worry though, you don’t have to navigate life alone, in fact there’s so much untapped potential in you that the world has yet to see.

Realize your potential: It can be hard to see the potential we have to do really wonderful things in this world. Figuring out how to make friends, develop relationships and to be confident is a step-by-step process. Now help is available in Embracing the Awkward, written by the popular teen-advice-YouTuber, The Josh Speaks. This down-to-earth guide will help you feel comfortable taking small steps towards being somebody great. In this book Josh walks through the step-by-step process for sorting out the confusion around teen questions. This isn’t another dry instructional book written by a boring adult who is disconnected from the millennial reality, it’s a guide, a workbook, an empowering step towards trying things out, discovering who you are and truly becoming your best self.

Embracing the Awkward gives teens materials for developing their own unique style of speaking and engaging with others.The book contains workbook elements for each chapter that offer a step-by-step checklist of activities to follow, along with examples of things to say, topics to talk about and ways to lead into situations. Also, it contains infographics that show how to:

• approach people
• determine when you’ve hit the point of highest attraction
• lead into conversations with groups of people
  
  
  The book covers topics like making strong friendships in school, approaching your crushes and asking them out, dealing with failure and rejection, and maintaining your family relationships. This book will help you build upon the skills you have deep inside of you so you can structure your life and shake the world around you by truly being somebody great.
  
  Chapter topics include:
  
  
  
  
  • Feeling comfortable in your school environment
  • Updating your style and look so you feel confident
  • Deciding on a person who’s worth getting to know
  • Having a conversation with someone you like
  • Avoiding getting friend zoned
  • How to deal with rejection
  • Techniques for becoming popular and gaining respect
  • Handling your parents getting involved in your dating life
  • The different methods of asking someone out
  • Figuring out what you can do on a first date and beyond
  • Maintaining a long distance relationship
  • What it takes to be a good partner in a relationship

My Take on the Book
I remember how awkward things were when I was a teenager. You did not feel like you fit in anywhere and you were trying to make a place for yourself in the world. As a dad of a teenager I see this same thing happening with my own daughter and I know that there are even more challenges today than I even had to deal with. This book is a great book that offers practical thoughts and advice to teens to help them process things without having an adult hovering over them. The topics in the book are relevant and important and the book is written in a way that makes it an easy read. I highly recommend this book to any parent of a current or future teenager!


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Book Review - Counterintuitive

About the Book Tyler Durman has spoken live to over 4 million teenagers. Following each presentation, where he offers guidance through comedic storytelling, students approach him to confide and confess things they’ve never told their parents, teachers, or even best friends. Thousands of these one on one conversations have given Tyler a rare window into their lives, allowing him to gain wisdom about the surprising and counterintuitive things they need and long for from the adults in their lives. If you want to experience joy and intimacy in your relationship with your child or students, the observations and tools in these pages will give you a way forward. If you’re feeling overwhelmed or at a loss, they’ll provide hope. As a former teacher and father of five, Tyler writes with a voice that’s fresh, raw, and just pure fun. He’s found a way to relay profound wisdom while being intensely funny at the same time.

“Powerful. Refreshing. Hilarious. I literally couldn’t put it down! The scope and candor of this book cut to the realities of parenting and teaching while offering hope through practical solutions… a pure joy to read.”

                              Dr. Paul Lewanski, Ed.D., California Teacher of the Year



My Take on the Book
This was an important book that all parents of tweens or teens should read at least once. I found myself re-reading a number of sections as the content is rich and meaningful. What is most important is that this was developed from content outside of the author. The author spoke to many teens to create this book so the voices you are hearing are true to life and important to hear.

Any parent knows that the teenage years can be difficult for the teen and for the parent, but this book really allows parents to get inside a teenagers' mind and especially understand the complexities and societal pressures that are lurking there.

This book really gets parents to take a moment to stop and listen and really hear what these teens are saying so that they can gain perspective for the teen in their own home.


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Book Review - It's Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens

About the Book
What is new about how teenagers communicate through services such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram? Do social media affect the quality of teens’ lives? In this eye-opening book, youth culture and technology expert danah boyd uncovers some of the major myths regarding teens' use of social media. She explores tropes about identity, privacy, safety, danger, and bullying. Ultimately, boyd argues that society fails young people when paternalism and protectionism hinder teenagers’ ability to become informed, thoughtful, and engaged citizens through their online interactions. Yet despite an environment of rampant fear-mongering, boyd finds that teens often find ways to engage and to develop a sense of identity.



My Take on the Book
This was a great book that helps all to better under stand teenagers and how their lives are intertwined with technology. As a person who uses a lot of technology I found it interesting to learn more about how teenagers today use technology and how their social lives are rules by this technology. The book is well researched and grounded in theory. As a parent and educator the information shared by this author was so important to understand and to share with others. Not only is this information for educators and parents but also for people who develop technology on a daily basis. This book not only shares information that helps us better understand teens, but also opens a door to people of other ages too.


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Book Review - She's Twelve Going On Twenty

About the Book
Especially for moms of teens and preteens, a practical, Christ-centered guide to helping your daughter grow in mind, body, and spirit.

As the mother of a young girl aged 9 to 16, you want a lot for your daughter. You want to see her soar in self-confidence and accomplishment, to navigate a safe course through the treacherous waters of school, culture, and hormones, and to grow closer to God while learning to rely on his Word. And through it all to maintain a warm, open mother-daughter relationship.

She's Twelve Going on Twenty offers a comprehensive, Christian approach to issues almost every mother and daughter will encounter:

• Identity and faith
• Music, movies, TV, and the Internet
• Boys and falling in love, sex and purity
• School and grades
• Drugs and alcohol
• Clothes, fads, appearance, and body language
• Boundaries and personal safety

Easy-to-read and deeply personal, this invaluable book draws on a wealth of experience, careful research, and a deep grounding in the Bible and Christian faith. "Working It Out Together"at the end of each chapter provides communication starters and activities to help you and your daughter talk things out and plot a positive course together for the challenging but exciting adolescent years.



My Take on the Book
While this book is geared toward moms and daughters, I will say that there was a ton in this book that still opened my eyes as well and gave me a lot to think about. The book itself is a valuable resource for any parent of tween girls as it covers almost any topic you can think of that can come up in the tween/teenage years. The book is personal and practical and allows you to learn and grow with each page you read. I particularly enjoyed the interactive components within the book that made you and your daughter talk and become closer in many aspects. All-in-all this was a good book that will definitely help you to better understand and relate to what your daughter is dealing with and how, as a parent, you can support them through these challenging years.


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Book Review - Sex: A Book for Teens

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

About the Book
The co-creator of the popular online Midwest Teen Sex Show brings us a hilarious, honest, and in-depth look at every teen's favorite subject: sex. This isn't your mother's sex book: It's punchy and unapologetic. At the same time, it teaches teens the practical ins and outs of being sexually active and, above all, how to stay safe.

With humorous illustrations by San Francisco Chronicle cartoon artist Michael Capozzola, this book features chapters on everything including: foreplay, different forms of sex (all of them!), masturbation, sexual orientation and gender identity, body issues, relationships, virginity, birth control, and protection against diseases. Modern teens are faced daily with making decisions about whether to have sex and how to protect themselves if they do, and they need an engaging and relatable resource for getting the right information. That's what this book is about.


My Take on the Book
This book has a little bit of everything in it that will ope the eyes of any teenager. When I was a kid I was given a book, but it was so lacking it was laughable. This book would have floored me as a teenager as I think I led a bit more of a sheltered life. That being said though, this is definitely a book for a bit older teen in my perspective. You could take some time and use the book for some talks with your child, having them read sections and then talk, but this really depends on your relationship with your children and how well you can talk about these things.
This book is very open about sex and really holds nothing back so be aware of that before you give it to your teen, and as a parent you may also want to read it first so that you can be there to talk to your teen as they go through it as well.

The book itself is written for a teen in mind and is definitely at their level and after reading this, I could see that most readers could imagine it being written by a teenager.

Overall, the author does a great job at demystifying sex for the reader while at the same time making it seem ok for a teen to want to learn.

If you are a teen or a parent of a teen, I highly recommend this eye-opening book!


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Book Review - Keys to Parenting Your Teenager

About the Book
Proven techniques to understand and deal with common teen behaviors. Dr. Don Fontenelle describes normal adolescent behavior patterns in common situations including interactions with the internet and violence in schools. He points out that rebellion and anger are part of every teenager's healthy drive toward maturity and independence. Using easy-to-read language, he provides proven methods that enable parents to interact with teens on a daily basis-and know when to consult a professional.

About the Author
Don H. Fontenelle received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Oklahoma State University and has practiced in the profession for more than a quarter-century. He has spent most of his career treating children, parents, and teachers. He has authored thirteen books on the subject, some of which have been translated into French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Arabic. His workshops on child and adolescent behavior have been widely praised. Fontenelle is in private practice in Metairie, Louisiana.

My Take on the Book
What I loved most about this book was how practical and how easy it was to understand the concepts that were being shared. The author has laid out so many great ideas for how best you can connect with your child while avoiding the pitfalls and arguments that many times come in the teenage years. As I mentioned the book was very easy to understand and implement and as my daughter gets ready to enter her tween years I know that this book will be an extremely valuable resource for me!

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

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Book Review - Teenage as a Second Language

About the Book
What are you to do when your cheerful, friendly family members morph overnight into sarcastic, sullen, teens? How can you get through to these hormonally challenged strangers when all you get in return are sighs and eyerolls?

Thankfully, this book reveals the groundbreaking strategies you can use to maintain good communication, healthy interaction, and strong connections to your teen, no matter how rocky the road to puberty becomes. You'll learn how to:

• Let your teens help set the rules--and the consequences for breaking them
• Realize that "me, me, me!" is actually age-appropriate
• Put honesty above all else
• Try not to criticize, judge, or become angry

Based on the latest research, this book works as a Rosetta Stone to help you hear what your kids are really saying--and makes sure nothing is lost in translation!

My Take on the Book
As a father that will have two teenage girls in the future I am scared. Scared about the idea of what they could become (hopefully my fears are unfounded). This book is full of great ideas and insights as well as practical advice for all parents about how to understand and communicate with your teenager. What I loved about the book was how easy t was to understand and how many down-to-earth real tips that they offer and how well they have incorporated true life experiences of parents and teenagers into the text itself. The authors also allow for parents to laugh at themselves and at the situations that may occur and to not take everything as seriously as many times you do in your personal situation. This was a well written book that any parent would enjoy!

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

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