July 1, 2024
Grades 7-12 Emphasizing that no family is perfect, psychologist and YA novelist Goodman promotes relationship building with parents in this valuable volume for teens. Written in a frank, conversational style, it offers topical tips and advice rather than specific steps and plans, allowing readers to dip in and out as needed. Guided questions throughout promote further self-reflection. Especially validating is the section on common parenting problems like criticizing, being overinvolved, being uninvolved, or being emotionally unavailable. Following suggestions on questioning myths and false beliefs ("Your parents only want what's best for you"), handling anger and even grief about unfulfilled parent relationships, setting boundaries, and more, the author delivers sample scripts with commentary to help teens discuss their parents' racist or homophobic talk, misgendering, nonstop news and politics, and other behaviors as well as teens' own mental health. For readers who want to find more well-adjusted people in their lives, a final section explains such strategies as how to avoid toxic people and recognize and break patterns. A list of professional resources concludes this encouraging guidebook.
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July 15, 2024
A practical guide for teens who wish to improve relationships with their parents. Drawing from his experiences as someone who faced familial challenges as a teen and now works as a high school psychologist, Goodman provides step-by-step approaches to help teens repair their broken connections with their parents. He begins by helping readers identify their type of "problem parents": overly critical, argumentative, overinvolved, uninvolved, distracted, emotionally unavailable, or unpredictable. Depending on the specific parental behaviors, Goodman suggests tailored strategies designed to improve interactions, complete with sample scripts. He also emphasizes the importance of teens' prioritizing their own well-being and setting boundaries. While the book shines a light on complex family dynamics, offering hope and practical solutions, many teenagers may find it hard to apply Goodman's strategies: He assumes a level of openness in communication that may not exist in all families, particularly those with more hierarchical norms in which open dialogue about personal feelings is uncommon or even frowned upon. Goodman also assumes a willingness on the part of parents to engage in dialogue and consider their children's perspectives, which isn't always the case. The book doesn't address situations such as parental queerphobia or cultural differences with immigrant parents. Ultimately, the book's effectiveness depends on its use by emotionally mature teens and parents who are receptive to critical feedback. A limited but potentially useful jumping-off point. (resources)(Nonfiction. 12-18)
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August 1, 2024
Gr 9 Up-This guide addresses various moments of breakdowns between teens and their parents, offering practical advice on managing these conflicts. Goodman emphasizes that while teens cannot change their parents, they can control their responses to certain situations. What stands out about this book is its well-structured approach. Each chapter discusses issues, from the overall situation to the specific emotions involved. The author also provides practical responses that can help achieve a desired outcome. By presenting a conflict and dissecting it, the book gives teens tools to understand and validate their emotions, reinforcing that their feelings are legitimate. The literary quality is commendable; the language is clear and relatable for its teen audience. The organization is excellent, with a logical flow that makes the advice easy to follow and apply. VERDICT A valuable resource for teens navigating the often turbulent waters of parental relationships, offering clarity and actionable strategies.-Jessica Calaway
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