BOOK REVIEW: A late look at a teen rebelution …

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I remember five years ago being captivated by an interview I was listening to on the radio.

Two teenaged brothers were talking about how our society sets ridiculously low expectations of teens, and how teens struggle to meet such low standards!

How have we become a culture that expects so little of young people, and view largely wasting away the teen years as a norm? The brothers explained that a hallow adolescence is a fairly new concept — less than 100 years ago, teens were accomplishing things we hardly expect from a mature adult today.

So these brothers were issuing a challenge — a call for a teenage “rebelution” — a revolution of teens who rebel against such low expectations and challenge themselves to do “hard things.”

The brothers were Alex and Brett Harris, and the interview was focusing on their book that was their key tool for making their argument against low expectations for young people. Now, five years later, an updated version of “Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations” (published by Multnomah Books) is out with much of the same message but with even more compelling insights.

I didn’t read the first edition of the book, but I’ve found this new version may be an even better read because it includes a flurry of stories telling how this “rebelution” has dramatically impacted the lives of teens around the world. Noting what has happened in the past five years, Alex and Brett write:

“What a difference five years have made! What started as a blog (TheRebelution.com) became a best-selling book, ‘Do Hard Things,’ which led to youth conferences around the country every summer. And all of that, by God’s grace and a lot of hard work, had spawned an international youth movement with this red book as its manifesto.”

This new addition isn’t just stories reflecting their success, it contains the original challenge to teens (and adults) to think differently about adolescence and to be challenged to greater expectations. In an interview, the Harris brothers note:

“‘The teen years are not a vacation from responsibility.’ we had told the columnist. ‘They are the training ground of future leaders who dare to be responsible now.'”

The benefit of this new edition of the book are the multiple stories that demonstrate some of the great things teens really are capable of if only they — and the adults around them — change their expectations of teenagers.

“Do Hard Things” remains a great challenge for teens, and the Harris brothers state the following:

“This book invites you to explore some radical questions:

  • Is it possible that even though teens today have more freedom than any other generation in history, we’re actually missing out on some of the best years of our lives?
  • Is it possible that what our culture says about the purpose and potential of the teens years is a lie and that we are its victims?
  • Is it possible that our teen years give us a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for huge accomplishments — as individuals and as a generation?
  • And finally, what would our lives look like if we set out on a different path entirely — a path that required more effort but promised a lot more reward?”

If you’re a teenager, or the parent of a teen, this book may be the challenge (and encouragement) you need to truly make the teen years the launch pad to greater things than you have ever expected!

Scotty

I received this book free from the publisher in exchange for this review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”