A brief guide offering solace and helpful guidance.
Advice from an author who has experienced it herself on surviving the suicide of someone close.
Szumski provides a personal look at dealing with the suicide of a loved one. The mother of a teen who died by suicide, she draws on her own experience as well as interviews and written accounts from other survivors. She provides sympathy, encouragement, and sensible advice, encouraging survivors to understand the pain of the suicidal person and to remember them with love. Chapter by chapter, she moves from immediate responses—“How Can It Be?” and “What Happened?”—to the process of grief. She describes ways others often respond to someone who is grieving a suicide and ways that can be more helpful. Finally, she talks about adjustments people make and how they move on, though the grief never really goes away. The writing is direct and straightforward, including a variety of examples. Quotes from survivors demonstrate the wide range of people’s reactions and coping strategies. The author incorporates up-to-date statistics and statements from therapists and researchers. Subheadings, pull quotes, text boxes, and stock photographs showing people of different races and ages break up the narrative. The backmatter includes source notes, websites for finding help, and resources for further research. With suicide being the third leading cause of death among teenagers, this is a much-needed addition to the self-help shelf.
A brief guide offering solace and helpful guidance. (photo credits, index) (Nonfiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2023
ISBN: 9781678203542
Page Count: 64
Publisher: ReferencePoint Press
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
A limited but potentially useful jumping-off point.
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)Pub Date: Sept. 24, 2024
ISBN: 9780593697528
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Rocky Pond Books/Penguin
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2024
A compelling exploration of a key aspect of civic engagement.
Mooney traces the history of student-led protests in the U.S. and their influence on national discourse.
Mooney’s well-researched book weaves together landmark movements, like the civil rights sit-ins of the 1960s, anti–Vietnam War efforts, and the Black Lives Matter protests in the wake of George Floyd’s May 2020 murder, along with less well-known but significant campaigns, such as demonstrations during the Great Depression that led to government relief programs. Mooney captures both the idealism and the complexity of activism, noting its power to create change but also its risks: violent clashes with authorities or counter-protesters, infringement on others’ rights, and disruption to the public order. She spotlights successful grassroots youth movements like the March for our Lives, which focused on gun violence, and controversial protests like those at Columbia University against the Israel-Hamas War, which led to student arrests, suspensions, and expulsions. Mooney’s fact-driven tone makes this work useful for student reports but will feel detached to readers expecting an impassioned account. This valuable resource is both instructive, as it covers the historical context of protests as well as their legal implications, and timely, with its inclusion of topics such as digital activism.
A compelling exploration of a key aspect of civic engagement. (photo credits, source notes, for further research, index) (Nonfiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2025
ISBN: 9781678210168
Page Count: 64
Publisher: ReferencePoint Press
Review Posted Online: Nov. 23, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2025
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