Primal Teen: What the New Discoveries about the Teenage Brain Tell Us about Our Kids
- Book Review,
by Barbara Strauch
From Publishers Weekly
Strauch, medical science and health editor at the New York Times, sets out to offer reassurance to parents baffled by their kids' seemingly irrational and erratic behavior. She discusses the latest research, including brain scans that show changes in the brain's structure and function that could explain the crazy behavior exhibited by teens. In addition to reviewing various research projects around the country, Strauch also includes discussions with both parents and teenagers. Parents lament their inability to understand why a straight-A student suddenly loses interest in school or starts behaving miserably. The teens are surprisingly open about their often ill-advised behavior, but seem unable to offer reasons for such actions. One possible explanation, still debated by scientists, is whether adolescence is a critical brain period, that is, an important period of development. Particularly interesting is the chapter Crazy by Design, in which Strauch offers evidence of the cognitive and emotional development of teens. Just as there are growth spurts for babies and young children, there are developmental milestones for teens roughly ages 11, 15 and 19. For example, While a younger teen might see a parent as a hypocrite if he holds two opposing views, an older teenager would begin to understand how two things can be true at the same time, and weigh the evidence for each. While the book does not offer how-to guidance, readers will be struck by the wonderfully candid comments by those interviewed as well as Strauch's insightful narrative. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Contrary to what scientists have assumed until recently, teenagers act weird not because of hormones but because their brains are still trying to get all the wiring right. From the health and science editor at the New York Times. Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
New York Times medical science and health editor Strauch, the mother of two teenagers, sees the irony in a book about the teenage brain. Indeed, she grants that many may contend that the phrase teenage brain is a kind of oxymoron. But in recent years, she has seen reports of studies on teenage brain development whose claims seem preposterous. Although scientists had long believed that the brain was fully developed before puberty, they were now asserting that this was incorrect. The human brain, they said, is still very much in a critical growth period throughout adolescence. Indeed, key areas of the brain, such as those that help the teenager to do the right thing and decipher complex nuances of emotion, are among the last to reach a stable, grown-up state. Throw ubiquitous raging hormones into the mix, and it is little wonder that adolescence is so thorny. Strauch's well-researched book explains studies that were impossible without such advanced technology as the MRI, in clear, compassionate layperson's language. May become a parents' must-read. Donna Chavez
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Review
“Provocative . . . . A contender for every parent’s reading list.” --Newsday
“Strauch [has] . . . a light, anecdotal style and a sense of humor. This is a very useful book. . . . These are conclusions parents will want to consider carefully” –The Washington Post Book World
“Strauch tackles loaded questions with all the scientific instruments at her disposal…The latest findings neurological, biochemical, and psychological, with an illuminating dose of anecdote thrown in.” –The New Scientist
“An important book. . . . Strauch writes masterfully, making scientific research understandable to lay readers.” –Library Journal (starred)
“Upends the longstanding belief that the teenage brain is largely complete, concluding instead that it is undergoing dramatic changes that can help explain what appears to be a gap between intelligence and judgment.” –The Hartford Courant
“Readers will be struck by the wonderfully candid comments by those interviewed as well as Strauch’s insightful narrative.” –Publishers Weekly
“This is such a smart book. . . . Barbara Strauch acts as a world-class guide to a mysterious place, taking us on a journey through the teenage brain and making sense of the scenery. In turns, funny, curious, explanatory, vivid, she does an absolutely compelling job of helping us to understand our children — and ourselves.” –Deborah Blum, author of Love at Goon Park: Harry Harlow and the Science of Affection
“Through interviews with parents, physicians, neuroscientists, and teens, Strauch has compiled impressive insights about the nature of being a teen or the parent of one.” –Science News
“Entertaining as well as informative.”–Teacher magazine
“An intriguing look at cutting-edge studies that now tell us the brain is not finished growing in a child’s early years but continues into the teens.” –The Plain Dealer
“Can knowing more about the teenager’s brain help us to understand the teenager’s behavior? Can an account of the neuroscience of adolescence be lively and readable? Barbara Strauch provides convincing evidence that the answer to both questions is yes.” –Judith R. Harris, author, The Nurture Assumption
“Strauch’s well-researched book explains studies that were impossible without such advanced technology as the MRI in clear, compassionate layperson’s language. . . . A parents’ must-read.” –Booklist
Review
?This is such a smart book. For years, parents of teenagers, former teenagers ? all of us, really ? have regarded the adolescent brain as some strange alien structure. In The Primal Teen, Barbara Strauch acts as a world-class guide to a mysterious place, taking us on a journey through the teenage brain and making sense of the scenery. In turns, funny, curious, explanatory, vivid, she does an absolutely compelling job of helping us to understand our children ? and ourselves.?
? Deborah Blum, author of Love at Goon Park: Harry Harlow and the Science of Affection
?Can knowing more about the teenager?s brain help us to understand the teenager?s behavior? Can an account of the neuroscience of adolescence be lively and readable? Barbara Strauch provides convincing evidence that the answer to both questions is yes.?
? Judith R. Harris, author, The Nurture Assumption
From the Hardcover edition.
Buy from Amazon
Compare Prices
|
|
Home
