Teenager Dubrow shares her inside knowledge of growing up as an adolescent in Gen Z, partnering with supportive information from Ho, a psychology expert and media presenter. Dubrow, also a media personality, found the incentive to communicate teen topics after realizing that she was bisexual. She covers wide-ranging topics, from the general anxiety that all teens experience to issues specific to today's adolescents, especially social media obsession and sexuality, including dating, friending, and gender identification.
Dubrow gives lively examples, such as her treatment as someone who makes good grades being chided by parents for doing less than the best, her first encounter with a bisexual friend, and feelings of insecurity exacerbated by social media. She gives teen-centered advice on how to choose friends with similar goals and morals and reject those who begin to show negative traits: "Never put anything in writing." Ho alerts parents to significant signs of their teen's extreme mental distress. Both advise a gently relaxed attitude for parents, some occasional timeouts from cellphones for teens, and recognition that sexuality is a continuum and not an absolute for both groups.
This practical manual is organized with equal input, from Dubrow's fresh talk for fellow teens to Ho's professional overview directed towards parents. Kids who have suffered the mental anguish Dubrow describes may want to try some of the strategies she has implemented. Both writers stress that social media can be, for a teen, a jungle of 24/7 bullying and ego-damaging comparisons and competition. Both examine the subtleties of sexuality, suggesting that this is an opportunity for both parent and teen to abandon rigid thinking and "find out a person's pronouns" without preconceptions. Their guidance could prove invaluable for teens and parents seeking to understand each other and themselves in the light of the latest trends and heightened sensibilities.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review