| The Primal Teen is the first book to provide a solid, scientific explanation of the mysterious, infuriating, and downright weird behavior of teenagers. Written by the health and medical science editor of The New York Times, it is filled with findings that will change the way parents–and teens–navigate the treacherous waters of adolescence.
A mother paces the living room, waiting for her sixteen-year-old son to come home, hours past his curfew. When he finally saunters in, he answers every question with a blank stare, and finally dashes to his room and slams the door. The mother, stunned and angry, thinks, It’s just hormones, right?
Wrong. While raging hormones and an inclination toward rebellion are major players in the teenage drama, an area north of the gonads is directing the show: the brain. In The Primal Teen, Barbara Strauch presents a fully accessible look at the cutting-edge science that is providing vital new information about what makes teens tick.
Strauch not only explains these breakthrough findings, she shows that understanding them can lead the way to a saner and smoother relationship between parent and child.
“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 |
