Brad Sachs

Interesting reading of a psychologists efforts to reach an uncommunicative teen who recently attempted suicide by writing letters to her after she remained mute during their first therapy session together. Each chapter takes the form of a letter that in response to an opening question in the form of a chapter title. Chapters deal with parents, siblings, loneliness, self-mutilation, drugs and alcohol, sex, grief, death, and the future so there's quite a lot of information being dispensed. Most of the chapters are fairly short and, while not superficial, deal with issues on a level that a teen can relate and respond to. There's even a happy ending. Additional chapters at the end of the correspondence are addressed to teens, parents, and other therapists, addressing the authors intentions and suggestions for readers in each of the groups. It's an accessible and valuable examination of that painful transitional period between childhood and adulthood and worthwhile reading for teens and adults.… (mehr)

I'm not a teen or the parent of a teen, but this book, which contains letters from a psychologist to his teenaged patient, was a good read anyway--engaging and warm. Then again, I was once a counselor so I tend to like this stuff.

The author decided not to include the letters his patient had written, that his were in response to. It works this way, but I think the book would have been a better read, for teens especially, if it contained at least excerpts from the girl's letters. Ah well. There's a lot of wisdom within these pages, a view of adolescence that is not only accepting of its difficulties but celebrates them. For any adult dealing with a frustrating teen, this book will give you hope. For a teen dealing with frustrating adults, it will give you hope and help you understand the "tricks" to getting them off your back a little. For a counselor, it'll be a quick, enjoyable read that just might give you a helpful phrase or idea to use with your own clients.… (mehr)