Author: Keith G. Wright
Publisher: Ain’t No Joke Books
Title: The Life of Teenagers Ain’t No Joke
Genre: Nonfiction
To start, let me give you some straight talk, because I think teenagers want that and really need that. I’m not going to blow smoke up your butts and give you the same “rah rah” cliches that many adults throw your way. Regardless of what you’ve heard or what you think, living a great life can be extremely elusive. Everybody can’t be President of the United States. Everybody can’t be Astronauts. Everybody can’t be famous actors or famous music entertainers. Everybody can’t be a Hall of Fame athlete, and everybody can’t be a celebrated war hero. But everybody, absolutely everybody, walking the face of this earth can lead a great life… a life of promise. Everybody can make a positive impact on this country. All of us can make our lives matter, to ourselves, our families, and to the world.
Keith G. Wright has chosen a difficult and challenging profession – to inspire teenagers to live exceptional lives. He is a father, stepfather, and mentor to teenagers, and seems very comfortable discussing their world and their issues. He doesn’t infantilize them, nor does he pretend they are just chronologically challenged adults. He finds that elusive place where they live and speaks to them directly and frankly. He acknowledges the issues that teenagers deal with in America today, and tells them the truths that they will never hear on MTV, with applicable vignettes that bring the lesson home.
If you like movies like “Coach Carter” and “Stand and Deliver” then you will enjoy this book and want your teenager to read it. It seeks to inspire kids to want something more for themselves, and it provides a common-sense road map to get it. “The wisest teenagers know that…” and “Exceptional teens find motivation in…” may read a bit hokey, but the fact is that teenagers do want to excel, they want to rise above their circumstances and be part of something big. This book tells them that they’re right to want that, that they can do it, and tells them how.
I was prepared to dislike this book based on the title, because as a grammar and spelling Nazi, slang like “ain’t” irritates me. However, the book is surprisingly well-written. It’s short – 117 pages – and something that even a teenager who doesn’t enjoy reading might attempt. The book stands on its own, but I think it would more likely be read by teenagers who have attended one of Wright’s speaking engagements. I would rate this book a 4 out of 5.
This book was reviewed for Active Christian Media.
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Laura Curtis is a web developer and master certified computer trainer in New Orleans.
