We're Not Monsters: Teens Speak Out about Teens in Trouble

Rating:
Summary: adequate monsters
Review: As a collection of stories, this one is adequate. The stories themselves are realistic but seem to be taken from a small unrepresentative portion of society as there are a lot of important teen issues that don't even garner a mention. What is included is well written, but as someone who has worked with teens in crisis for years, I was disappointed that there wasn't more to this book than there was.

Rating:
Summary: Great, but not comprehensive
Review: We're Not Monsters is a excellent, factual portrayal of many of the issues facing teens today. For each topic, there is a wide variety of resources, from basic information and statistics to stories and quotes from other teens. It also clearly explains what a concerned friend can do and gets into some of the social issues involved and potential areas for advocacy. One major gripe that kept me from giving 5 stars: a lot of common, important teen issues (eating disorders for example) aren't covered in here. I was happy with the chapters on teen suicide and self-injury (both topics are near and dear to my heart), and the section on killer teens was interesting, but I was disappointed that the chapter on teen abusers didn't include more information for victims of abuse, and the chapter on teen pregnancy left a lot of potential avenues unexplored. Overall, though, I would recommend this book to teens in trouble, their friends, concerned adults, and anyone curious about what's going on with troubled teens.