Rating: 
Summary: An Excellent Journey Into Contemporary Adolescence
Review: I was incredibly impressed with Patricia Hersch's work - her dedication of spending 6+ years building trust while interviewing teenagers paid off dividends as she was able to get a true glimpse into their muddled, often violent, and lonely lives.Hersch should be most commended for her non-judgemental attitude toward the teens she interviews and befriends; this is obviously what builds trust and openness with her subjects. I can't imagine the difficulties she encountered in keeping her pact of not giving unsolicited advice as the teens recounted the poor choices they made or the threats of violence they encountered. I found her work to be excellent for anyone interested in either a middle school or high school experience, particularly in a large public school system. Even from the adolescent perspective, it was easy to see how both teens and teachers became victims of the system in which they participated. One warning: you will get very caught up in the lives of these troubled and not-so-troubled individuals.
Rating: 
Summary: successful South Lakes alumni
Review: I'd like to see a book on the South Lakes High School Class of 1992. Because frankly, it would show that a public school education CAN be a ticket to a rewarding adulthood. Ms. Hersch could have profiled a group of run of the mill "public school" students who were on par with any graduate of Episcopal, Woodberry Forest, Madiera, or Deerfield. Granted, we were blessed with the good fortune to spend our childhoods in the upper middle class elysium of Reston and Fairfax County.
(the wealthiest county in the United States, by the way, which Ms. Hersch strangely fails to mention) Out of our class of just over 500, thirty of us attended the University of Virginia (myself included), perhaps 15 to Duke, a like number to UNC, and several large handfuls to Colgate, William & Mary, Harvard, Dartmouth, et al. In fact, several ended up in the same Harvard Law class after their undergraduate matriculation. Now, with any class of that magnitude, you are bound to have numerous less-than-stellar kids, your social and academic misfits, etc...and obviously those were the personalities that attracted Hersch, sub-conciously or not. Frankly, it probably made for a more intersting read. But for my part, I would like to thank all of the wonderful teachers and educators at South Lakes, for it was at their feet that the majority of us (who are now nearing 30 years of age) learned to be a Tribe of Inclusion and Success.
Rating: 
Summary: Far from contrived
Review: One of my favorite "social science" books, this truly paints a portrait of adolescent life. You aren't burdened with the feeling that 'token children' such as the 'rowdy but brilliant misunderstood child' are being thrown your way, but rather, Hersch introduces each child smoothly, giving you a view of their whole self, and not just what defines them.
Rating:
Summary: An exhilarating look at the "NORMAL" adolescence.
Review: Patricia Hersch grasps her reader, both young and old, with her accurate look at the "normal" teenager. Having both heard her and read the book I feel she gives parents and teenagers a positive outlook. This is a must read book!
Rating:
Summary: Illuminates Teen Culture Superbly
Review: Patricia Hersch has made a valuable contribution to our society by illuminating a part of America's increasingly fragmented culture. As a 22 year old youth minister, I was reminded of many of my own experiences as a 1995 high school graduate, as well as of many of lives of the students I currently serve at local high schools. Withstanding all of the criticism I read about her in other reviews -- that she unfairly portrayed the parents as evil, didn't offer coherent solutions to the many problems, and over-sensationalized the issues for the purpose of making a profit -- I thought her analysis was penetrating, insightful, and educational. Her one-on-one long term relationships with the teens allowed her to avoid any superficial judgments of their behavior, but instead give a comprehensive account of their thoughts, motivations, values, and life philosophies (sound or unsound). As to her detractors: 1) I didn't get the impression that the parents were portrayed as inherently evil, but that they had many problems of their own to deal with, tragically leaving their children out on a limb in terms of any guiding principles or love. 2) In terms of offering viable solutions, on page 364, she says our teenagers today need two things: adults (teachers, parents) who listen to them, and a community that rallies around them...sound like pretty sound advice to me. 3) As to the alleged sensationalism, teenagers today live in a sensational world! 1 in 6 teens contemplates suicide before the age of 18, and 1 in 4 girls is sexually abused by that same age. Much of the media that saturates their world is nothing but a sensationalized culture of existentialist experimentation with violence, sex, and drugs... Good job, Patricia...you've made me better able to serve this generation in such desperate need of guidance and love, and opened many eyes to the realities of teenage culture today, whether we are comfortable with it or not.
Rating:
Summary: All About Teens
Review: Patricia Hersch writes a compelling story about teenagers of the new generation. The book is called "A Tribe Apart". If you would like a new view on the ways of the new teenage generation, this book is for you. It focuses on the lives, in and out of school, of eight young American teenagers.
As Hersch follows the students around their houses, school, to their jobs and beyond. You learn about their love life, their friendships, their trials and disappointments. Hersch works to unveil the mystery of teens and what goes on in their mind, body and soul.
Rating:
Summary: heartbreaking look into American high schools
Review: Patricia Hersch, a journalist living in Reston, Virginia, details the lives of 8 young people living in her town in A Tribe Apart. All are chosen because they seem to represent "normal" young people walking the halls of the town's middle and senior high schools. Through Hersch's voice the audience hears the voices of Chris, the youngest and most meticulous of the bunch, Jessica and her older sister Ann, daughters of parents too busy and self-absorbed to really see the pains that weave in and out of their daughters' lives, Brendon with his early hopes and eventually the crashing of those dreams and his turn to graffiti and drug dealing, Charles and his struggle for excellence in athletics and school life, Jonathan, the oldest and most self-reflective, Courtney and her anything-goes lifestyle and finally Joan, trying to escape a cycle of depression. While the young people do fit into the different stereotypes that populate high school according to Hollywood, Hersch delves deeper into the words, thoughts and lives of the Reston teens to show the reader the special uniqueness of each. In the final section Hersch deals with the family histories of all the teens and the reader begins to see how interrelated the families are with each child. Even more, behind the seemingly random and self-destructive behaviors one sees glimpses of children seeking love and numbing pain from the lack of it.
The final chapter in Hersch's book demonstrates the deep love she was able to cultivate toward the adolescents she befriended in Reston. Her deep pain in view of the tougher lives of some of the teens especially reminds the reader that though the lives of the teens were told with brutal honestly, it is also told by one that was able to open her heart to the adolescents, and as a result of this confidence, was able to capture the hearts of the adolescents. Thus while the brutal realities of the adolescent years through different subcultures is displayed in A Tribe Apart, it is done in such a way that the reader can catch a glimpse of the everyday struggles as well as the heartbreaking pains weighing down the teenage heart and its subsequent aftermath. While identifying each subculture Hersch is still able to capture the unique beauty in each adolescent, clearly emphasizing the yearning of the teen for love and acceptance, in the family and with peers. Thus while A Tribe Apart details life in the suburbs of Virginia the story is applicable in any American neighborhood.
Rating:
Summary: A Call to Arms
Review: Patricia Hersch, author of A Tribe Apart, does a spectacular thing: she takes an honest and thoughtful look at today's youth. Rather than treat them as statistics, or worse, see them with fear, she is able to fall into their world, and later, to come out with real and fair assessments of the thoughts and feelings of adolescents. She does so without being condescending or cruel, and in doing so, gives those not among these youth, a means by which we can better understand these children, and, ultimately, take responsibility for our own role in their lives and experiences. In that light, Hersch shows that giving a child physical things, like a house, a car, and food, is not enough to help them achieve neither academically nor socially. Rather, in a world that seems committed to, or ignorant of, a lack of guidance being given to these children, these youth need adults that can give them perspective, and a sense of morality that is derived from something other than their own scared lives. As an interesting twist of fate, it takes Hersch's journey into the world of these teens to give us the perspective to see that, more than anything, these children need our perspective to gain a hold over their own lives. It seems as though nearly every time we hear about youth, it is to hear some terrifying statistic such as that 25% of 18 year olds have been sexually abused (p. 246). The unfortunate side effect of this is that we are constantly being thrown statistics that turn youth into monsters, not humans. It looks nothing at the cause of these problems, but rather alienates youth, so that parents and society can develop a misconception that their own actions have nothing to do with the current condition of youth. It works off the assumption that somehow these youth are inherently different, and that modern influences have nothing to do their transgressions. It is a shirking of responsibility, born from the very mentality that has led to these children being raised as clumsily as they are (p. 22); in the sixties there was a portion of society that adhered to concepts of morality based in lack of judgment, and full of contradiction. The fact of the matter is that these youth are no different than previous generations, except that the family and society they are being exposed to is different. It is therefore the responsibility of parents and society to realize their own faults, and support the youth that have for too long gone neglected. The beautiful thing about A Tribe Apart is that it doesn't rely on fear tactics, it doesn't disavow responsibility, but rather takes a look at today's "normal" kids, examines their feelings, and shows the means by which so many of our youth are reacting to society so violently.
Rating:
Summary: A Call to Arms
Review: Patricia Hersch, author of A Tribe Apart, does a spectacular thing: she takes an honest and thoughtful look at today's youth. Rather than treat them as statistics, or worse, see them with fear, she is able to fall into their world, and later, to come out with real and fair assessments of the thoughts and feelings of adolescents. She does so without being condescending or cruel, and in doing so, gives those not among these youth, a means by which we can better understand these children, and, ultimately, take responsibility for our own role in their lives and experiences. In that light, Hersch shows that giving a child physical things, like a house, a car, and food, is not enough to help them achieve neither academically nor socially. Rather, in a world that seems committed to, or ignorant of, a lack of guidance being given to these children, these youth need adults that can give them perspective, and a sense of morality that is derived from something other than their own scared lives. As an interesting twist of fate, it takes Hersch's journey into the world of these teens to give us the perspective to see that, more than anything, these children need our perspective to gain a hold over their own lives. It seems as though nearly every time we hear about youth, it is to hear some terrifying statistic such as that 25% of 18 year olds have been sexually abused (p. 246). The unfortunate side effect of this is that we are constantly being thrown statistics that turn youth into monsters, not humans. It looks nothing at the cause of these problems, but rather alienates youth, so that parents and society can develop a misconception that their own actions have nothing to do with the current condition of youth. It works off the assumption that somehow these youth are inherently different, and that modern influences have nothing to do their transgressions. It is a shirking of responsibility, born from the very mentality that has led to these children being raised as clumsily as they are (p. 22); in the sixties there was a portion of society that adhered to concepts of morality based in lack of judgment, and full of contradiction. The fact of the matter is that these youth are no different than previous generations, except that the family and society they are being exposed to is different. It is therefore the responsibility of parents and society to realize their own faults, and support the youth that have for too long gone neglected. The beautiful thing about A Tribe Apart is that it doesn't rely on fear tactics, it doesn't disavow responsibility, but rather takes a look at today's "normal" kids, examines their feelings, and shows the means by which so many of our youth are reacting to society so violently.
Rating:
Summary: I was there...
Review: Reading A Tribe Apart was like reliving my high school experience. I am a '97 graduate of South Lakes high school and I know just about everyone mentioned in the book. Mrs. Hersch does a good job of making the reader realize that everyone that you see in the hallways isn't just another pretty face. It made me wonder about all the kids in high school that I never really knew. I enjoyed reading the book, but maybe that is because I went to the school and it describes multiple events that I attended. However, I think that South Lakes was probably a typical high school and that everyone will be able to relate to the trials and tribulations that these kids have faced in some way or another. Yes, Mrs. Hersch doesn't reveal much that isn't already known about suburban youth in America. Yes, she tends to generalize and blame problems on the current culture, music, and parents instead of giving the responsibility to the kids themselves. That's nothing new. But what she does do is give you a glimpse inside 8 individual lives that you would not have known about if not for this book. It is the story of eight kids at one high school. There may be similarities to other kids at other high schools but the beauty of this book is the detail and the passion she brings to telling the story of THESE kids, not the general statements that can be inferred about today's youth. Forty years from now when I want to remember my high school experience, I will be able to read this book and know what it felt like to be in high school and not know who your classmates really were. A Tribe Apart gives you the chance to learn more about high school students than what it says next to their picture in the yearbook...
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