Rating: 
Summary: A prescription for perplexed parents
Review: "They'll grow out of it", said Granny. "Don't give up on them", says neuroscientist Jay Giedd. Between these two admonitions, Barbara Strauch vividly relates how old ideas of brain development have been overthrown by recent research. Her judgement of "recent" is expressed with the dismissive comment that any source found prior to 1996 was "too old". She thus adds another brick to the edifice being constructed in cognitive sciences. The studies have gone beyond research in human cognitive studies to include other primates - chimpanzees and monkeys in demonstrating the roots of human behaviour. These findings are providing a wealth of new insights into our evolutionary roots. Strauch has contributed much in our knowledge of who we are in the animal kingdom. Although the studies are new, and further research is necessary, Strauch explains the patterns that are emerging. Further work can only provide more enlightenment.Although her research covers many fields and countless workers, the key source is Jay Giedd. Giedd was prompted by data showing how adolescent brains exhibited unexpected changes. "Gray matter", that term we so often blithely use to indicate the brain and mind, was expanding in teens. It actually grows beyond that of the average adult, then "dramatically thinning down" some time later. This find suggested many changes are occurring in teen brains - making them, in Strauch's estimate, "a bit crazy . . . but crazy by design". She reminds us throughout the book that while teenagers may appear physically mature in stature, what is going on in their brains is unfinished. They may look like us, but their behaviour is generally radically different. Incomplete brain development is the root cause of these departures from what we consider "normal". It was Giedd's research that sought to provide a baseline of what is "normal" for our children in those tumultuous years. With the wide-ranging sources she uses, Strauch takes us through all the problems parents face in trying to comprehend the vagaries of teen behaviour. Sex, bizarre sleeping patterns, drugs and alcohol use by teens all have come under new scrutiny by various research teams. They stress the vulnerability of the teen brain to nicotine, alcohol and other toxins. While this may seem obvious, the mechanics of why teens engage in heavy drinking bouts, for example, show how important parental knowledge of the background and impact of these events can be to teen health. Parents shouldn't dismiss such behaviour as "something they'll grow out of" since damage to brain structure can be permanent. Although the evolutionary roots are becoming clear, parental concern remains a major factor in assuring teens don't stumble into damaging behaviour. As one of the first "popular" books in this emerging field, Strauch's sources are almost entirely academic journals. We rely on her reputation as a New York Times health section columnist to have "done her homework" and there's little doubt she's done so. However, her own role as a mother of teens provides additional enhancement to her reliability. If she has an axe to grind, it is purely one of informing us on topics of concern to us as parents. While this book may be a "first" and may be modified by later studies, the information presented is far too important to ignore. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]
Rating:
Summary: A prescription for perplexed parents
Review: "They'll grow out of it", said Granny. "Don't give up on them", says neuroscientist Jay Giedd. Between these two admonitions, Barbara Strauch vividly relates how old ideas of brain development have been overthrown by recent research. Her judgement of "recent" is expressed with the dismissive comment that any source found prior to 1996 was "too old". She thus adds another brick to the edifice being constructed in cognitive sciences. The studies have gone beyond research in human cognitive studies to include other primates - chimpanzees and monkeys in demonstrating the roots of human behaviour. These findings are providing a wealth of new insights into our evolutionary roots. Strauch has contributed much in our knowledge of who we are in the animal kingdom. Although the studies are new, and further research is necessary, Strauch explains the patterns that are emerging. Further work can only provide more enlightenment. Although her research covers many fields and countless workers, the key source is Jay Giedd. Giedd was prompted by data showing how adolescent brains exhibited unexpected changes. "Gray matter", that term we so often blithely use to indicate the brain and mind, was expanding in teens. It actually grows beyond that of the average adult, then "dramatically thinning down" some time later. This find suggested many changes are occurring in teen brains - making them, in Strauch's estimate, "a bit crazy . . . but crazy by design". She reminds us throughout the book that while teenagers may appear physically mature in stature, what is going on in their brains is unfinished. They may look like us, but their behaviour is generally radically different. Incomplete brain development is the root cause of these departures from what we consider "normal". It was Giedd's research that sought to provide a baseline of what is "normal" for our children in those tumultuous years. With the wide-ranging sources she uses, Strauch takes us through all the problems parents face in trying to comprehend the vagaries of teen behaviour. Sex, bizarre sleeping patterns, drugs and alcohol use by teens all have come under new scrutiny by various research teams. They stress the vulnerability of the teen brain to nicotine, alcohol and other toxins. While this may seem obvious, the mechanics of why teens engage in heavy drinking bouts, for example, show how important parental knowledge of the background and impact of these events can be to teen health. Parents shouldn't dismiss such behaviour as "something they'll grow out of" since damage to brain structure can be permanent. Although the evolutionary roots are becoming clear, parental concern remains a major factor in assuring teens don't stumble into damaging behaviour. As one of the first "popular" books in this emerging field, Strauch's sources are almost entirely academic journals. We rely on her reputation as a New York Times health section columnist to have "done her homework" and there's little doubt she's done so. However, her own role as a mother of teens provides additional enhancement to her reliability. If she has an axe to grind, it is purely one of informing us on topics of concern to us as parents. While this book may be a "first" and may be modified by later studies, the information presented is far too important to ignore. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]
Rating:
Summary: Bad title - Great book
Review: Any parent who has ever consulted a child rearing book knows that often the most useful information is not advice on what to do but insights into what your children are doing, e.g., what's normal for the age group. That's why I loved this book. Although it is not a child rearing book, it left me with new insights into the whys of my teenagers. It's very readable and yet you will still learn the difference between the hippocampus and the frontal lobe. Finally, it will leave you wanting to stimulate that growing brain that lives in your house, and maybe, push for some changes at your local high school.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful whirlrwind tour into the teenager's brain & mind
Review: Barbara Strauch has offered us a beautifully written account of her journey to understand the cutting edge of knowledge and modern scientific exploration of the adolescent brain. Through her clear and accessible writing, we are given the chance to hear the voices of scientists focusing their current work on imaging the changes in the teen's brain: insights into changes that help us (as parents, as professionals, as former teens ourselves) to understand the wild and confusing time of adolescent turmoil and transformation. As a parent, I found the book extremely entertaining, illuminating, and reassuring. As a child and adolescent psychiatrist who writes about the brain, the mind, and human relationships, I found the book to be an extremely useful resource for the teens and parents in my practice and seminars. Barbara Strauch has succeeded in helping us to understand our teenagers in a more compassionate light, opening the door to possibilities for improved relationships, and even a deeper understanding of ourselves. A wonderful treat for anyone interested in knowing more about how we transition from childhood to adulthood.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful whirlrwind tour into the teenager's brain & mind
Review: Barbara Strauch has offered us a beautifully written account of her journey to understand the cutting edge of knowledge and modern scientific exploration of the adolescent brain. Through her clear and accessible writing, we are given the chance to hear the voices of scientists focusing their current work on imaging the changes in the teen's brain: insights into changes that help us (as parents, as professionals, as former teens ourselves) to understand the wild and confusing time of adolescent turmoil and transformation. As a parent, I found the book extremely entertaining, illuminating, and reassuring. As a child and adolescent psychiatrist who writes about the brain, the mind, and human relationships, I found the book to be an extremely useful resource for the teens and parents in my practice and seminars. Barbara Strauch has succeeded in helping us to understand our teenagers in a more compassionate light, opening the door to possibilities for improved relationships, and even a deeper understanding of ourselves. A wonderful treat for anyone interested in knowing more about how we transition from childhood to adulthood.
Rating:
Summary: Sean Mclennan Should Write a Book
Review: Don't worry about that one negative review. This book isn't meant to solve problems, simply to open up discussion. What does Sean tell us about teenagers around the world? Are the gun toting Nigerians acting rationally? Europe's soccer hooligans? Japanese teens caught up in every new wild fad? I'm sick of know it all PhD students who get on public websites and slag authors. ...
Rating:
Summary: Any Parent's "Must" Read
Review: Fascinating, informative and helpful to any parent who has raised, is raising, or will be raising a teenager. A definite "required reading" for anyone involved with teens, be it parent, teacher, judiciary, law enforcement, etc. Highly recommended. It certainly makes sense of this senseless creature!
Rating:
Summary: Any Parent's "Must" Read
Review: Fascinating, informative and helpful to any parent who has raised, is raising, or will be raising a teenager. A definite "required reading" for anyone involved with teens, be it parent, teacher, judiciary, law enforcement, etc. Highly recommended. It certainly makes sense of this senseless creature!
Rating:
Summary: Any Parent's "Must" Read
Review: Fascinating, informative and helpful to any parent who has raised, is raising, or will be raising a teenager. A definite "required reading" for anyone involved with teens, be it parent, teacher, judiciary, law enforcement, etc. Highly recommended. It certainly makes sense of this senseless creature!
Rating: 
Summary: Bad Science
Review: I am currently doing a PhD in Cognitive Science and Indiana University, and I am familiar with at least some of the studies on which this book is based---for instance the work of Yurgelun-Todd in Mass. who showed a variety of different responses of the brains from teens and adults. I don't doubt that the differences are there---however to attribute those to biological factors is irrational. What she showed, in essence, is that groups of people that show different behavioural responses show different brain activity. This is exactly what we should expect. These studies, which are based entirely on a US population, completely ignore all the cultures around the world and throughout history who's teenagers are considered adults, treated as such, and behave exactly like adults. For the argument that teenage brains are underdeveloped <I>biologically</I> you would have to see the same trends in every human culture, and we simply don't. Worse, claiming that anti-social behaviour is cause by biological facters gives license to teens to not take responsibility for their own actions, and really belittles them.
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