Surviving High School

Rating:
Summary: Parents - Beware!
Review: As a guidance counselor (like the author), I agree that it is helpful to write to teens in a language they can understand (not filled with parental "shoulds", for instance). However, my husband and I changed our minds about sharing this book with our teenage sons after reading most of it (enough to realize it was going in the trash). We were shocked at the "anything goes" content. The author fills his book with comments from teens, with the intent to help the reader see how others have handled challenges. One particular comment in the "Sex" chapter was by a girl who explained why she feels better because she WAITED SO LONG (until she was 17) to have sex.
The author suggests that teens with questions talk with their guidance counselor or school nurse. Never was there ANY reference to talking to your parents as a possible resource. In fact, when considering WHEN you're ready to have sex, the author states that you should gather others' opinions and listen to how they answered this question. He then follows with teen stories (aged 15 and up), provided to help your teen make that decision of WHEN (instead of perhaps even choosing to wait until marriage - a word that was never ONCE mentioned in this chapter). He at least takes a moral stand regarding rape, but no other mention of anything wrong unless it doesn't feel right to you. Sex is much better with romance, but he admits that sex is still great without romance! (What's romance? Soft lighting and soft music? A committed relationship? How does he define "romance"? He doesn't.)
If you choose to buy this book with the intent to help your teen gain a better understanding of the challenges in high school, READ THE BOOK FIRST! Clearly this "guidance" counselor seems to have his own agenda, and as a parent, you'd better be aware of what you're sharing with your children in the interest of "helping" them. If you want your children to even give some thought to the idea of "right" and "wrong", then this may not be the book for them. After reading this book, your teen will understand that feeling good about his/her choices is the only consideration. Scary stuff.

Rating:
Summary: Parents - Beware!
Review: As a guidance counselor (like the author), I agree that it is helpful to write to teens in a language they can understand (not filled with parental "shoulds", for instance). However, my husband and I changed our minds about sharing this book with our teenage sons after reading most of it (enough to realize it was going in the trash). We were shocked at the "anything goes" content. The author fills his book with comments from teens, with the intent to help the reader see how others have handled challenges. One particular comment in the "Sex" chapter was by a girl who explained why she feels better because she WAITED SO LONG (until she was 17) to have sex.
The author suggests that teens with questions talk with their guidance counselor or school nurse. Never was there ANY reference to talking to your parents as a possible resource. In fact, when considering WHEN you're ready to have sex, the author states that you should gather others' opinions and listen to how they answered this question. He then follows with teen stories (aged 15 and up), provided to help your teen make that decision of WHEN (instead of perhaps even choosing to wait until marriage - a word that was never ONCE mentioned in this chapter). He at least takes a moral stand regarding rape, but no other mention of anything wrong unless it doesn't feel right to you. Sex is much better with romance, but he admits that sex is still great without romance! (What's romance? Soft lighting and soft music? A committed relationship? How does he define "romance"? He doesn't.)
If you choose to buy this book with the intent to help your teen gain a better understanding of the challenges in high school, READ THE BOOK FIRST! Clearly this "guidance" counselor seems to have his own agenda, and as a parent, you'd better be aware of what you're sharing with your children in the interest of "helping" them. If you want your children to even give some thought to the idea of "right" and "wrong", then this may not be the book for them. After reading this book, your teen will understand that feeling good about his/her choices is the only consideration. Scary stuff.

Rating:
Summary: not for unsupervised teen reading
Review: Careful reading reveals the author eliminating the parent as an authority with any rights. In this book, the author tells us that after a 15 yr old girl properly and carefuly consults with caring fellow teens and maybe a high school conselor, [parents exluded] it's fine for her to have sex with a guy for any well chosen reason, at any well chosen time, at any well chosen place. From boy to boy to boy ---. When she one day gets married, How Is She To Stop a Behavior She Has Made Such a Habit? Or will her modern husband care? Interesting world.

Rating:
Summary: fantastic
Review: I am so thrilled to find someone who shares my thoughts and feelings about teenagers , not to mention my respect and love for them. I can not express in words how brilliant this book is and how deeply and beautifully Mike understands teenagers real needs and concerns. if you really want to have a better relationship with your teens and teens if you want a deeper understanding of yourselves this is a must buy book. Also be sure to get "Uncommon sense for parents of teenagers" another book by Mike Riera.

Rating:
Summary: THIS IS THE BEST HIGH SCHOOL BOOK OUT THERE!!!!
Review: I think Surviving High School is an excellent book for teenagers. The author, Michael Riera (a guidance counselor), talks of all the problems that teens will or have encountered with in high school. He brings up several issues including sex, alcohol and drugs, friendship, stress, money, and so much more. My experience with this book has been a real "eye-opener!" I don't like to do a lot of reading because there are very few books that keep my attention. This book really had me thinking and I really enjoyed it. I would commend this book to all teenagers between the ages of 13 and 20. Pick this up and read it! I certainly give it five stars and Two thumbs up!

Rating:
Summary: It was a great review
Review: Surviving High School , a lengthy book written by Mike Riera , talks about ways to get through common high school problems including drugs , sex , alcohol , depression and many other. It actual quotes from kids and famous writers and thinkers which I especially enjoyed reading. This one appealed to me from Samuel Johnson The chains of habit are too weak to be felt until they are too strong to be broken as many would appeal to all types of people. I like this book a lot I would recommend it to any one trying to get through high school.

Rating:
Summary: High School Revealed
Review: Surviving High School written by Mike Riera is a wonderful combination of factual information and personal experiences. This easy to follow book deals with issues such as friendship, sex, stress, parents, personal safety, drugs, and alcohol. Each chapter presents information in a logical manner. At the end of each chapter the reader finds a "Think About It" section. In this section, readers can really think about the topic and how it relates to their lives. I definitely recommend this book to high school students of all ages. I strongly feel that anyone can benefit from reading this book.

Rating:
Summary: To the point, about the book.
Review: Surviving High School, a book on the perils of post-secondary schooling, by Mike Riera. There is no prologue, no introduction -- the words contained within are the most important thing to the reader, and the author knows this. The book contains 18 chapters on a variety of dangers to the high school student: various chapters individually analyze and explain possible solutions to problems brought about by drugs, sex, social discrimination, homosexuality, and even things as seemingly simple as getting your driver's license. The author's experience is supported very well by interviews with a number of current students, who add their own knowledge and experiance. This gives the book less of the feel of most books concerning problems associated with the teenage yeasr, books scribed by Ph.D.'s and other doctorates who merely cite cases regarding the problem at hand. It is much easier to relate to the words of a 16- or 17-year-old than to that of a 42-year-old specialist. This is not to say that Mike Riera does not offer good advice, on the contrary. However, many teenagers find it hard to relate to or even consider information presented by anyone much older than themselves. This book is valuable for many reasons. First and foremost, it helps students in difficult times to realize that they are not alone in their suffering and offers them tried and tested solutions to their problems. Second, and nearly as important, it gives parents, teachers, and everyone else involved with young people a sense of the problem's facing high school students today. This is not to say that people do not care, but times change quickly and the problems of 20 years ago are not the problems of today's youth. Riera brings out the issues and deals with them simply and individually, making it easy to read. The chapters are sensibly broken up for those lacking the time necessary to read the entire book. Readers interested in a specific topic can easily find anecdotes and solutions relevant to their own problem. Recommended for anyone who is looking for help or suggestions on how to deal with high school today.

Rating:
Summary: This is a great book.
Review: This book discusses a lot of real life topics. It is a great book for High School students to read because it has kids giving there own opinions and experiences on these informational topic. I got a lot of good information and it kind of made me do some thinking. Everyone of those topics (chapters) has a very good description on what should be done or some advise on what to do. I highly recommend that you read this book either in school or on your own. It is a very realistic book and interesting book.