THE LIFE GUIDE FOR TEENS

Pediatric pulmonary physician Anbar takes a holistic approach to encouraging teens to get their minds and bodies to work together for better well-being.

The book is divided into five parts, covering effective strategies for daily life, managing anxiety and other emotional challenges, making improvements to physical health, building healthy relationships, and achieving success across many different areas of life. Within each section, the individual chapters discuss the issue at hand, provide tools that readers can use, offer firsthand accounts from other teens (“Being aware of the power of words helps me find the right things to say—and it also helps me process what other people say”), and advise parents and caregivers. The author presents fear and anxiety as part of our natural survival instincts, which can be harnessed in positive ways using tips from the book. A list entitled “Nine Signs You Are Ready for Responsibility” is also valuable and will apply to many circumstances. Throughout, Anbar breaks his guidance into steps and offers clear, meaningful examples. Some of the tips and tools build upon one another, but the book is designed to be accessible to those who dip into it rather than read it cover to cover. The discussions of spirituality, gender, sexuality, and relationships are inclusive. Static spot art occasionally punctuates the text.

A practical compass for adolescents to use in navigating life’s tricky areas.