Zondervan Publishing, 2006, 288 pp.,
$17.99, zondervan.com
For those who have wondered why kids don’t come with owner’s manuals, this matched pair of books is a welcome relief. Teenage Guys is an extensive guide on the struggles, concerns, and characteristics surrounding male adolescents on their journeys to becoming men. Gerali takes a “holistic” approach to adolescent development, walking readers through five dimensions that make up developing adolescents: biological/physical, affective/emotional, cognitive/intellectual, sociological/social, and spiritual or moral/ethical.
Gerali bases this book on practical research and goes into great detail on each of these dimensions, while relating male adolescent development to current cultural circumstances and trends. As a result, Gerali consistently gives practical advice and suggestions on how to more effectively minister to adolescent guys.
The beauty of this book is in the way Gerali’s longtime involvement in youth ministry infects every element of the book. His stated goal is not to create an exhaustive guide to adolescence but, instead, to provide a handbook that helps youth workers shape teenage boys into “godly men.”
Gerali accomplishes this goal by constantly relating developmental and cultural issues to personal experiences he has had in student ministry and counseling situations. This book is an invaluable tool and should find its way onto the bookshelf of anyone involved in ministry to adolescents.
Ginny Olson has studied and compiled research covering the growth, development, and behaviors of adolescent girls. Topics discussed include body development, body issues and injury, dating, sex, emotions, brain/cognitive development, family, friendship, and faith.
Each chapter makes the reader aware of numerous issues under the specific heading, as well as bringing understanding to these issues from a female perspective. Chapters begin with a reallife story in order to put the issues being discussed into real-life context.
Teenage Girls is highly informative, with heart, and not just another textbook or medical journal. A helpful resource for any youth worker or parent.
