“Teenagers: A Natural History”, by David Bainbridge

Bainbridge, David. Teenagers: a Natural History. Vancouver: Greystone, 2009. Print.

I heard about this book through “Professionally Speaking”, the monthly publication of the Ontario College of Teachers, of which I am a member.  Since I have a teenager in the house, it seemed like a suitable book to read, and in fact he ended up reading it too.

Two things set this book apart; instead of focusing on brain development, puberty, behaviour, or evolution, it integrated research from all those areas to present a high-level, connected view of everything that happens between the ages of 13 and 19.  It was also remarkable in the positive and even joyful portrayal it gave of the teenage years.  It was refreshing for me to read, and also wonderful for my son, who gets a lot of jokes and ribbing about being a teen.  The chapter on drugs was sobering, showing how even occasional drug use can interfere with the chemical workings of the brain and cause permanent damage.  However, it was an even-handed discussion focusing on medical research, rather than a scare-mongering approach that would just make my teen roll his eyes.  Similarly but with an opposite flavour, the chapter on teenage sex showed that teenage sex is not necessarily permanently damaging, and is in fact a safer area for teens to take the risks that they inherently take.

This is an excellent book that I highly recommend, I will be certainly reading it again in the next few years as the teenage behaviour in my house gets more challenging.