Best of
Adolescence

1994

Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls


Mary Pipher - 1994
    Why were so many of them turning to therapy in the first place? Why had these lovely and promising human beings fallen prey to depression, eating disorders, suicide attempts, and crushingly low self-esteem? The answer hit a nerve with Pipher, with parents, and with the girls themselves. Crashing and burning in a “developmental Bermuda Triangle,” they were coming of age in a media-saturated culture preoccupied with unrealistic ideals of beauty and images of dehumanized sex, a culture rife with addictions and sexually transmitted diseases. They were losing their resiliency and optimism in a “girl-poisoning” culture that propagated values at odds with those necessary to survive.    Told in the brave, fearless, and honest voices of the girls themselves who are emerging from the chaos of adolescence, Reviving Ophelia is a call to arms, offering important tactics, empathy, and strength, and urging a change where young hearts can flourish again, and rediscover and reengage their sense of self.

Sin City: The Babe Wore Red and Other Stories


Frank Miller - 1994
    Sin City: The Babe Wore Red and Other Stories is a collection of three complete tales of the town without pity and the tough guys and hot dames who live there.In The Customer is Always Right, a man and woman fall in love, but one falls harder than the other. It's true love Sin City style. On the opposite side of the coin, a working girl from Old Town gives her client a quick lesson in business, And What's Behind Door Number Three... isn't something you should negotiate for. And in the lead story, The Babe Wore Red, Dwight finds himself in frighteningly familiar territory with a too-much woman with too few answers, and a fully loaded shotgun aimed at his skull. Sex always makes Dwight stupid, so is he setting himself up for an idiot's death? God only knows.All three stories have appeared in quiet, little places where you probably couldn't find them, and all three are self-contained. For introducing new readers to the streets of Sin City, or for filling the weeks between issues of The Big Fat Kill, Sin City: The Babe Wore Red can't be beat.

Where Miracles Happen


Joan Wester Anderson - 1994
    "Sometimes," writes the author, "we recognize one by a tiny quiver in the pit of our stomach, a prickle of tears, our hearts lifting up." And sometimes they simply bowl us over.A destitute mother feeds her children for a week from a mysteriously refilling pot. A rainbow celebrates a child's release from suffering. An angel protects a teenager from terror in a hayloft. A medic at an isolated accident site suddenly finds the equipment needed to save a life. An imperfect heart is spontaneously made whole.Many of the stories here came from people who had read Joan Wester Anderson's bestseller Where Angels Walk. They showed, she says, that "the greatest and most profound adventures with Him were taking place not at the feet of distant gurus but in our own kitchens, our cars, wherever hearts were open. Such happenings were far too precious to hide in my files." Instead she shares with us a book of wonders: amazing, uplifting, inspiring."In short, unadorned stories, Anderson retells fresh accounts of modern miracles...She emphasizes that miracles most often happen in partnership with a loving, attentive God; and her prevailing message of hope is irresistible."--Publishers Weekly

No One Saw My Pain: Why Teens Kill Themselves


Andrew E. Slaby - 1994
    How could this happen? Didn't his parents know he was so depressed? She was so pretty, such a high achiever—what went wrong?Andrew Slaby, a psychiatrist specializing in depression and crisis intervention, and Lili Garfinkel, a parent educator, shed light on these perplexing questions. They present psychological profiles of eight severely depressed adolescents who either attempted or committed suicide. In reading the teens' journals and talking with their family and friends, they found that the severity of their distress was missed, not because people around them didn't care, but because they didn't know what to look for, what questions to ask, or how to respond effectively. In addition to sharing these families' stories, the authors offer guidelines for recognizing and working with suicidal youth. In alerting readers to the factors that may lead to suicide, this book will literally save lives.

The Power to Prevent Suicide: A Guide for Teens Helping Teens


Richard E. Nelson - 1994
    Updated with new facts, statistics, and resources, this book gives teens the information and insight they need to recognize the risk and respond appropriately. It spells out the warning signs, guides teens through the steps of reaching out to a friend, and explains when and how to seek help. It also suggests ways for teens to help themselves when they're feeling stressed or depressed.

The Jazz Kid


James Lincoln Collier - 1994
    Playing the cornet is the first thing that twelve-year-old Paulie Horvath has taken seriously, but his obsession with becoming a jazz musician leads him into conflict with his parents and into the tough underworld of Chicago in the 1920s.