Without a Map: A Memoir

Without a Map: A Memoir
Average customer rating:

One girl's story....

Awareness

WOW

Moving and touched close to home

OH, THOSE TERRIBLE 50S-60S!!

Without a Map: A Memoir
Meredith Hall
Manufacturer: Beacon Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Women | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

The Mistress's Daughter: A Memoir

If I Am Missing or Dead: A Sister's Story of Love, Murder, and Liberation

Promise Not to Tell: A Novel

Kabul Beauty School: An American Woman Goes Behind the Veil

Helpless: A Novel

ASIN: 0807072737

Book Description

Meredith Hall's moving but unsentimental memoir begins in 1965, when she becomes pregnant at sixteen. Shunned by her insular New Hampshire community, she is then kicked out of the house by her mother. Her father and stepmother reluctantly take her in, hiding her before they finally banish her altogether. After giving her baby up for adoption, Hall wanders recklessly through the Middle East, where she survives by selling her possessions and finally her blood. She returns to New England and stitches together a life that encircles her silenced and invisible grief. When he is twenty-one, her lost son finds her. Hall learns that he grew up in gritty poverty with an abusive fatherâin her own father's hometown. Their reunion is tender, turbulent, and ultimately redemptive. Hall's parents never ask for her forgiveness, yet as they age, she offers them her love. What sets Without a Map apart is the way in which loss and betrayal evolve into compassion, and compassion into wisdom.

"Meredith Hall boldly charts one of the bravest of stories, the journey from disrupted youth up through that most tricky and forbidding territory, the family circle. Bone-honest and strong in its every line, this work of memory is a remarkably deep retrieval of its times and souls, thereby reflecting our own."
âIvan Doig, author of Heart Earth

"This is an unusually elegant memoir that feels as though its been carved straight out of Meredith Hall's capacious heart. The story is riveting, the words perfect. It is rare to read a work that manages to be at once artful and compelling, which for me best describes Meredith Hall's debut work. She is an author who deserves to be widely read. Few people write like this. Fewer still have the courage to live like this – without the comfort of any clichÃ©."
âLauren Slater, author of Opening Skinner's Box, Prozac Diary, and Welcome to My Country

"Meredith Hall's long journey from an inexcusably betrayed girlhood to the bittersweet mercies of womanhood is a triple triumphâof survival; of narration; and of forgiveness. Her portrait of her own empty bravado collapsing into total psychological and geographical dislocation is one of the most harrowing passages I've ever read. The subsequent turn toward memory and honesty is agonized, profound, and salvific. Without a Map is a masterpiece."
âDavid James Duncan, author of The Brothers K and God Laughs and Plays

"Meredith Hall is like a geiger counter ticking along the radium edge of these recent decades. She gives us self as expert-witnessâWithout a Map is smart, sharp, and redemptively honest. "
âSven Birkerts, author of The Gutenberg Elegies and My Sky Blue Trades

"Meredith Hall's story of loss, shame, and betrayal is also a story of joy, reconnection, and survival; each memory takes us deep to the marrow of sorrow and celebration. A work of extraordinary beauty and grace."
âKim Barnes, author of In the Wilderness: Coming of Age in Unknown Country

"Without A Map tells an important and perceptive story about loss, about aloneness and isolation in a time of great need, about a life slowly coming back into focus and the calm that finally emerges. Meredith Hall is a brave new writer who earns our attention."
âAnnie Dillard, author of Pilgrim at Tinker Creek

"Think for a moment of Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale, of banishment, reconciliation, redemption, and you'll get the scope of Without a Map, the new memoir by Meredith Hall . . . An extraordinary tale, made all the more moving by Hall's unsentimental prose and ample heart."
âgettrio.com

"a compelling, painful, hopeful story." âmore.com

"Meredith Hall's magnificent book held me in its thrall from the moment I began reading the opening pages. WITHOUT A MAP is a fluid, beautifully-written, hard-won piece of work that belongs on the shelf next to the best modern memoirs, and yet is in a category all its own. It is a moving example of a difficult life redeemed first through examination, then reflection, then finallyâlike a rough stone polished until it gleamsâinto a genuine work of art."
âDani Shapiro, author of Family History

"Hall, a brave and graceful writer who teaches at UNH, examines her life with wide open eyes and an equally open heart. Even as she wrestles with the grief of many lossesâher child, her parents' love and respect, her standing in her community, her identityâshe demonstrates the writer's gift of separating from her own experiences, establishing an objectivity that allows her to make meaning for herself and readers."
âRebecca Rule, Nashua Telegraph

"Open adoptions and connections between birth mothers and their children were not the way of life for a young girl who got pregnant in the '60s. Meredith Hall, in her beautifully written, poignant memoir, tells us what life was like for a naive girl who found herself pregnant and abandoned by her mother and father. This is a tale of loss, of endless traveling in search of an intangible something, and, ultimately, of forgiveness."
âGayle Shanks, Changing Hands Bookstore, Tempe, AZ

"Hall's sensitive, honest account of her personal odyssey shows one remarkable woman transcending this trauma to become a better, stronger person."
âWendy Smith, AARP The Magazine

"Hall's life, as depicted in this memoir, was nothing if not two thingsâdifficult and fascinating. With no family, friends or other support system, she took her life into her own hands at an early, tender age, and she fell quite far before finally rising up. The reader gets the benefit of her trials, a gritty view of the world from America to Europe to the Middle East."
âINtake Weekly

"Without a Map tells a stunning story of exile and ostracization. Meredith grew up on the seacoast of New Hampshire and became pregnant at age 16, in 1965. Her memoir is a rare and clear glimpse into the social mores of the mid 60's, and reveals the state of shame many families faced when an unmarried daughter became pregnant."
âLiz Bulkley, Host of "The Front Porch," NH Public Radio

"Appalling and infuriating, yet uplifting and inspiring, Without A Map pulls you into Hall's personal experience of sudden rejection and expulsion from her only sources of sustenance and connection. As an adoptive parent I cried and cheered for her through her exile and return to a very different home. Meredith Hall is a hero of awesome courage and eloquence."
âFrank Kramer, Harvard Book Store, Cambridge, MA

"[Without a Map] is a searing memoir about loss, betrayal, love and, in some measure, reconciliation. It has already brought Hall a celebrity that surprises her: stories in People, Oprah and Elle, an interview on National Public Radio, brisk sales in a crowded marketplace. It is on the extended New York Times bestseller list. What is arresting about this memoir is the world it reveals."
âMike Pride, Concord Monitor

"Without a Map, is so well written that it was hard for me to accept that the book had to end."
âTina Ristau, The Des Moines Register

"Painfully honest and beautifully writtenâ¦Meredith Hall has managed to distill courage from raw pain, and then somehow write this gem of a book about the experienceâ¦A stunning bookâ¦You must read it."
âLola Furber, Maine Women's Journal

"Fans of Jeannette Walls' The Glass Castle should take note of Meredith Hall's memoir, heartbreaking and ultimately heartwarming..."
âMary Cotton, owner of Newtonville Books, Newton TAB

Customer Reviews:

One girl's story...........2007-09-24

Meredith Hall's memoir is one girl's story of unplanned pregnancy (and its aftermath), told and retold over the generations. A cautionary tale here for young women--one brief lapse in judgement can ripple through the rest of one's life, the awful price paid over and over and over again. I appreciated Ms. Hall's willingness to share her painful story, although much was left out that would have helped frame things more clearly for the reader, i.e. how her placement of a child for adoption affected her marriage (was there one?), did it affect her second and third pregnancies, etc. For further reading about the adoption process pre-1970's, check out the excellent "The Girls Who Went Away."

Awareness.......2007-09-23

What I enjoyed the most about this book was the awareness that it brings. America has painted a fairy-tale image of adoption, and this book reveals the fact that not all children are given a "better life" with another family. Meredy's son was one of those people. Forced to give him up at the age of 17, Meredy, like many birth mothers of this time, wasn't given much detail about where her baby ended up. It was portrayed to her that he was given to a good home in Virginia. Instead, the truth (that would come out over 20 years later) was that he was given to an abusive family just a mile away from her father's home.

Hall is an excellent writer. The way this story is written makes you feel as though you are living in the times and culture that the author faced. It is unfortunate that her parents' lack of guidance contributed to the situation that she faced. Instead of facing the responsibility they in turn rejected her just as harshly as her child was taken from her.

It is a sad, emotional story marked by an ending of peace and reconcile and forgiveness for the family that did not provide a better childhood for her son.

WOW.......2007-09-19

I thought the beginning was good. But then the book just got better and better. It was much more than expected, unfortunately for Ms. Hall. All I can say, is WOW!

Moving and touched close to home.......2007-09-19

This book changed her life forever. With no choice on whether to relinquish her baby for adoption, she was left with an indescribable emptiness that could not be filled. It was a heartfelt book written with painful honesty and love. It is a book that was hard to put down.

OH, THOSE TERRIBLE 50S-60S!!.......2007-09-19

When I was reading this book about Meredith Hall growing up in the 50s and 60s, and suddenly faced with pregnancy at age 16, her pain and confusion and utter despair were palpable to me! I had to stop several times to cry..... In places, it was almost unbearably sad. She was so naive, and her parents were so wrapped up in their own lives as to be uninterested in her or any growing-up, adolescent problems she might have. I know, because I grew up at the same time, in the same circumstances. I knew girls who got pregnant at a very young age, and whether they kept their babies or gave them up for adoption (abortion was not an option then), their lives were never the same, and they carried a painful, heavy burden. Some still do.

In this book, however, something happens in the writing that causes it to lose veracity. Maybe because it was not written as a book, but rather chapters were written for other publications and then everything was put together to form this book. For whatever reason, it began to feel like a lot of short pieces strung together. There are lots of unanswered questions at the end of the book. Such as, who is the father of the two sons that she was able to keep? Whatever became of the father of her first baby? It appears she currently lives on a farm of sorts, yet teaches writing in a university, none of which is ever touched upon. Why has she become so self-indulgent after a lifetime of never, ever being able to speak up for herself? Something doesn't ring ture with the last third of the book.

Be that as it may, it does stand as a testament to the girls who became pregnant in those days. All choices were terrible! And I never knew, or heard about, any parent or any adult having any understanding or empathy for these girls, let alone trying to help them through the pregnancy or help them get on with their lives after the pregnancy. Never! And that is a very sad testament to the kinds of parents who were raising children in the 50s and 60s. Very sad.

I am glad that the author's life has worked out so well. I am sorry that she felt she had to include the chapter on killing the chickens, because I think that's where she lost me. She and her young sons had named them. Then she killed them with her bare hands. And then she laid them out for her sons to see. Terrible! It took a while for me to get that picture out of my mind..... during which time I had to put the book down and go on to something else. And when I got back to this book, it was hard to care as much. And I had just finished reading the delightful LITTLE HEATHENS by Mildred Kalish and she writes a lot about killing chickens and such goings on on her farm in the 30s and 40s, but never as tasteless and crass as the description in this book.

I wanted to love this book all the way through, but sadly I couldn't. However, I am giving it 4 stars because the first part of the book is so powerful.

Beany Malone Series - 14 Book Set (Beany Malone)

Average customer rating:

AMAZING SERIES!! IS A MUST READ!

Beany Malone Series - 14 Book Set (Beany Malone)

Manufacturer: Image Cascade Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Love & Romance | Literature & Fiction | Teens | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Sometimes a Stranger: A Stacy Belford Story
How Long is Always

ASIN: B000G02BF6

Product Description

The 14 Book Beany Malone Set includes: Meet the Malones; Beany Malone; Leave It to Beany; Beany and the Beckoning Road; Beany Has a Secret Life; Make a Wish for Me; Happy Birthday, Dear Beany; The More the Merrier; A Bright Star Falls; Welcome Stranger; Pick a New Dream; Tarry Awhile; Something Borrowed, Something Blue; Come Back, Wherever You Are. The Malones of Denver, Colorado are a warm open-hearted family with a welcoming home, open to friends and all others in need of physical and emotional nourishment. The series has the warmth and sense of solidarity intrinsic of wartimes and the post-war era. There is a general feeling of peace and simplicity. When the series opens, the Malone children are motherless, as Mary Malone has been dead for three years. The father, Martie Malone, is often absent due to his duties as editor of the Denver Call. Three of the four Malone children, Mary Fred, Johnny and Beany, live at home. The oldest Malone daughter, the beautiful, loving Elizabeth, has been married to Lieutenant Donald McCallin for one year. The Malones live on Barberry Street in a large, wide-bosomed gray stone home. Their surrounding neighbors are Mrs. Morrison Adams (known as Mrs. Socially-prominent Adams) in her red brick home with immaculate white trim and frilly curtains in the windows, and the imposing and stately home of the Judge Buell family.

Customer Reviews:

AMAZING SERIES!! IS A MUST READ!.......2006-06-24

I got the entire series this past Christmas. I had read the first 2 because although my library had more, they didn't have all of them, and they didn't have the 3rd and I don't like to read things out of order so I was really sad. So then I was soo happy to find out they were being republished by Image Cascading!!!

So yea I read them all and they all rock!!! It's nice seeing what teenagers did back in the 50's. And it was also nice how different people's relationships were with their family's, I wish it were more like that today. And they are also way more responsible and mature then we are now. Making their own money, not having to depend on their parents for everything. And their parents respect and trust them more too! And they definatly treat their parents with much respect which is ALOT more then I can say about kids of today.

The first book is about Beany's older sister, Mary Fred. It is in MF's junior year of highschool, when Beany is in 8th grade. The rest of the books are all about Beany, in highschool, college, and then when she gets married. And let me just say I LOVE who she ends up with. They are SOOO cute!!!

Everyone should read these books they are amazing and are definatly one of my favorite books ever!

Alive in 5: Raw Gourmet Meals in Five Minutes

Average customer rating:

Alive in 5
You call this gourmet?
Positively Transformational Un-Cookbook!
Delicious gourmet in about 5 minutes

Alive in 5: Raw Gourmet Meals in Five Minutes
Angela Elliott
Manufacturer: Book Publishing Company (TN)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

General | Quick & Easy | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

Gourmet | Special Occasions | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Ani's Raw Food Kitchen: Easy, Delectable Living Foods Recipes
The Raw 50: 10 Amazing Breakfasts, Lunches, Dinners, Snacks, and Drinks for Your Raw Food Lifestyle
Raw Food Made Easy For 1 or 2 People
Raw Transformation: Energizing Your Life with Living Foods
Raw Foods for Busy People: Simple and Machine-Free Recipes for Every Day

ASIN: 1570672024

Book Description

Here is a great resource for anyone looking for easy alternatives to complex raw recipes that require lots of time and expensive equipment to prepare. Acclaimed raw chef Angela Elliott shows how to whip up mouth-watering lasagne, spaghetti marinara, stuffed mushrooms, broccoli in cheese sauce, apple pie, decadent whipped cream and strawberries, chocolate shake, and more--all in about five minutes, with easy-to-find ingredients and just a blender or food processor. She shares her personal wellness journey and her playful enthusiasm to make the book an enjoyable and inspiring guide to delicious living.

Customer Reviews:

Alive in 5.......2007-06-14

This is a great book for those who want a quick,healthy meal that looks good and taste YUMM too. Bought this book for my daughter who has been doing the "raw lifestyle" for 2 years now. She loves all the easy to make recipes. Angela Elliott(the Author) makes the process so easy that even a person who can't find herself around the kitchen (like my daughter) could even create a great looking meal. Gourmet without the works. What a concept.
Dr.H

You call this gourmet?.......2007-03-27

I think the title of this book is quite misleading. I'm giving it two stars because I think the author is representing it as something it's not: "gourmet food".

While the recipes are not complicated, most of them are far TOO simple. Over and over, I kept asking myself, "for THIS I need a recipe book??" For example, "Cucumber Pizza", which sounds intriguing, is nothing more than chopped olives on slices of cucumber. "Scrambled Eggs", which sounds like something you wouldn't find in any ordinary raw food recipe book is -- are you ready for this? -- 3 ripe avocados mashed in a bowl, add salt and pepper! The "salad" recipes are the most basic of salads ... if you can chop some vegetables and lettuce into a bowl, add some lemon juice, olive oil and your favorite seasonings, you already know how to make most of the salads in this book.

There are several different nut milk recipes, each with a fancy, delicious-sounding name, but they're all the exact same recipe ... only the kind of nut you use is different.

Many of the recipes call for the pulp left over from making nut milk, and some of the soup recipes require nut milk. So unless you've taken the time to make nut milk, and have saved a supply of the pulp, you're out of luck.

One problem I have with many raw food recipe books is the inordinate amount of nuts, seeds and avocados called for. One recipe in this book calls for 5 avocados to make a dish that serves 3 people (just about all the recipes in the book make 3 servings). A taco recipe calls for 2 cups of soaked sunflower seeds in the pate', plus an avocado in the filling, and another cup of sunflower seeds to make the "sour cream" topping ... serves 3. I don't like gorging on fats, even if they are the healthy kind.

Some recipes call for coconuts, which is a no-go for me, because I don't want to have to deal with cracking coconuts and scraping out the flesh, etc. One recipe (that makes 3 servings) calls for 3 young coconuts.

I'm a big proponent of raw foods, and have a large collection of raw food recipe books. For "quick and simple" recipes, I especially like Raw Food Made Easy for 1 or 2 People, by Jennifer Cornbleet. Raw Foods for Busy People by Jordan Maerin is another favorite. But I cannot recommend Alive in 5, for all the reasons mentioned above. Perhaps if it were titled more honestly, something like "Dishes You Really Don't Need a Recipe Book For", I wouldn't have been so disappointed with it. I'm not saying there aren't some tasty combinations of foods in this book, but many of them are just TOO simple. To call it "Gourmet Meals" is misleading.

Positively Transformational Un-Cookbook!.......2007-03-04

I never really liked to 'cook', but this book shows how to make fabulous, healthy food in a jiffy without heating up your kitchen or working up a sweat! I love the unique look, feel and taste of these 'Alive in Five' recipes! Alive in 5: Raw Gourmet Meals in Five Minutes

Delicious gourmet in about 5 minutes.......2007-02-27

Alive in 5: Raw Gourmet Meals in Five Minutes My family and I really love this book.

I think Alive in Five is perfect for anyone,especially if you are a beginner. All the recipes are simple,scrumptious and really only took us about five minutes to make. I have already started to feel more confident in the kitchen.

Average customer rating:

This was my first book on Wicca in 1999...
A "Victim"
allays any fears that might arise
Great introduction into Wicca
Teenagers should be reading the book, not adults ;)

Teen Witch: Wicca for a New Generation
Silver Ravenwolf
Manufacturer: Llewellyn Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Health, Mind & Body | Teens | Subjects | Books

General | Religion & Spirituality | Teens | Subjects | Books

Wicca | Earth-Based Religions | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Goddesses | New Age | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Occult | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Magic | Occult | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Parapsychology | Occult | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Alchemy | Occult | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Teen Witch Kit
To Ride A Silver Broomstick: New Generational Witchcraft
Solitary Witch: The Ultimate Book of Shadows for the New Generation
To Stir A Magick Cauldron: A Witch's Guide to Casting and Conjuring
To Light A Sacred Flame: Practical Witchcraft for the Millenium

ASIN: 1567187250

Amazon.com

Okay, so the cover is a little hokey, but it's what's inside that counts, right? Well, Silver RavenWolf has stuffed Teen Witch with enough basic material on Wicca to give anyone a good start to understanding the craft. As the title implies, this book is geared for teens, addressing the truths and myths about witchcraft in light of the issues that teens face, from school to parents to peer pressure. Precocious readers may feel that RavenWolf is talking down to them at times, but keep in mind that this book addresses a broad age group, and Mama Silver (as she is often called) does an admirable job of presenting this information in a manner to which younger readers can relate, while still meeting the needs of the high-school senior. Teen Witch may not be the ultimate "How to be a Witch" guide, and anyone who thinks RavenWolf is trying to write one has missed her whole point. No single book could stake a valid claim to that title.

What Teen Witch offers is an easy-to-grasp introduction to the Craft that answers the basic questions about what being a witch is really all about, and RavenWolf provides a long list of follow-up material for anyone who feels that witchcraft might be the path he or she wants to follow. Writing a book for teenagers about any religion is a tricky prospect, but Mama Silver tackles the problem of discussing an ancient path that has suffered a long history of persecution and negative stereotypes in a way that doesn't step on anyone's toes and shouldn't offend the religious sensibilities of anyone with a mind open to the truth. --Brian Patterson

Book Description

Come on, you know you'd look glamorous and powerful in black...that lighting candles and calling spirits would give you an aura of mystery...that life would be better if only you could turn your history teacher into a jiggling mound of orange (or maybe lime) Jell-O. Well, this book is here to tell you that wearing black clothing and threatening people with hexes and curses won't make you a Witch. In fact, neither will joining a coven or being initiated. What Teen Witch will show you is that how you live, how you deal with others, and how you incorporate Wiccan laws into your life determines whether or not you are a true Witch. This handbook presents everything from the Wiccan principles of belief, traditions, symbols, holidays and rituals, to spells for homework and dating.

Customer Reviews:

This was my first book on Wicca in 1999..........2007-09-17

This was my introduction to Wicca. I was very excited to see a religion which had a God and a Goddess, however, the Christian bashing and rediculous amounts of stupid and useless spells turned me off and made me crave more. I do NOT reccommend this book to anyone starting in the Craft. It has been almost ten years and there are books which have stayed on my shelf:
1. The Witches God and the Witches Goddess by Janet and Stewart Farrar
2. The Circle Within by Dianne Sylvan
3. Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practicioner by Scott Cunningham as well as Earth, Air Fire and Water and Earth Power
4. Praise to the Moon, In the Circle, The Sacred Round by Elen Hawke
5. The Spiral Dance by Starhawk (It's a classic)
6. Drawing down the moon by Margot Adler (interviews with real life Wiccans and Pagans - this book is awesome)

Those should get you started. RELIGION is what's important, not just magick or spells. I was seventeen when I picked up this book, I am now twenty five and luckily I wanted more depth and searched for it, I hope the new generation of witches agrees with me.

A "Victim".......2007-07-02

This is a review about all of Silver Ravenwolf's "To Ride a Silver Broomstick" and its sequels and her BOS-Encyclopedia book.

Until today, I never realized the ineffectiveness of Silver Ravenwolf's books. I am 16. I have read/owned her books since I was 11. When my (christian) aunt came into my room about one week ago when I was playing with my cousins, my immediate reaction was "Oh no, she's going to think I'm corrupting her children with what she thinks is a 'Satanic, evil' religion." When I reflected upon my reaction, I realized I was judging my aunt, and Christianity, and that I, I was the one who was being judgmental and persecuting her. Silver Ravenwolf's books do slam Christians. I totally bought into her slander. Who doesn't want to feel better than one third of the world, more enlightened than one third of the world? Everyone wants to feel like they know secrets that other people do not. Everyone wants to be "right." I was/am no exception. If you want tolerance, it is not in these books, although they preach tolerance.

I have also come away with a paranoid attitude toward Wicca/Witchcraft. I feel like it is forbidden, hated by society. Silver Ravenwolf encourages teens to hide their practice from people for fear of persecution. Maybe she is right, but I feel scared to even TALK about it. That is not an attitude that anyone should have about divinity or their chosen religion.

Also, if you asked me to define "Wicca" or "Witchcraft" I would give you a very vague answer. I do not know the difference - what have I been practicing?! I could tell you some stuff about paganism, but not Wicca.

Well, I have begun studying ceremonial magic out of "Modern Magic" by Donald Michael Kraig. I have not read any reviews of the book, but I feel like I finally have an idea what I am supposed to be feeling in the rituals I perform. Kraig is very clear about what is factual history and what is mythical "history." With Ravenwolf, spellcasting techniques were so vague that I felt I had no solid base to work from.

The only way to practice a religion is the way it is meant to be practiced, not any way you feel like it. Even Wicca, a new religion, does have core beliefs that need to be adhered to. You can't just study the occult in general and consider yourself Wiccan or a Witch.

DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE A BEGINNER. YOU WILL ONLY GET WRONG AND VAGUE INFORMATION. I WAS MISLED BY HER BOOKS.

allays any fears that might arise.......2007-05-05

What does it mean to be a Witch? Is it wearing wicked clothes or being outrageously "out there"? Does it mean doing something that you know your parents forbid? If it means that to you, then you are not a Witch, nor even close. Wiccan laws contain nothing about what clothing you wear and most certainly don't encourage negative behavior. Wicca is a religion that is shared by many. Many more than you might think. They are ordinary looking people who live ordinary lives. Your neighbor, teacher or best friend might be Wiccan and you wouldn't even know it.

If you are intrigued by the mystique of Witchcraft, you should get all of the information you can. Where do you turn? The internet? While there may be some reliable sources on the web, there are also a lot of false ones. Your girlfriend? Well she might have some good books to share with you, or she might be on the wrong path as well. Mentor witches simply do not advertise in the local paper and chances are your parents would not allow you to become best friends with a 35 year old Witch down the street.

Silver RavenWolf, author of Teen Witch, is a Wiccan Priestess and Director of the International Wiccan/Pagan Press Alliance. She is also the mother of four young Witches. She is one of the most well known Wiccans in the United States today. Teen Witch is a beginners guide to Wicca. It will tell you everything you need to get started, beginning with what Wicca is and isn't. There have always been secrets about Witchcraft that Wiccans keep from the general public. Lots of times, people just don't understand and it may be best to keep secrets, well, secret. But Silver shares them with you. This way you'll be able to understand this path and see if you wish to choose it. If you decide that you do, then there are chapters on various forms of Ritual and all of the different methods of Magick. Later on there are chapters of spells, aimed at teens but ones that would be helpful for any Witch to use.

Silver uses stories of experiences to help the reader to understand exactly what she is talking about. In no way is she telling you what to think and do, but she is giving the reader the information to make informed decisions and demonstrating the numerous options of the Craft. Her stories reflect an understanding of teens and her honest ability to reach out and be the mentor they might be searching for. In an introduction just for parents, Silver shows that she understands the confusion a lot of parents might have when their teen is interested in Wicca, and allays any fears that might arise.

Teen Witch is an abundance of information and guidance from a most reliable and trustworthy source. It is a work that shines a positive light on the image of Wicca, and explains the law of "Harm None" to perfection. It's about time a comprehensive guide is available to counter the false information that may get passed around. Whether you are a teen looking for a decent bit of information on the Craft or a parent, guardian or aunt of a teen interested in Wicca, you would do well to own a copy of this wonderful book.

Great introduction into Wicca.......2007-04-05

for someone who has heard of Wicca in discussions or read about controversies about Wicca and the Military this book will present a brief and very interesting insight into what Wicca really is. It will answer a lot of questions you may have about what a Wiccan in the military may do in practicing his or her religion. Even though it is targeted to Teens it would be helpful to new military recruits wondering about the controversy. It will also be useful for teens in writing reports about Wicca for school.

Teenagers should be reading the book, not adults ;).......2007-03-27

If youre not a teenager who knows little to nothing about Wicca, guess what? youre not going to get anything, not a thing from this book. If you are however a young teenager, whos interested in exploring Wicca, and havent already done so, this is a fine book. There are better, ones that explain more in depth, but then this book's STATED purpose is not to give an indepth presentation of Wicca, but to instead INTRODUCE it, and thats what it does. Adults should not be reading and then writing reviews about it stating "Well this book just isnt indepth for me", "It just doesnt explain anything" bc theyre not a teenager, and so are not the audience the book can help, and one who does do that apparently isnt able to think outside their own minds.

Average customer rating:

MNReview
Excellent Book for PreTeens and Teens...
Great book, understandable and applicable
A good, pratical book for teens.
Who Moved My Cheese?

Who Moved My Cheese? for Teens
Spencer Johnson
Manufacturer: Putnam Juvenile
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Reference & Nonfiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Issues | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Who Moved My Cheese? For Kids
Who Moved My Cheese? An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life
The One Minute Mother (One Minute Series)
Don't Sweat The Small Stuff For Teens
The Present : The Secret to Enjoying Your Work And Life, Now!

ASIN: 0399240071
Release Date: 2002-10-28

Amazon.com

Having a million-plus copies of the bestselling Who Moved My Cheese? in print hasn't stopped Spencer Johnson, (The One Minute Manager) from repackaging his homily about adapting to life changes for a teenage audience.

The core of this teen book--a cheesy (literally) allegory about four characters navigating a maze in pursuit of happiness (cheese) with varying success--is identical to the cheese-quest story told in Johnson's grownup book. The only difference is that the opening and closing backstory that pads out Who Moved My Cheese? for Teens involves a group of teenagers kibbutzing in the cafeteria, not a group of adults attending their high school reunion.

Of course, it's hard to argue with the essence of Johnson's commonsense message: one of the few constants in life is change, and the sooner we learn to anticipate and adjust to change, the happier we'll be. But most criticisms of the book (and there have been many) boil down to the fact that Cheese is just too reductive and simplistic, and sometimes change in our lives can and should be resisted. (It hasn't helped that the book's popularity among corporate managers has come to be associated with layoffs... er, cheese removals.) But whatever your take on Johnson's philosophy, you'd do well to keep it to yourself. Otherwise, you can count on your teenager to form the exact opposite opinion. (Ages 12 and older) --Paul Hughes

Book Description

Spencer Johnson's Who Moved My Cheese? has helped millions of people around the world adapt and succeed in changing times. Now Dr. Johnson introduces his simple parable to teen readers-an audience whose lives are chock-full of change-and provides a teen discussion section to address the unique problems that teenagers face every day.

A group of friends are discussing a difficult change in their class schedule. To help them out, Chris tells the story of Who Moved My Cheese?, where four characters-Hem, Haw, Sniff, and Scurry-search through a maze for Cheese, a metaphor for what you want to have in life. As they find and lose the Cheese, some of the characters learn to move with the Cheese and discover how to deal with change. After Chris finishes the story, the friends discuss how it applies to the changes they all face, such as doing well at school, divorce, relationships, or just feeling good about one's self, and how they might react more positively in the future.

Using simple language and engaging characters to which any teen can relate, Who Moved My Cheese? for Teens offers a wonderful and entertaining way to get teens talking about the changes in their lives and provides insight that will last a lifetime.

Customer Reviews:

MNReview.......2007-10-02

Good book for teens. Liked the examples of 4 different mice (kind of like the clicks in high school) making different choices. Easy story-like read.

Excellent Book for PreTeens and Teens..........2007-06-01

My daughters love this book. Excellent book to buy for any occasion. Highly recommend. :)

Great book, understandable and applicable.......2006-01-17

As an English teacher, I was looking for a good nonfiction book to assign to my 10th grade students. I'm very happy I found this book! The allegory used and the lessons taught are fantastic for high school students. I would recommend this for students of all backgrounds in all situations. There is always something to be learned.

A good, pratical book for teens........2005-02-27

This was a good, pratical book for teens. It deals with the subject of change and how to adapt to it. This book has helped both adults with marrige problems and teenagers with breakups. It has been called "simple" or "pointless" when really it is not. Just because the advice is not spelled-out does not make it useless. In fact, thats what makes it so great-anyone can apply the exelent advice to their current problem or situation. No teen wants to sit down with a heavy book aboout "goal-banks" "paradigms" such as THE SEVEN HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE TEENS. Having been forced to read the thing myself when I was a teen, I must say I found the whole thing rather unenjoyable and tedious. If I had been handed this helpful book with enojoyable characters, and real-life situations and discustions, well, lets just say it would save me a lot of trouble and tears.

Who Moved My Cheese?.......2004-07-27

One of my most vivid memories of junior high is of a banner-length sign over the chalkboard of the room where I had English. It read: "Nothing is as constant as change." Like someone in junior high needed to be told that. The problem was: No one ever told us how to deal with change. Were we supposed to fight it? Accept that we couldn't do anything about it? If you can get past the incredibly, um, cheesy premise of the latest incarnation of the popular yet controversial WHO MOVED MY CHEESE books, there might be a few answers in store for you. Maybe.

The book uses a metaphor of mice, cheese and a maze to try to help its readers realize that life's changes are inevitable and, in order to get what we desire most (the cheese), we have to be unafraid to change and make choices that will get us closer to the "cheese." Unfortunately, the book wavers between making the metaphor too hazy and beating the reader over the head with it. The opening conversation between the human characters is contrived and unrealistic, a deterrent to reading the story itself. The human characters act, at the end of the story, as though they've been through some life-altering experience. Even though the message is important, the reader can't help but laugh at the "Full House" styled ending. If you're looking to learn a little about life and how to make yours into what you want, I'd recommend the much more readable THE SEVEN HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE TEENS by Sean Covey.

--- Reviewed by Carlie Kraft

Average customer rating:

Revolve * * * around what?
Wow!
Eugh...
THE NEW TESTAMENT with supplemental features
Highly offensive

Revolve: The Complete New Testament

Manufacturer: Nelson Bibles
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Religion & Spirituality | Teens | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Revolve: Psalms & Proverbs: and the Wisdom Literature (Biblezines)
Refuel: The Complete New Testament for Guys (Biblezines)
Revolve 2: The Complete New Testament
Refuel: The Complete New Testament (2nd Edition) (Biblezines)
Real: The Complete New Testament (Biblezines)

ASIN: 0718003586

Book Description

In focus groups, online polling, and one-on-one discussion, Transit Books has found that the number one reason teens don't read the Bible is that it is "too big and freaky looking." This fashion-magazine format for the New Testament is the perfect solution to that problem. Teen girls feel comfortable exploring the Scriptures in the New Century Version and over 500 further-study notes because of the relevant language and format!

Revolve is the new look for teen Bible publishing!

Customer Reviews:

Revolve * * * around what?.......2007-09-21

This so called Bible in magazine format is full of inaccurate wording. Even false teaching. This is a shameful attempt of turning Gods word into other meanings. Not totally rewrote but full of areas with wrongful meanings. I strongly recommend not buying this. I purchased this for my child and certainly wish I had saved my money after I had a good look through it. Better to spend your money on a good King James Study bible than this. Two thumbs down.

Wow!.......2007-06-27

I wasn't sure about this book when I first ordered it but after reviewing it I am very glad that we bought it. My preteen just adores it, she actually sat down and read the whole thing through. We think its a great modern twist for the bible. Certainly this would not be appropriate for a girl that stays home and avoids the world, but for those that are living in the real world and trying to raise Christian children in it this is a great piece. I dont care how the Bible is packaged, it is still the bible! Anything that can get youth to read (within reason of course) the gospel is wonderful!!

Eugh..........2007-02-20

If you're a white girl from a middle-class family, and if you're thin and trendy and beautiful, and if your life revolves around boys and clothes and gossip, and if you want to read the Bible in public and still be cool, and if you're a 21st-century girl who happens to live in the 1950s, then by no means this is the magazine for you.

I don't consider the "THE NEW TESTAMENT IN READER FRIENDLY LANGUAGE" a sin--though teenagers should find this very fact an insult to their intelligence, considering the NCV translation is suitable for children--but this "biblezine" is just stupid.

First, a typical teen magazine (think Seventeen and Cosmo) encourages everything the Bible discourages. Trying to mix the two results in bizarre, laughable tips that seem to be a parody of themselves. If you have actually read the sidebars, and if you haven't been living in a cave for the last fifty years, you would think twice before you think this is the magazine for your teenage girls.

Second, much like a typical teen magazine, this biblezine relies HEAVILY on stereotypical views of girls. What do girls like? The answers are of course: BOYS! CLOTHES! GOSSIP! (AND HOROSCOPES!) Seriously, if you need real fashion tips, I encourage you to turn to a real fashion magazine. It at least won't make a pretense of doing everything in the name of God.

When I stumbled upon this magazine in the bookstore, I *did* think of getting one for my thirteen-year-old cousin. However, considering my cousin is one productive human being who is neither self-absorbed nor petty, and who isn't too dumb to fall for all the COOL stuff this biblezine has to offer, I ended up buying her an actual Bible instead. If worse comes to worst, she'll realize the Bible can still be COOL without being Britney-Spearsed at all.

THE NEW TESTAMENT with supplemental features.......2006-12-29

This IS THE NEW TESTAMENT IN READER FRIENDLY LANGUAGE, WHICH IS NOT A SIN. I prefer to leave the judging to God, thank you. This publication features His Word in easy-to-understand language, which we happen to see as a good thing AND a thing of God. It is not a crime or a sin; it is merely something you may not like or prefer, so do something positive and stop complaining. Have you looked for the good? Have you seriously considered it and its target audience from the eyes of the Almighty or solely from your own? It is but one of many available options. I happen to love the size and find the format appealing with its supplementary information, as stated. (FYI-I happen to have a number of post-graduate credits and over a decade of both college credits and work experience in the medical, science, education and communication fields, so I wasn't exactly born yesterday). Nobody is going to buy this product for the supplemental info regardless; it will be bought for it primary content, which is good. What surprising nerve and hypocrisy to condemn the Word with such shameful, negative, and shallow reviews. I'm going to buy another copy as well as several other Nelson Biblezines to add to our home & work collections. Our daughter attends a Christian college with an academic scholarship, and she favored its size & the NCV text to the NIV or NKJV & audio Bible components. She also enjoyed the adjacent practical applications and the positive yet realistic (read: not glamorized, not inconsequential, not condescending supplementary info)overall tone. Is is perfect packaging? Maybe not, but we haven't seen her this excited about the Bible since her Children's edition (though she's blessed: she is a research asst, an honor student, & urban volunteer), and we couldn't have done it better ourselves. Kudos to Thomas Nelson Publishing.

Highly offensive.......2006-11-23

As a teen girl, I found this "BibleZine" highly offensive to my intelligence and sense of self-worth. Their attempt to be accessible is ridiculous, with letters from "teens" full of too many "likes" and "awesomes". I do not think that my life revolves solely around boys, clothes and gossip, as the authors seem to suggest. I was outraged that choices for "What you want to be when you grow up" included a doctor, a lawyer, a charity worker, a mom, and a pastor's wife. Not a pastor, which is now accepted in many Christian denominations, but a pastor's wife. In a similar vain, the #1 "Random thing to know about being a revolve Girl" is that "Revolve girls don't call guys" because "guys need to be the man; you need to be the woman." I had difficulty holding back contempt when I read the claim that "Meditation is a Christian discipline that has been taken on by other non-Christian traditions." I charge anyone who believes this to spend some time studying the Far East. In the modern world, in which I live, though perhaps the authors do not, I go to school and interact with students and teachers of all different religions. The authors advised me to talk with someone of another race or class, but not of another religions, even though there are many things to learn from other religions and where our beliefs overlap. And this review is me heavily self-restrained, in an attempt not to offend others.

Average customer rating:

The Bible for Teen Guys
NIV Revolution
this bible is great
Owesome!
The Bible for Teen Guys

NIV Revolution: The Bible for Teen Guys

Manufacturer: Zondervan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Bible & Other Sacred Texts | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Religion & Spirituality | Teens | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

NIV True Images: The Bible for Teen Girls
Boys Bible (NIV), The
NIV Teen Study Bible, Revised (New International Version)
Young Women of Faith Bible (NIV)
Teen Devotional Bible

ASIN: 0310928192

Book Description

The Revolution Begins with You!

In case you didnâ€™t know, youâ€™re in a war. Your enemy is dead serious. He wants you to think the battle raging around you is no big deal. It is a big deal. Your life, your relationships, your worldâ€”itâ€™s all a big deal, and it takes a big, God-filled heart to make a difference.

Itâ€™s time to stand up and fight for what is right. Time to be a revolutionaryâ€”living your faith on the edge, challenging things that need to be challenged, discovering new possibilities, and helping others to discover them as well. Fill your hands with Revolution. Itâ€™ll open your eyes, strengthen your courage, and guide you like a compass toward a life worth living.

But this is a Bible!

Yeahâ€”a Bible like none other youâ€™ve ever read, for todayâ€™s teenage guy going toe-to-toe with a hard-hitting world. A world God knows all about. Heâ€™s the authority when it comes to understanding girls, sex, communication, drugs, divorce, relationships, success, parents, popularity, peer pressure and everything else guys face. He also knows what makes you tick, he loves you more than you can ever imagine, and he wants you to experience a life of purpose, power and impact.

The features in this Bible will strengthen you and hone your spiritual fighting edge. Battlelines show you how other teen guys deal with relationships, sex, drug abuse, and other real-life issues. Match-Ups pit the good guys against the bad guys of the Bible to uncover winningâ€”and losingâ€”approaches to life. Challenge Notes do just that: challenge you to reach for everything God wants you to be. And thereâ€™s plenty moreâ€”enough to help you make a kingdom-difference in the world around you.

A Revolution of the heart isnâ€™t about how confident, strong, or popular you are. Itâ€™s about what God can do in you and through you. He can revolutionize your relationships, your opportunities, and the whole course of your life. He can use you to change the world around you. Are you ready to find out how? Then look inside, and let the revolution begin.

Revolution features:
â€¢ Complete New International Versionâ€”todayâ€™s most read, most trusted translation
â€¢ 125 Battlelines interviews share solid insights from everyday, normal guys about sex, conflict, music, anger, addiction, popularity and more.
â€¢ 12 full-color tip-ins give you 50 Ways to Be Radical for God, 100 Things Real Men Do, and other ideas to help you revolutionize all aspects of your life.
â€¢ 100 Instant Messenger-style Challenge Notes paraphrase key Scriptures that call you onward and upward to all that God has for you.
â€¢ Over 200 Now or Never call-outs challenge you to discover Godâ€™s truth on a variety of faith-related issues.
â€¢ 100 Live the Adventure notes show you how to change your life and revolutionize your impact on others.
â€¢ 50 Match-Ups capture the conflict between good guys and bad guys of the Bible. Cain vs. Abel, Ahab vs. Elijah, David vs. Saul . . . theyâ€™ve got moves you can learn fromâ€”and moves to avoid.
â€¢ 66 book introductions provide overviews for each book of the Bible to help you dive in and know whatâ€™s going on.
â€¢ Custom-designed reading plans let you pick the topic youâ€™re interested in.
â€¢ An informative website with additional resources on many of the topics covered, topical verse finder, daily Bible reading plans, links to other sites and more. (www.RevolutionBible.com)

The New International Version (NIV) is todayâ€™s most read and most trusted English Bible translation. Since its release in 1973, the NIV has sold over 160 million copies. The goal of the NIV translation team was to produce a contemporary translation whose accuracy, clarity and literary quality would make it ideal for public and private reading, teaching, preaching, memorizing and liturgical use. Today the NIV is accepted by more denominations than any other translation and is supported by a library of reference resources unmatched by any other translation.

Customer Reviews:

The Bible for Teen Guys.......2007-03-21

I scaned through the book before giving it to my grandson and I saw so much helpful information for young men. I recommended it to my churche's youth ministry.

NIV Revolution.......2007-03-08

I bought this Bible for my teenage son. He loves it and so do his friends. It has many interesting facts and things to think about. I would order this again.

this bible is great.......2007-01-19

i baught it for my boyfriend and i checked it out a little before giving ti to him and i wanted to keep it for myself..evne though its for guys. i TOTALLY recomend it

Owesome!.......2007-01-09

This is an owesome bible for any one no just for guys! I got as a gift for one of my little brothers and he has enjoyed and learned a lot! You must get it!

The Bible for Teen Guys.......2007-01-04

Very appealing and user friendly Bible. Encourages teen to read and learn more through various study helps and interesting facts. Geared toward what teenage boys are faced with on a day to day basis and how God wants them to live in today's materialistic and amoral world.

The New Teen Titans Archives, Vol. 2 (DC Archive Editions)

Average customer rating:

Mostly better than the first volume

The New Teen Titans Archives, Vol. 2 (DC Archive Editions)
Marv Wolfman
Manufacturer: DC Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Comic Strips | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

General | Graphic Novels | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

Superheroes | Graphic Novels | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

DC Comics | Publishers | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Teens | Subjects | Books

The New Teen Titans Archives, Vol. 1 (DC Archive Editions)
The New Teen Titans Archives, Volume 3 (DC Archive Editions)
New Teen Titans, The: The Judas Contract (New Teen Titans)
The New Teen Titans: The Terror of Trigon
New Teen Titans, The: Terra Incognito (Teen Titans (Dc Comics) (Graphic Novels))

ASIN: 1563899515

Book Description

Continuing the exhilarating adventures of the #1 DC super-teamof the '80s, a new hardcover Archive edition reprints THE NEW TEEN TITANS(volume one) #9-16, written by Marv Wolfman (Tomb of Dracula) with art anda cover by George P+rez (WONDER WOMAN, JLA/AVENGERS) Romeo Tanghal!In this collection the Titans -- Robin, Wonder Girl, Kid Flash, Starfire,Cyborg, Raven, and Changeling -- go to Mount Olympus to confront genuinegods. Along the way, they face off against the Brotherhood of Evil -- theteam that killed the legendary Doom Patrol! Plus, this hardcover includes a10-page story by Wolfman, Carmine Infantino Tanghal originally featuredin BEST OF DC (BLUE RIBBON DIGEST) #18, in which the New Teen Titans firstmeet original Titans members Speedy and Aqualad!

Customer Reviews:

Mostly better than the first volume.......2007-08-18

This here's the 2nd collection of the 80s New Teen Titans by Perez and Wolfman. It mostly improves upon the success of the first volume. The art by George Perez seems more George Perez like; but the stories are hit and miss. The best part of this collection is something of an epilogue to the Doom Patrol story line that killed off half of the Doom Patrol. I'm giving this book five stars just for that great story. There's another storyline which has Wonder Girl abducted by the Titans of myth, which is not quite as compelling.

Living the Ten Commandments in New Times: A Book for Teens

Average customer rating:

Living the Ten Commandments in New Times: A Book for Teens
Bettie B. Youngs
Manufacturer: Faith Communications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

A Teen's Guide to Christian Living: Practical Answers to Tough Questions About God and Faith
The Rules: Ten to Live By
12 Months Of Faith: A Devotional Journal for Teens
Stories for a Teen's Heart: Over One Hundred Stories to Encourage a Teen's Soul. Book 1
When Teens Pray: Powerful Stories of How God Works

ASIN: 0757301282

Book Description

Each of the 10 Commandments is perfectly formulated common sense that is totally relevant to current times, and popular author Bettie Youngs lifts the veil one by one to reveal the facts and purpose behind each principle. Most teens see the 10 Commandments as a bunch of old rules that no longer apply to them, but once the mystery is removed, it becomes clear that they are as meaningful today as ever before. Adept at making sense of issues at the heart of young adults, Youngs shows how each commandment is an integral part of the foundation for moral and spiritual conduct, as well as for peace and prosperity. This is a highly relevant book that will help teens live in peace, harmony and safety with each other and with God.

Teen Angst? Naaah . . . A Quasi-autobiography

Average customer rating:

HILARIOUS!! A great book for teens
This is a great auto-biography!! I loved it!!
Teen Angst?
An Entertaining Read
Laugh Out Loud. Guaranteed.

Teen Angst? Naaah . . . A Quasi-autobiography
Ned Vizzini
Manufacturer: Laurel Leaf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Be More Chill
It's Kind of a Funny Story
10th Grade: A Novel
Kick Me: Adventures in Adolescence
King Dork

ASIN: 044023767X
Release Date: 2002-08-13

Book Description

The events in these stories are real. Some names have been changed so I don’t get yelled at.

Ned Vizzini writes about the weird, funny, and sometimes mortifying moments that made up his teen years. With wit, irony, and honesty, Teen Angst? Naaah . . . invites you into his world of school, parents, street people, rock bands, friends, fame, camp, sex (sort of), Cancun (almost), prom, beer, Nintendo, the cool (and almost cool), and more. A Holden Caulfield for Generation Y, Ned Vizzini is an original voice to be reckoned with, read, and enjoyed.

Customer Reviews:

HILARIOUS!! A great book for teens.......2005-10-05

This memoir was very interesting. I chose this particular memoir because it was a story of Ned Vizzini's high school life, something I can kind of relate to. It didn't seem like a memoir, it seemed like a realistic fiction novel. Ned Vizzini goes through big tests, trying to be cool, his first job, a school trip to Cancun, his first girlfriend, and more high school dramas.
There are three high schools in his area, Brooklyn Tech , Bronx Science, and Stuyvestant. All these schools are good, but Ned wants to get into the best school possible, Stuyvestant. The problem is, you have to take a test, the Specialized Science High School Admissions Test, SSHSAT for short. Stuyvestant requires a higher grade on this mini SAT type test, so it's the most desirable school. Ned thinks that it'll be no sweat. His teacher even thinks so to, "Ned," Mary leaned in close. "You don't need a list. You'll do fine." (Page 16). But once he gets the study book, he starts to worry. He didn't even know how to do the first problem of the math section, "A circle with diameter 4 has area of ? Use pi = 3.14." Ned obsesses over studying and learning all that he can, offended that it had questions he couldn't answer, and intending to kill it. He was even resorting to sleeping with the book under his pillow, thinking that the knowledge will seep into his brain.
Eventually, all that worrying pays off and Ned gets accepted to Stuy. But the drama doesn't end there. He is bombarded with peer pressure to be cool, heavy homework, and the fact that he is alone with no friends. He finds some kids playing a card game called Magic. After watching them for many days, Ned joins them in their card playing. He attends all-night-and-day tournaments, stocks up on cards that consume a good amount of money, but still has no real friends. A while later, he meets Judith and finally gets the courage to ask her out. "She's everything I'd missed in high school - love, status, constant physical attention - wrapped up and delivered in a slick, beautiful package."(Page 189).
Ned's first job was house-painting with a guy name Carlo, his boss and a very annoying Italian man. His friend James had told him that he could make three-hundred dollars a week, Ned jumps to it. But when Ned was told to get there at eight o'clock a.m., he should have known better. Ned was always late. Of course, Carlo blows up at him, not such a good first impression on either of them. Carlo ends up having to teach Ned how to paint (much to Carlo's frustration) and only lets him have a half hour lunch break. Ned went home at six o'clock, a ten-hour day.
Every year at Stuyvestant, the Senior's take a trip to Cancun for a week of partying. "It was perfect. On April 4, 1999, I was going to turn eighteen. On that same date, I was scheduled to be in Cancun, Mexico." (Page 183). But his hopes were soon shattered, when he found that the ticket costs eight-hundred-and-fifty bucks. Way too much for his family. Ned's mom says "Absolutely not!" without any hesitation. "Vacation? Ha! It's an orgy of sex and drugs!" (Page 186). Ned and his mom have a huge argument, but his mom won. Right after the argument Ned starts brainstorming ideas to go to Cancun without his parents finding out. But something else comes up. His mom signed Ned up to play Jesus in a church play that was on the same day as when the plane was leaving for Cancun, the same time. There was no getting out of that. Ned eventually had to put up signs around the school saying that he had a ticket to Cancun and he'd sell it to anyone who'd buy it. He sold it for the same price he'd bought it at. He spent his birthday with Judith, just not on the beach.
Ned Vizzini learned a lot about himself and his mom. He learned that his mom was not the lenient mom that most cool kids had. She was strict, and signed him up for things he didn't want to do. Ned learned that he needs to be more aggressive, to stand up for his rights more often. He learned that he needs to suck it up sometimes. A little elbow grease goes a long way.

This is a great auto-biography!! I loved it!!.......2005-10-05

This memoir was very interesting. This is a story of Ned Vizzini's high school life, something I can kind of relate to. It didn't seem like a memoir, it seemed like a realistic fiction novel. Ned Vizzini goes through big tests, trying to be cool, his first job, a school trip to Cancun, his first girlfriend, and more high school dramas.
There are three high schools in his area, Brooklyn Tech , Bronx Science, and Stuyvestant. All these schools are good, but Ned wants to get into the best school possible, Stuyvestant. The problem is, you have to take a test, the Specialized Science High School Admissions Test, SSHSAT for short. Stuyvestant requires a higher grade on this mini SAT type test, so it's the most desirable school. Ned thinks that it'll be no sweat. His teacher even thinks so to, "Ned," Mary leaned in close. "You don't need a list. You'll do fine." (Page 16). But once he gets the study book, he starts to worry. He didn't even know how to do the first problem of the math section, "A circle with diameter 4 has area of ? Use pi = 3.14." Ned obsesses over studying and learning all that he can, offended that it had questions he couldn't answer, and intending to kill it. He was even resorting to sleeping with the book under his pillow, thinking that the knowledge will seep into his brain.
Eventually, all that worrying pays off and Ned gets accepted to Stuy. But the drama doesn't end there. He is bombarded with peer pressure to be cool, heavy homework, and the fact that he is alone with no friends. He finds some kids playing a card game called Magic. After watching them for many days, Ned joins them in their card playing. He attends all-night-and-day tournaments, stocks up on cards that consume a good amount of money, but still has no real friends. A while later, he meets Judith and finally gets the courage to ask her out. "She's everything I'd missed in high school - love, status, constant physical attention - wrapped up and delivered in a slick, beautiful package."(Page 189).
Ned's first job was house-painting with a guy name Carlo, his boss and a very annoying Italian man. His friend James had told him that he could make three-hundred dollars a week, Ned jumps to it. But when Ned was told to get there at eight o'clock a.m., he should have known better. Ned was always late. Of course, Carlo blows up at him, not such a good first impression on either of them. Carlo ends up having to teach Ned how to paint (much to Carlo's frustration) and only lets him have a half hour lunch break. Ned went home at six o'clock, a ten-hour day.
Every year at Stuyvestant, the Senior's take a trip to Cancun for a week of partying. "It was perfect. On April 4, 1999, I was going to turn eighteen. On that same date, I was scheduled to be in Cancun, Mexico." (Page 183). But his hopes were soon shattered, when he found that the ticket costs eight-hundred-and-fifty bucks. Way too much for his family. Ned's mom says "Absolutely not!" without any hesitation. "Vacation? Ha! It's an orgy of sex and drugs!" (Page 186). Ned and his mom have a huge argument, but his mom won. Right after the argument Ned starts brainstorming ideas to go to Cancun without his parents finding out. But something else comes up. His mom signed Ned up to play Jesus in a church play that was on the same day as when the plane was leaving for Cancun, the same time. There was no getting out of that. Ned eventually had to put up signs around the school saying that he had a ticket to Cancun and he'd sell it to anyone who'd buy it. He sold it for the same price he'd bought it at. He spent his birthday with Judith, just not on the beach.
Ned Vizzini learned a lot about himself and his mom. He learned that his mom was not the lenient mom that most cool kids had. She was strict, and signed him up for things he didn't want to do. Ned learned that he needs to be more aggressive, to stand up for his rights more often. He learned that he needs to suck it up sometimes. A little elbow grease goes a long way.

Teen Angst?.......2005-04-24

I read this book the summer before I started high school at Stuyvesant in Manhattan, which happens to be the school that Ned went to (go Stuy!). His book was very accurate and insightful about the school, and I was able to relate to some things he felt. Even though he graduated when I was still in elementary school, things have stayed the same. Things like the Magic Card gang on the 6th floor are still real for my grade. It was a funny read and I literally couldn't put it down until I finished.

An Entertaining Read.......2005-03-25

The author reflects on his youth in this collection of short stories. Teenage memories written with style and humor kept me from putting this book down.

Laugh Out Loud. Guaranteed........2005-02-21

Ok, this is definitely a laugh-out-loud kind of book, and it's the first I have ever come across where I actually did so at least ten times. If you want a deep, thought-provoking story, go for something else. But if you want a book to read when your favorite TV show isn't on, this is the best fill-in. It's quick and hilarious.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books