Books for teens.

Decabowl · 2013-07-28T06:26:08+00:00

Graphic novels. Seriously, it's true. Get some with kid sidekicks, because that's the entire point kid sidekicks were invented, to show boys right from wrong and all that carry on. Or get some were the protagonist is an outside and views humanity from that perspective. Will give your son a view of how the world is. Hellboy is a good one for this.

Mediumtim · 2013-07-28T10:47:17+00:00

Starship Troopers by Heinlein,
There's a light story of a boy growing up, but underneath the surface there are deep lessons about society, people, justice and personal responsibility.

If anything: you should read chapter 8

Mr. Dubois then turned to me. "I told you that ‘juvenile delinquent’ is a contradiction in terms.
‘Delinquent’ means ‘failing in duty.’ Butduty is anadult virtue — indeed a juvenile becomes an adult when, and only when, he acquires a knowledge of duty and embraces it as dearer than the self-love he was born with. There never was, there cannot be a ‘juvenile delinquent.’ But for every juvenile criminal there are always one or more adult delinquents — people of mature years who either do not know their duty, or who, knowing it, fail."

"Andthat was the soft spot which destroyed what was in many ways an admirable culture. The junior hoodlums who roamed their streets were symptoms of a greater sickness; their citizens (all of them counted as such) glorified their mythology of ‘rights’... and lost track of their duties. No nation, so constituted, can endure."

Xenoith · 2013-07-28T06:32:47+00:00

1984 is a good book to give teenagers, wakes them up to a lot of ideas they won't otherwise be exposed to or think about for a while.

RatSnakeRabbitSnake · 2013-07-28T09:24:03+00:00

When your talking about topical non-fiction for teenage boys, especially anything close to self-help, your often talking about something teenage boys don't want to read (or something they want to pick out themselves). You might have luck with history and biography, but your not going to get everything you want in one book. You could touch on good leadership with a book on Admiral Nelson, or encourage moral fortitude and perspective by gifting Mans Search For Meaning, but even if you could find somethinh like a Men's Rights For Dummies, who wants that as a gift?

If your giftee is a strong reader, and really likes to sit down and think, you might be able to introduce him to philosophy. However, I've found that people find those books when they are ready, even if by gift, but its not an issue one should force. For most young people, the best option will be to give them fiction. Its easier to read something someone gives you when it's given in the hope that it will be enjoyed, rather than to be asked to think a certain way (and then asked to do the work of teaching yourself that way yourself). If you want someone to grow up to be independently minded, its best to recognize that they probably already are.

To this end, I highly recommend Percy Jackson and The Olympians, a series by Rick Riordan. The first book is The Lightening Thief. Riordan is not the flashiest of writers, but is accessible enough to be put in the "young readers" section of, say, Barnes and Noble. Nomenclature aside, this section is really the "all ages" fiction section, being home to works like The Hobbit and Harry Potter. The books are essentially a modern update to Greek mythology, which makes them interesting to those with any exposure to Greek Myths, while being a stepping stone to further exploration in that area. They are also a ton of fun.

The books follow Percy Jackson, a present day demigod, who is often away from his single mother (who is actually is supportive of his self determination, despite many dangers), breaking rules at demigod camp, doing what he thinks is right, and basically saving the world. Along the way he fights man hating monsters, deals with boy bashing immortals, and has to deal with difficulties in dating. The books are quite vocal about the cultural problems men and boys face in the world, and shows young (and old) men far more love, respect and understanding than do most things in today's media.

2013-07-28T07:18:05+00:00

I actually wonder if Nathaniel Branden's self-esteem books would be good for teenagers. They teach about how to have a healthy high self-esteem and how to avoid actions that decrease it, including betrayal of integrity that comes from peer pressure, which is very common at teenager ages. The books should teach him how to be an independent, strong person.

I recommend this one. It's the one I use(d) to heal my self-esteem. I also use the core concepts and some of the exercices to heal clients too.

rightsbot · 2013-07-28T06:20:20+00:00

Post text automatically copied here. (Why?) (Report a problem.)

Moxiecontin · 2013-07-28T13:55:15+00:00

I don't know about non-fiction, but there are some great novels about young men doing cool stuff. Has he read My Side of the Mountain Or Hatchet yet? He should probably take a look at Orson Scott Card's Ender's series and maybe even the Wheel of Time books.

The problem with trying to get young people to read non-fiction, sort of "self help" books, and books about growing as a person and possibly spirituality, is that adults usually seek those out when they're in times of trouble. They're not feeling great about themselves, or they recognize ways their life could be improved. Unless your nephew is suffering some sort of crisis he probably won't enjoy a book like that, or get all that he can out of it.

MKC7162387 · 2013-07-29T04:01:03+00:00

Personally I love all the H.P.Lovecraft books. "At The Mountains Of Madness" especially. Or the Artemis Fowl series - it's a bit more "childish", but it's still amazing (IMO).

mikesteane · 2013-07-29T09:23:52+00:00

Manhood by Steve Biddulph. Reflections On The Art of Living, Joseph Campbell

MrPerson300 · 2013-07-29T04:47:53+00:00

I would recommend the book Runner, by Carl Deuker. I haven't read it since eighth grade, so I'm a bit fuzzy on the plot, but it's about a 16-17 year old boy who accidentally gets involved in a criminal conspiracy and has to find a way out. It's not the most sophisticated or intricate plotline, but it's still an exhilarating ride and I would highly recommend it.

Title	Books for teens.
Author	ScottFree37
Upvotes	14
Comments	19
Date	July 28, 2013 6:19 AM UTC (13 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/MensRights
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/MensRights/comments/1j7dvo/books_for_teens/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/MensRights/books-for-teens.1167740 https://theredarchive.com/post/1167740

Comments