Alicia is so obsessed with being popular, she does things that would shock her parents, if they knew. Hector is aware the gang that wants him to join may be the death of him, but he will not decline. Sam was a baseball star, but can't play the sport he loves anymore because he is wracked from football injuries, a sport his father will not let him quit. They are just a few of the teenagers that readers will "meet," in this candid book authored by a 34-year veteran high school teacher. Voted Teacher of the Year and Coach of the Year, Bruce Gevirtzman shares with us the results of his years spent talking with teenagers about topics from life and lust to depression and death. Revealing honest, poignant words shared in conversations, classroom talk, interviews, surveys, and journals, Gevirtzman takes us inside the minds of today's youths, and also contrasts them with teenagers of decades past. Topics include teen thinking and secrets on issues from sex, drinking, and drugs to peer pressure, self-imposed standards, and beliefs about what is important, and painful, in life.

For general readers, educators, and parents, Gevirtzman provides a guide to understanding teenagers. He explains their language, rebellion, self-image, involvement in sports, drugs, partying, gangs, sex, technology, and other topics, incorporating their stories throughout. Gevirtzman, a high school English teacher, sport and debate coach, and playwright for youth theater, runs educator workshops about teen issues. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Master teacher Bruce Gevirtzman has influenced and impacted thousands of students during his stellar career.Rabbi Lawrence Goldmark, Executive Director, Pacific Association of Reform Rabbis, La Miranda, California

When it comes to getting inside the mind of a teenager, few other books offer insights like those you will find in this book!Bruce Sussman, Chief Meteorologist, CBS Affiliate, Portland, Oregon

Bruce knows as much about teenagers as any other man in America. His insights are provocative, and his storytelling is often moving. Add to this some very funny moments, and you have one heck of a read!Howard Haas, Internationally known educator, Author of the critically acclaimed book, Listen to Our Children

Bruce Gevirtzman has the remarkable ability to understand the teenagers he has mentored over the last four decades. I know because in 1973 he taught me to think, speak, write, and critically read about a world that seemed so confusing. His wisdom and his passion have left an indelible mark on every teenager who has had the fortune to step into his classroom. His book will guide teachers and parents to realize that they must listen to the children they have been blessed with and help them to be rooted when the winds of adolescence challenge them. Bruce Gevirtzman is to teaching as Dr. Mary Pipher is to the girls she counsels in Reviving Ophelia.Bob Pacilio, Chair English Mt. Carmel High School, CA

A veteran high school teacher experienced with more than 8,000 students takes us on an absorbing journey, close-up with teenagers sharing their loves, hates, fears, fantasies, pain, pressures, dreams, and desires.

BRUCE J. GEVIRTZMAN is a high school English teacher who has also, across 34 years, served simultaneously as a sports and debate coach. Also Chief Playwright for Phantom Projects, an acclaimed youth theater group that has performed across several western states, Gevirtzman has authored and directed more than 30 stage productions. He has been featured in programs aired on NBC and PBS, and in the Los Angeles Times. Gevirtzman also runs workshops for educators focused on teen issues.

Preface

Introduction

Chapter 1: Im, Like, All

Chapter 2: The Rebel Paradox

Chapter 3: Mirror, Mirror

Chapter 4: Lily Munster Or Whatevers Cool

Chapter 5: The Anti-Midas Touch

Chapter 6: Dumb Stuff

Chapter 7: Athletes, Arrogance, and Angst

Chapter 8: The Slime Who Hurt Our Kids

Chapter 9: When Party Became a Verb

Chapter 10: Snitchin Aint Bitchin

Chapter 11: Hard Bodied, Soft Headed, and Stone Dead

Chapter 12: Sex, Oral Sex, and What Is Is

Chapter 13: Devouring Junk

Chapter 14: They Bombed Hiroshima, Didnt They?

Chapter 15: Good and Plenty

Chapter 16: You Vil Go to Havid!

Chapter 17: You Mean, When You Die, Youre Dead?

Chapter 18: Its a Matter of Philosophy: Remedies x 10

Chapter 19: Cant! Wont! Not!

Chapter 20: When All Is Said and Done

Notes

Bibliography

End Notes