The Heart & Soul of the Next Generation: Extraordinary Stories of Ordinary Teens
By Michael J. Bradley
Harbor Press, 2007, 240 pp., $14.95,
www.harborpress.com
Adolescent psychologist Michael
Bradley chronicles the broken, yet heroic, lives of ordinary students he’s
encountered as a school, family, and adolescent counselor. Each story offers a
window into the true longings of typical teenagers. You may find it difficult
to read more than one chapter in a single sitting as Bradley’s writing style
and quotes from students evoke deep, raw emotions within the reader’s soul.
You’ll reconsider your approach to
ministry after reading just the first chapter about a normal 14-year-old from
a loving family who declares, “I need to be more than I am … I never realized
how much I hate being plain and ordinary.” As students wrestle with the
painful struggle of identity formation, they eventually become
heroes for Bradley when they discover their true identities. This is one of the
top three books I’ve read on teenagers in the last 10 years.
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Review by: Mark
W. Cannister, Professor of Youth Ministries at Gordon
College, Wenham, Massachusetts.