Required as part of participation in the Timilty Middle School's Promising Pals program.

The message isn't a bad one; the author uses a lot of cliches, but if her audience is mainly teens, they might be hearing them for the first time. (And of course, cliches are cliches for a reason...) She attempts to reach out to teens in their own language (well, the language of 2001); it's a decent result. She name-drops constantly, but that may be effective, even necessary; a random author without a platform or any cultural weight probably wouldn't have been published in the first place.

This is superficial, but I found the design of the book to be glaringly awful - especially the bold sans-serif font on a middle-gray background for block quotes, and chapter headings along the sides of the pages instead of on top. Maybe it works for younger readers...?

p. 27 "We cannot become what we need to be by remaining what we are." -quoted from Every Woman Has a Story

p. 84 "Everybody has bad days. It's how we respond to them that makes a difference."

p. 111 "And I wanna see a reflection / that stands up to inspection" -Sharita Hunt

p. 114 "Courage is not acting in the absence of fear, it's acting in the presence of fear."

p. 139 "Using manners or being considerate means putting aside our own immediate gratification to accomodate others. It is also about how you, in turn, expect or want to be treated."

Interest/Reading Level: Grades 7-12

Synopsis: This book contains interesting advice and counsel for young people (middle grades and up) about life skills. There are ten chapters ranging in subjects from lying to feelings and from manners to fitting in with the crowd. Each chapter has raps, poems, letters, and personal stories. The stories use “teen” language to relay life lessons with catchy dialogue and clever scenarios. The author incorporates family stories to illustrate values and how to make good decisions. Prominent singers, comedians, and other entertainers also offer up advice on how to approach issues with problem solving anecdotes. Each chapter ends with an uplifting thought to encourage students to do things for the right reasons. The book is good for boys and girls and is a good guide for maturing into adulthood.

Reflection:
I did NOT like this book. It seemed to me that it showed off the author’s celebrity connections. I thought the advice was average and seemed aimed at African American students. Almost exclusively the author seems to be reaching out to a specific “in the hood” audience using vernacular and street language to pull in her audience. For middle school aged students, I do not think they would read it. There are too many words and concepts and no pictures. I have seen other books that have better eye appeal to garner in the reader. Two things I do like: one is the “I Will Pledge” challenging students to take responsibility for their actions; the second is the Selected Bibliography and Recommended Reading. Both of these include Jack Canfield books (Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul series). I cannot keep these on the shelves but no one in seven years has ever checked out Stay Strong. Know your audience! ( )

Simple life lessons for teens.