A groundbreaking, research-based guide that sheds new light on why young people make dangerous choices--and offers solutions that work
Nationally recognized child and adolescent psychiatrist Jess P. Shatkin, M.D., M.P.H., is one of the country's foremost voices in child and adolescent mental health. He serves as Vice Chairfor Educationat the Child Study Center at Hassenfeld Children's Hospital of New York at NYU Langone and Professorof Child and Adolescent Psychiatryand Pediatrics at New YorkUniversitySchool of Medicine.He has been featured in top print, radio, TV, and Internet outlets, including the New York Times, Good Morning America, Parade, New York Magazine, Health Day, CBS Evening News, New York Daily News, Wall Street Journal, and the Los Angeles Times. In addition, for the past eight years Dr. Shatkin has been the host of "About Our Kids," a two-hour call-in radio show broadcast live on SiriusXM's Doctor Radio. He lives in New York City with his wife and two teenage children.
“Adolescence is a risky time of life. Enter Jess Shatkin, a
consummate and experienced professional whose fresh insights and
practical advice move our understanding into the
21st century. Born to Be Wild is a
game-changer.”
--Madeline Levine, Ph.D., author of The Price of
Privilege and Teach Your Children Well
“From the opening paragraph, it’s crystal clear that you’re
embarking on a fascinating ride helmed by a masterful storyteller.
Born to Be Wild should be in the hands of every parent. It
will not only help you raise resilient teens but also save
lives.”
--Michele Borba Ed.D., Educational Psychologist and author
of UnSelfie
“From Socrates to Shakespeare, adults have always worried about
young people. We fear and envy them too, but now with Born to
Be Wild, we finally have a chance to understand them. Grounded in a
lifetime of clinical judgment and compassion, this scientifically
riveting and ultimately hopeful account will help adolescents and
their families to survive and thrive.”
--Erika Christakis, bestselling author of The Importance of
Being Little
“Born to be Wild treats adolescents and their brains with
respect and affection, bringing science and also sympathy to bear
on neurologic processes and social pressures to help all of
us--parents, teachers, clinicians-- understand the ways that
adolescents make their choices and decisions, and how we can help
them choose wisely and safely. This book should be on your
shelf if you live with or work with adolescents. It will help you
understand the people you love and your own development as
well.”
--Perri Klass, MD, Professor of Journalism and Pediatrics,
New York University
“Yes, it’s incisive, engaging and beautifully written. Yes, it’s
well grounded in the science and provides practical, clear and
thoughtful advice. But what I found most outstanding, at an
emotional level, is that this book brought me back to myself as a
teenager, reliving a state of mind I had almost forgotten--and it
gave me a clearer notion of what was actually going on inside my
brain.”
--Harold Alan Pincus, M.D., Professor and Vice Chair of the
Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University
“Why is age twenty-six the new eighteen? Why do adults make the
best decisions using the least information? This fascinating and
illuminating book will help you understand and influence your
teenager, and yourself.”
--Wendy Mogel, Ph.D., bestselling author of The Blessing of a
Skinned Knee
“In this extremely accessible volume, Dr. Shatkin makes sense of
humorous, irrational, curious or dangerous adolescent behaviors.
Based on a more accurate understanding of how teenagers think and
feel, parents and other adults who interact with teens are provided
with more effective approaches to deal with adolescent risk
taking.”
--Gregory K. Fritz, MD, President, American Academy of Child
and Adolescent Psychiatry
“Refreshingly honest, empathic, and written with a clarity that can
help parents, educators and health professionals accept and
understand why risk-taking is often part of teen behavior.”
—Robie H. Harris, author of It’s Perfectly Normal: Changing
Bodies, Growing Up, Sex and Sexual Health
“This book by one of America’s leading child psychiatrists is
a must read for anyone working with or raising adolescents. It
demystifies this too-often baffling period of life and most
importantly shares what we can all do as parents, teachers, and
society at large to help turn our adolescents away from unsafe
risks and toward a safe and healthy future.”
--Dave Levin, KIPP Co-Founder
“Skillfully integrating the latest scientific findings
with expert clinical acumen, Dr. Shatkin has done a masterful
job of capturing the complexities and contradictions that define
the teenage years. Anyone who has teens, knows teens, works
with teens, or even was a teen needs to read this book!”
--John Piacentini, Ph.D., ABPP, Professor of Psychiatry and
Biobehavioral Sciences, UCLA
“Take what you know about your teenager and risk-taking and chuck
it out the window. (Carefully, because you’re an adult.) While
giving you research-based tools to curbing the truly dangerous
activities teenagers engage in, Born to be Wild is also a
joyous celebration of teenagers and their sometimes-inexplicable
impulsiveness. Born to Be Wild is smart, funny, and deeply
comforting.”
--Judith Newman, author of To Siri With Love: A Mother,
Her Autistic Son, and The Kindness of Machines
“Born to Be Wild is for everyone who wants to develop the tools to
connect better with adolescents – parents, teachers, policy makers,
and, in my case, writer-performers.”
--Ilana Glazer, comedian, co-creator and star of Broad City
“This book is brilliantly written, incredibly informative, and
presented in a comfortable down-to-earth manner. It is definitely
going to be my new go-to referral reading for parents, educators,
and therapists who will better understand why kids do the darndest
things.”
--Dr Laura Schlessinger, Marriage and Family Therapist, SiriusXM
Radio host
“Jess Shatkin’s book is a must-read….With colorful personal
stories, he weaves a brilliant, highly readable and
scientifically grounded analysis of the paradox of
adolescence. Without a doubt, parents, teachers, policymakers,
and anyone who wants to better understand themselves, their
children or the younger generation will benefit from reading this
book.”
--Kathleen M. Pike PhD, Professor of Psychology and Director
of the Global Mental Health Program at
Columbia University Medical Center
“Crafted with medical and scientific toughmindedness, empathy and
compassion by one of the world’s experts in adolescent emotional
and behavioral development...Born to Be Wild should be required
reading for anyone who has or plans to have a child.”
--James J. Hudziak, MD, Professor of Psychiatry, Medicine,
Pediatrics and Communication Sciences, University of Vermont
College of Medicine and Medical Center
“Born to Be Wild is an insightful exploration of the
adolescent mind. Shatkin's clinical insights, backed by emerging
scientific data and ideas, will be valuable for parents and
teachers, and maybe even the adolescents in their lives.”
--Joseph LeDoux, author of Anxious
“Dr. Shatkin shares with us the stalagmites and the stalactites of
the young human brain and body and casts this untamable dragon onto
a light table, ties it down, and helps us to see right through
ourselves and smack into the 'ever forming' brain of youth...this
book tempts us to feel that we can save our children's lives…so
let’s do that. Read this book.”
--Elizabeth Streb, Director/Choreographer
“Wise, thought provoking and full of heart, Born to be
Wild gives us an essential road map for understanding
adolescent behavior, priming us, as parents, teachers, and role
models, how to guide and keep our children safe as they navigate
the demanding terrain of adolescence.”
--Mark Wolynn, author of It Didn’t Start With You: How
Inherited Family Trauma Shapes Who We Are and How to End the
Cycle
"Face facts, says Dr. Jess Shatkin: Kids take risks even though
they know it is risky! They do so because their brains are wired
that way--an evolutionary mandate, as he so wonderfully describes.
But the battle with youth is not lost if you know what to do and
say. This smart, engaging book by a great child psychiatrist and
educator will show you how.”
--Lloyd I. Sederer, MD, Chief Medical Officer, New York State
Office of Mental Health
“In his new book, Shatkin has expertly met three challenging and
important goals: He has presented an engaging and accessible
overview of adolescent psychology, he has given us a fascinating
glimpse into adolescent thinking about risk, and he has distilled a
series of excellent and practical suggestions for parents, schools
and policy makers for how to keep our teens healthy and
safe. This is a highly valuable contribution.”
--Victor Schwartz, MD, Chief Medical Officer, The Jed
Foundation
“Shatkin’s readable style, complete research, and useful case
studies all combine cohesively to help parents sort out what’s
normal, what’s a stage, and what’s cause for greater
concern...Recommended.”
--Library Journal
Ask a Question About this Product More... |