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Book Table
Hurt
Inside the World of Today's Teenagers
By Chap Clark
Chap Clark, (PhD., University of Denver) is associate professor of youth, family and culture at Fuller Theological Seminary, where he also serves as director of the Student Leadership Project and Institute of Youth Ministry. He has a wide background in Young Life, Youth Specialties and pastoral ministry and is the author of over ten books.
Dan chose a book this month that is especially for parents and professionals who work with teens. Dr Clark has done excellent research on how adults and institutions see the adolescent, which is quite different from the way the young people see themselves. Sprinkled in with all the research are anonymous quotes from the teens themselves.
“People think I have the perfect life. I wear the right clothes, I hang with the cool crowd, my family has money, but the funny thing is I cry myself to sleep every night...I struggle with keeping up with school work. I come from a divorced home. They never see the real me. I have to put on a mask. I deal with struggles of beer and alcohol. They don't know...” (a high school student)
On a personal note: Several years ago I invited some of my high school friends of the 1950's for the weekend. As we talked around the table one evening, we all shared the struggles we had with secrets that each one of us had struggled with in school and couldn't tell. I thought of these conversation as I read Hurt by Chap Clark.