Amazon.com Review

"Are you as tired as I am of books constantly telling you the same old Brady Bunch, Beaver Cleaver, goody-two-shoes BS about doing your best to understand your parents, doing your homework, making curfew, getting a haircut, dropping that hemline, and blah blah blah?" So inquires Jay McGraw, son of bestselling author Phillip C. McGraw, in the introduction to the younger, hipper version of his father's Life Strategies. This funny, straightforward guide helps teens steer rather than drift in life, dealing honestly with topics from peer pressure to TV addiction with the underlying mantra, "Don't like it? Change it." Divided into the same 10 "Life Laws" that are in his father's book (from "We teach people how to treat us" to "There is power in forgiveness"), McGraw urges teens to take control of their lives at every turn. That said, he doesn't expect any young person to respond to the way his father's book is written, so he translates "People do what works" to "The truth about why you can act so weird" and "Life rewards action" to "What are you waiting for? Get it in gear!" He demands that his readers ask themselves hard questions about missed opportunities, perceptions, self-sabotage, and personal shortcomings so they can figure out what's not working and fix it. Why? So that they can turn dreams into goals--with specific timelines and strategies. There's no doubt that the book has the enthusiastic pounding zeal of an aerobics instructor. But it makes a lot of sense, and if a teen took even a few of these lessons to heart, he or she would be more in control than most adults. (Ages 13 and older) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Information

"Are you as tired as I am of books constantly telling you about doing your best to understand your parents, doing your homework, making curfew, getting a haircut, dropping that hemline, and blah, blah, blah?"
-- Jay McGraw, from the Introduction

Well, you don't have to be anymore. When Jay McGraw wrote Life Strategies for Teens, little did he know what sort of phenomenon he was creating. Teens everywhere discovered that the "Life Laws" were more than just their parents' psychobabble -- they were a tried-and-true message to help them discover their real power in life. Now you can find that power, too. The New York Times bestselling Life Strategies for Teens is the first guide to teenage life that won't tell you what to do or who to be, but rather how to live life best. Employing the techniques initially set forth in Dr. Phillip C. McGraw's Life Strategies, his son Jay provides teens with the Ten Laws of Life that make the journey to adulthood an easier and more fulfilling trip. For anyone dealing with the issues of popularity, peer pressure, ambition, or ambivalence, Life Strategies for Teens is an enlightening guide to help teenagers not only stay afloat but thrive during these pivotal years.

Whether you are a teen looking for a little help or a parent or grandparent wanting to provide guidance, this book tackles the challenges of the teen years like no other. Jay teaches both teens and their parents how to:

  • take control
  • plug into the system
  • start thinking about what you want in life
  • be willing to take positive risks

Combining proven techniques for dealing with life's obstacles and the youth and wit of writer Jay McGraw, Life Strategies for Teens is sure to improve the lives of all who read it.

To view this book on Amazon.com, click here.

Author's Bio: 

Jay McGraw spent his adolescence learning and living the Life Strategies that his father, Dr. Phil McGraw, calls the "Ten Life Laws." Jay has become a prodigy of his father, best-selling author of Life Strategies: Doing What Matters, Doing What Works, a writer with the courage and skill to tell both teens and their parents the truth they need to hear. As Dr. Phil's elder son, Jay has taken these lessons and translated them into a language that teens will be able to understand and enjoy while at the same time showing them how they too can adopt this plan to help deal with life's challenges. As a teen, he has spoken before thousands of teens and parents, and has become a role model that kids gravitate to, and parents accept.

Jay is the son that every parent wants, and the boy every mother wants her daughter to bring home. He is currently a junior at the University of Texas where he is studying psychology with the plans of attending law school. He is a star athlete, a licensed pilot, a member of the Golden Key National Honor Society, has a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, and is a certified SCUBA diver and avid golfer. Whether he is coaching his younger brother's basketball team, or volunteering his time tutoring disadvantaged children, Jay has shown himself to be a leader among peers. Jay spends his academic year in Austin, TX and loves coming home to Dallas to spend time with his family -- Dr. Phil, his mother Robin, whom Dr. Phil credits with being the heart of the family, and his brother Jordan.