Below is a sampling of books I have found exceptionally helpful in raising a teen, understanding their behavior and learning how to communicate with them effectively. I tried to cover a variety of topics to meet different interests and concerns. The Teenage Brain, The Element, and Guiding the Gifted Child fundamentally changed how I viewed, educated, and spoke with parents and teens.
Age of Opportunity: Lessons from the New Science of Adolescents
Laurence Steinberg, PH.D
The Teenage Brain: A Neuroscientist's Survival Guide to Raising Adolescents and Young Adults
Frances E. Jensen, MD with Amy Ellis Nutt
I'd Listen to My Parents if They'd Just Shut Up: What to Say and Not Say When Parenting Teens
Anthony E. Wolf, Ph.D
Smart but Scattered Teens
Richard Guare, Ph.D, Peg Dawson, EdD, and Colin Guare
The Price of Privilege
Madeline Levine, Ph.D
It's Complicated: the social lives of networked teens
Danah Boyd
Guiding the Gifted Child
James T. Webb, Ph.D., Elizabeth A. Meckstroth, M.S., Stephanie S. Tolan, M.A.
How to Communicate Like A Buddhist
Cynthia Kane
The Element
Ken Robinson, Ph.D.
Check out a Few of Ken Robinson's Ted Talks: