Book Review of
You Don't have to Learn Everything the Hard Way - What I Wish Someone Had Told Me
(by Laya Saul)
Reviewer: Yael Sherby
Your aunt Laya is concerned about you. After all, she was once a teen herself and she knows how hard it can be and just how many things can go wrong. She's so concerned that she even wrote a book about it, offering all of her experience and advice, so that you don't have to repeat the mistakes she's made. So be prepared for You Don't Have To Learn Everything The Hard Way-What I Wish Someone Had Told Me to deliver a very intresting and important crash course in successful living for teenagers, with Aunt Laya Saul as your teacher. Because Laya understands the importance of teenagers having someone with life experience to listen to them, she takes the liberty of calling herself "aunt", in order to gain the readers trust and confidence She then embarks on the long and difficult road leading to self-fulfillment and, perhaps, even happiness.
The book covers many topics that are relevant to teens today, such as suicide, drugs and friendship. In addition, it offers advice on how to be a better and happier person, such as tips on trusting your intuition, ways to avoid gossip and much more. The advice is sprinkled with stories about other peoples' experiences and quotes from people such as Goethe, Louisa May Alcott, Albert Einstein and Mother Theresa. Among my favorites is one by Tony Robbins: "There will be winters in your life. Some people freeze to death, some people ski!"
Another interesting fact is that the author is an orthodox Jew (that probably explains why Menachem Shneerson, Golda Meir, Hillel, proverbs, Anne Frank and Yiddish folk sayings, to name a few, are quoted and mentioned throughout the book), but I believe that it can be enjoyed regardless of your religion. I found that any teen who is having trouble (and who isn't?) will find this book useful. Plenty of adults can gain from it as well. What I really liked was the wide range of subjects addressed; subjects that aren't usually mentioned in other teen self-help books, such as volunteering, panic and kindness. The sections on relationships, alcohol and abuse are very informative and useful - I'd like to think if more people read the book, maybe these negative occurrences could be eliminated.
The book has something to offer everyone. I, for instance, really enjoyed the section that dealt with recognizing your unique individual talents and fulfilling your unused potential. The author repeats "DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE YOUR STRENGTHS". As I've mentioned before, this is without a doubt a self-help book aimed almost exclusively at teens, but I realized that this book does not usually use a sappy, preachy tone, which is the main reason many teens lack interest in books of this type. In conclusion, I highly recommend this book to any teenager who would like to feel better about him or her self and even life in general. It will definitely show you a different perspective on life.
To read sample chapters, click here.
Note: This book was donated to Teen-to-Teen by the author.
To write to Yael, click here
The views expressed in the articles and posts are those of the writer and not of
the Teen-To-Teen management and editorial board. To find out more about our organization or to make a contribution, please send email to Sarale at write@ttt.org.il
Support our sponsor David's Consultants RGA Ltd. All Rights reserved©, 1997-2008