Publisher's Synopsis
Stephanie Weaver has compiled a highly readable survey of the thoughts and views of 50 New Zealand teenage boys aged from 13 to 18 years old. The views, ideas and beliefs of the boys are discussed with quotes from the interviews, in six main chapters:1. Home Life and Families (parents, stepparents, siblings, family life);2. School (teachers, discipline, sex education, bullying);3. Social Lives (friends, parties, drugs, smoking, sex); 4. Communication (coping with problems, suicide, homosexuality);5. Employment (jobs, career choices, typical NZ male?); 6. Society and Belief Systems (racism, death, police, anger, religious beliefs). There are 'questions for parents to reflect on' at the end of each chapter but the book is not a self-help guide for problem teenagers. It is a well-written local guide to what boys think about. The boys' comments are interesting and thought provoking. The book provides an insight into the minds of young men in New Zealand and will appeal to all those wanting to better understand teenage boys.
