05/01/2024
In 2015, child-development expert Galinsky (president, Families and Work Institute; Mind in the Making) interviewed 45 researchers who specialize in the study of adolescents, and she read studies by hundreds more. In 2019, she followed that up with a qualitative study of 1,666 adolescents in which she asked them to reveal what they wanted adults to know about their age group. Galinsky's findings are covered in this book; one finding is that one in five teens want it to be known that they are smarter than adults give them credit for. The main takeaways are that teens want adults to understand how they are developing and to listen to and talk to them without jumping to conclusions. The research shows that adolescents are putting in the work to try to understand themselves, and they have a strong desire to grow and learn new skills. All this research is a bit weighty for a parenting book, and Galinsky sometimes uses technical language. Some readers, however, will appreciate the author's meticulously researched approach. VERDICT An in-depth study and reference guide on adolescent development. Best for readers in working in education or psychology.
2024-01-13
A fresh look at adolescence.
Nearly 500 pages on this topic may seem excessive—except to the harried parents of teens. Two centuries of experts have used personal experience, religion, ideology, and tradition to describe how to raise children. In this massive compendium of research on teenage brain science, Galinsky, president of the Families and Work Institute, author of Mind in the Making, Ask the Children, and The Six Stages of Parenthood, presents the results of a lifetime of her own study of parenting and child development, offering countless useful, concrete facts often missing from similar books over the decades. The author emphasizes that young people are not adults; assessing them using an “adult yardstick” sets them up for failure. Since 1904, when the first study of adolescence as a distinct developmental stage appeared, it’s been described as a time of “storm and stress.” With the use of high-tech scanners, modern-day scientists have revealed that the brain’s reward system develops more quickly than its control system. This seems to explain teens’ risky behavior, but Galinsky maintains that they never stop learning. An ongoing theme is that “challenges” (i.e., poor behavior) are an opportunity to teach, and adolescents need to feel they have a choice over how they live. In Galinsky’s autonomy-supportive approach, adults don’t solve problems; they engage children in learning to provide their own solutions. While there is no shortage of homilies, testimonials, and anecdotes, the author does not dispense the wisdom of a master healer a la Doctor Spock. She writes as a veteran scientist, usually preceding advice with the results of a study or an expert’s analysis. Dense with bullet points, lists, and tables, it resembles a textbook more than an advice manual; like a textbook, it rewards careful study.
A deeply researched parenting guide with more than the usual emphasis on the facts.
This book smashes common stereotypes of tweens and teens. Ellen Galinsky marshals extensive evidence to reveal what adolescents today are really like—and how to help them grow and flourish.”
– Adam Grant, author of Hidden Potential and Think Again
“A masterpiece weaving together current scientific discoveries, key insights from extensive interviews with teens and parents, and empowering suggestions – this book is a gem! Comprehensive and with ready-to-apply suggestions for any adult caring for an adolescent in these challenging modern times, The Breakthrough Years offers us all a practical path to cultivating resilience and wellbeing for our next generation.”
– Daniel J. Siegel, M.D., author of Brainstorm, Executive Director of Mindsight Institute
"Grounded in science and rich with real-life examples, The Breakthrough Years beautifully explains the inner workings of the teenage mind and details exactly what adolescents need - and deserve - in order to thrive. Ellen Galinsky's compassionate call-to-action is an essential guide for anyone raising, educating, or caring for teenagers."
– Lisa Damour, author of The Emotional Lives of Teenagers
"This book is a gift! A true treasure trove of evidence-based wisdom on adolescent development. Beautifully written, extensively researched, and full of specific and actionable advice, The Breakthrough Years is essential reading for anyone who has wondered what we can do to help the teenagers we love thrive. I loved it!"
– Angela Duckworth, author of Grit
"Destined to be a classic, Ellen Galinsky’s new book, The Breakthrough Years is a breakthrough in its own right. It gives us a whole new view of adolescence based on the latest research and provides the tools we need to understand our teenagers and help them thrive. She’s the gold standard when it comes to parenting!"
– Michèle Borba, Ed.D., author of Thrivers
"So often the narrative about adolescence tells us our children are in trouble. This meticulously researched book is different. It highlights the timing of heightened adolescent brain plasticity, thus giving us an opportunity to support adolescents and the tools to navigate these changes. If you have, care for, or care about an adolescent, this book will change your relationship and most importantly inspire you—not frighten you—in the process.”
– Aliza Pressman, PhD, Author of The Five Principles of Parenting; Host of Raising Good Humans Podcast; Co-Founder The Mount Sinai Parenting Center
"Ellen Galinsky has written a singularly important, creatively unique, and timely book. The Breakthrough Years seamlessly integrates cutting-edge research; the cumulative knowledge of youth program professionals; and the wisdom, insight, and decades of experience of its author. This book is required reading for scholars, practitioners, parents, and youth themselves. I could not put it down...a superb contribution to science and society."
– Richard M. Lerner, Ph.D., Director of the Institute for Applied Research in Youth Development, Tufts University
"Solutions, practical advice, and insights are what we need right now. Ellen Galinsky’s connection of research with the voices of young people and their families is a singular contribution to educators and the communities they serve.”
– Mort Sherman, Ed.D., Senior Associate Executive Director, Leadership Network, AASA The School Superintendents Association
“Galinsky’s love for adolescents as individuals and for the developmental period of adolescence shines through on every page. This is absolutely the most informative, compelling, and passionate book on adolescents and adolescence I have ever read. I will be quoting it heavily for years to come.”
– Karen Pittman, Founding Partner, Knowledge to Power Catalysts
"Ellen Galinsky taught us long ago how much adults mattered to teens, even as so many others were (wrongly!) trying to portray the generations as emotionally disconnected. Now, reflecting the genuine respect she has for adolescents and families, The Breakthrough Years, guides us how to make the difference in young lives by giving us the strategies and tools to respond to what young people say they want from us. This meaningful, extraordinarily well-written and thoroughly-researched book is the indispensable guide you have been waiting for to learn how to seize the opportunity adolescence offers."
– Kenneth Ginsburg, MD, MS Ed, Founding Director of The Center for Parent and Teen Communication, and author of Building Resilience in Children and Teens
"Ellen Galinsky’s The Breakthrough Years is a must-read book for adolescents, parents, educators, researchers, and anyone with an interest in positive youth development. This book is not only timely but is also culturally and contextually relevant, providing insights on core elements for fostering positive developmental outcomes for all youth."
– Velma McBride Murry, PhD, Professor, Departments of Health Policy & Human and Organizational Development, Vanderbilt University
“Finally! A front row seat at the very essence of human development, one that challenges many of the assumptions about adolescents that are just plain wrong. The Breakthrough Years is a brilliant, accessible guide to understanding the adolescent brain and what teens themselves want us to know about what this incredibly exciting time in their lives means to them and the futures they aspire to.”
– Pamela Cantor, M.D., Founder, Turnaround for Children
"A tour de force! Finally a science-based instruction manual for the adolescent brain that parents, educators, policy-makers, and teens themselves will benefit from reading and living by! The Breakthrough Years combines amazing insights on what teens want adults to know with an outstanding and easy to digest review of current findings in psychology and neuroscience. Don’t attempt to raise a teenager without reading this book first!"
– Mitch Prinstein, Ph.D., Chief Science Officer of the American Psychological Association, author of Popular
