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My Son is an Alien
Marcel Danesi
€ 159.55
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Description for My Son is an Alien
Hardback. This work takes a look at cultural influences on teenagers and adolescents. Based on interviews with teens, pre-teens, and parents, it sketches out a facet of the adolescent's cultural portrait, from body image and slang to peer pressure and drugs. Num Pages: 208 pages, glossary, bibliography, index. BIC Classification: JFC; JFSP2. Category: (G) General (US: Trade); (P) Professional & Vocational; (U) Tertiary Education (US: College). Dimension: 236 x 158 x 17. Weight in Grams: 399.
Today's youths live in a world that sees their rebellious behavior and esoteric lifestyles as a 'natural' part of growing up. But this is hardly natural. In effect, adolescence was forged as a social experiment 150 years ago, when school attendance became mandatory beyond puberty. As a result, adolescence came to be marked not only as a separate and troubled period in the lifecycle, but also as an all-encompassing social problem, requiring the intervention of social institutions. My Son Is an Alien is an entertaining, informative look at cultural influences on teenagers and adolescents. Based on interviews with hundreds of teens, pre-teens, and parents, each chapter sketches out a facet of the adolescent's cultural portrait, from body image and slang to peer pressure and drugs. Non-technical and filled with facts, commentaries, anecdotes, and resources, it also includes numerous features on topics like teen expressions and the least family-friendly TV shows. Marcel Danesi proposes several strategies for changing the prevailing mindset on adolescence. Among these are dispelling the myth that 'experts' and 'professionals' are the ones to whom we must turn for advice in raising children and that adolescents must be seen as mature individuals who should be reconnected to the adult society to which they rightfully belong.
Product Details
Format
Hardback
Publication date
2003
Publisher
Rowman & Littlefield United States
Number of pages
208
Condition
New
Number of Pages
208
Place of Publication
Lanham, MD, United States
ISBN
9780742528543
SKU
V9780742528543
Shipping Time
Usually ships in 15 to 20 working days
Ref
99-15
About Marcel Danesi
Marcel Danesi is professor of anthropology, semiotics, and communication theory at the University of Toronto. He is the author of numerous books, including Cool: The Signs and Meanings of Adolescence.
Reviews for My Son is an Alien
In an attempt to gear this book toward besieged parents, Danesi comes close to presenting a consistent philosophy on the subject of today's teens, providing valuable historical perspectives along the way.
Publishers Weekly
This book goes beyond offering information and advice. It is an invitational exploration done by a father, grandfather, and experienced researcher who knows the joys and frustrations of having raised a child through adolescence to adulthood as well as the developmental and historical explanations of adolescence. The book is full of energy—it involves the reader by utilizing the thinking and perspective of adolescents, and it engages the imagination of the reader as it explores the historical emergence of adolescence and the context of the phenomenon.
Linda Rogers, California State University, Monterey Bay Paints a lifelike portrait of today's adolescent culture.... An enlightening look at a population that, for generations, has been seen by parents as rebellious, incorrigible or downright delinquent, which leads to the author's nature vs. nurture question.
The Plain Dealer, (Cleveland)
An entertaining, informative look at cultural differences on adolescents.
Adolescence Magazine
The anthropoligical insights supported by evidence from communication make this book unique and valuable for those who care about adolescents.
VOYA
Marcel Danesi has a well-established and well-deserved reputation for his research on teenage behavior. In his usual lucid prose, he provides an extremely compelling and informative examination of adolescent attitudes and conduct. The book's format allows the reader to understand the specific facet of adolescence under review, and the insights section of each chapter is a truly perceptive and informative analysis of each theme. Parents, educators, and teenagers themselves will learn much about the motivation and attitudes of today's youth.
Frank Nuessel, University of Louisville [Danesi] disputes the myth that teenagers are idealistic, saying his research reveals that their main preoccupation today is 'coping as best as possible with the practical exigencies of everyday life.' He warns parents that trying to be your teenager's friend by, for instance, adopting teenage fashions is not cool... [and] suggests that we have become too lenient in allowing our children to go through a prolonged adolescent drift.
The New York Times
Marcel Danesi's My Son Is an Alien is a concise, informative guide for parents and teachers seeking to understand adolescent behavior. In what is largely a descriptive account of the teenage experience, the author touches on a range of topics from adolescent sex to gang involvement and drug abuse. The value of this book to the general reader lies in its frank, nonjudgmental discussions of adolescent behavior and the tempered advice it offers to parents. Its value to social scientists is in challenging us to examine what merit, if any, can be found in hanging onto the concept of adolescence, whom if anyone it continues to benefit, and how much longer it will remain a defining part of our culture.
Language in Society
Publishers Weekly
This book goes beyond offering information and advice. It is an invitational exploration done by a father, grandfather, and experienced researcher who knows the joys and frustrations of having raised a child through adolescence to adulthood as well as the developmental and historical explanations of adolescence. The book is full of energy—it involves the reader by utilizing the thinking and perspective of adolescents, and it engages the imagination of the reader as it explores the historical emergence of adolescence and the context of the phenomenon.
Linda Rogers, California State University, Monterey Bay Paints a lifelike portrait of today's adolescent culture.... An enlightening look at a population that, for generations, has been seen by parents as rebellious, incorrigible or downright delinquent, which leads to the author's nature vs. nurture question.
The Plain Dealer, (Cleveland)
An entertaining, informative look at cultural differences on adolescents.
Adolescence Magazine
The anthropoligical insights supported by evidence from communication make this book unique and valuable for those who care about adolescents.
VOYA
Marcel Danesi has a well-established and well-deserved reputation for his research on teenage behavior. In his usual lucid prose, he provides an extremely compelling and informative examination of adolescent attitudes and conduct. The book's format allows the reader to understand the specific facet of adolescence under review, and the insights section of each chapter is a truly perceptive and informative analysis of each theme. Parents, educators, and teenagers themselves will learn much about the motivation and attitudes of today's youth.
Frank Nuessel, University of Louisville [Danesi] disputes the myth that teenagers are idealistic, saying his research reveals that their main preoccupation today is 'coping as best as possible with the practical exigencies of everyday life.' He warns parents that trying to be your teenager's friend by, for instance, adopting teenage fashions is not cool... [and] suggests that we have become too lenient in allowing our children to go through a prolonged adolescent drift.
The New York Times
Marcel Danesi's My Son Is an Alien is a concise, informative guide for parents and teachers seeking to understand adolescent behavior. In what is largely a descriptive account of the teenage experience, the author touches on a range of topics from adolescent sex to gang involvement and drug abuse. The value of this book to the general reader lies in its frank, nonjudgmental discussions of adolescent behavior and the tempered advice it offers to parents. Its value to social scientists is in challenging us to examine what merit, if any, can be found in hanging onto the concept of adolescence, whom if anyone it continues to benefit, and how much longer it will remain a defining part of our culture.
Language in Society