|
Publisher:
HarperCollins |
Release
Date: November 2004 |
ISBN:
0-06-054424-4 |
Awards:
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Format
Reviewed: |
Buy
it at Amazon |
Read
an Excerpt |
Genre:
Teen - Young Adult / Self-Help / Advice |
Reviewed:
2004 |
Reviewer:
Carisa Weeaks |
Reviewer
Notes: Audio
book review |
Copyright
MyShelf.com |
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The O'Reilly Factor for Kids
A
Survival Guide for America's Families
By Bill O'Reilly
and Charles Flowers
All
teenagers have to grow up in circumstances that are confusing, aggravating,
and sometimes even painful, but one factor remains the same -- those
experiences are part of Life's wicked way of giving those teens
the chance to find out just how strong they are. Using his experiences
as a teenager growing up, O'Reilly gives teens (as WELL as their
parents) objective advice and constructive criticism about the world
they're growing up in.
There
are emails as well as instant messages (there is an index of IM
terms in the back of the book for those of us who are "IM impaired")
from teens, who were brave enough to email O'Reilly with their thoughts,
questions, and comments about being a teenager in today's world.
O'Reilly uses these emails as well as his own life experiences to
give teens a way to understand the chaotic world they're being propelled
through.
There
are stories about his experiences as a teenager that are incredible
and very candid, which back up his advice and "straight-talking"
commentary. There is one story in particular that really reached
out to me about when he was bullied at school. In the story, he
explains that he attended a private school, but unlike his rich
classmates, his parents didn't make enough money to buy him expensive
uniforms and new equipment. His jackets were worn, and he had a
clip-on tie (mainly due to the fact that he couldn't have cared
less about ties and didn't want to learn how to tie them). These
factors caused the some of the more "well-off" guys in
the school to bully him. They'd rip his tie off and mess with him.
Finally he decked a kid who was ganging up on him with another kid,
only to get in trouble for it and be given detention, even though
he explained what had happened. His dad, who usually allowed his
son to deal with things himself, told his son not to worry about
it and that he'd take care of it. The next day, O'Reilly's detention
was cancelled and the kids never picked on him again. This is a
good foundation for the argument about parents being allowed to
intervene when it comes to their child's safety in school.
It's
safe to say that everyone who owns a TV and has cable has a love/hate
relationship with Fox News' Bill O'Reilly, host of the "O'Reilly
Factor". The reason for this being because O'Reilly isn't afraid
to speak his mind, and this book is no exception. He has an incredible
way of making things simple and easy to understand without making
anyone feel ignorant or dumb. He's got amazing advice and explanations
for everything a teenager in today's world has, is, or will encounter.
From drugs, alcohol, sex, love, and friendship to divorce, abuse,
self-esteem, and honesty, O'Reilly covers each at length and gives
teens who were brave enough to email him a chance to be heard. I
recommend this book to those who are looking for advice about their
parents, children, siblings, or friends or are naive about the trouble
teens face in the steadily growing, unstable world we live in today.
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