This book will change the way people think about teenagers. No longer society's scourge, the teenager emerges from David Bainbridge's fascinating study as an aweinspiring phenomenon that should evoke reverence and wonder. Taking a "zoological" approach, Bainbridge -- a veterinarian and anatomist -- suggests that the second decade is the most important in the human life cycle.
In lively prose, he explains the science behind the changes that occur in the teenage body and deep within the teenage brain-from stinky feet, lanky limbs, and unpredictable skin to falling in love and irritating grumpiness to the irresistible allure of sex, drugs, and rock'n'roll.
Observed through a scientific lens, these biological transformations and behavioral anomalies snap into focus as a sequence of interwoven steps along the path to adulthood. Bainbridge explains how, in evolutionary terms, this dynamic period is the key factor in the success of our species and how the teenage years are the most dramatic, intense, and exciting of our lives. He provides a lively counter to the stereotype of hooded layabouts and translates scientific facts and observations into a compelling story for the nonscientist.
If you live with a teenager or ever were one, you will want to read this book. You'll come away convinced that the teenager is the most amazing-and most necessary-creature on the planet.
Authors
- Bibliography, etc. Note
- Includes bibliographical references (p. 313-343) and index
- Control Number Identifier
- CaOOCEL
- Dewey Decimal Classification Number
- 305.235
- Dewey Decimal Edition Number
- 22
- General Note
- Issued as part of the desLibris books collection
- ISBN
- 9781553654377 9781926685410
- LCCN
- HQ796
- LCCN Item number
- B257 2009eb
- Modifying agency
- CaBNVSL
- Original cataloging agency
- CaOONL
- Physical Description | Extent
- 1 electronic text (358 p.)
- Published in
- Canada
- Publisher or Distributor Number
- CaOOCEL
- Rights
- Access restricted to authorized users and institutions
- System Control Number
- (CaBNVSL)slc00224883 (OCoLC)717175996 (CaOOCEL)434668
- System Details Note
- Mode of access: World Wide Web
- Transcribing agency
- CaOONL
Table of Contents
- DAVID BAINBRIDGE 3
- Contents 7
- Introduction 9
- A Silver Lining 9
- Being a teenager 9
- 1. Aches and Gripes and Lumps and Bumps 17
- Why growing up is hard to do 17
- The only time in my life when I have kept a diary was between the ages of fourteen and eighteen. 17
- Where did the teenagers come from 22
- It may seem 22
- What flips our sexy switch 34
- I was once 34
- Why all the bodily unpleasantness 44
- We may only 44
- Why do teenage girls and boys look different 51
- Puberty changes some 51
- Why are girls more mature 70
- So far you 70
- 2. Thinking Risk and Rock n Roll 81
- Why teenage brains are different 81
- Two recent news stories. 81
- Why are teenagers brainier than everyone else 85
- If we are 85
- Are teenagers driven by their hormones 97
- Before we soar 97
- Why are teenagersbrains different 109
- We all know 109
- Why all the sleep risk and anger 121
- It all seems 121
- Laziness 122
- Risk-taking 126
- Anger 131
- Why do teenagers start to think in new ways 137
- If there is 137
- 3 Out of the Ordinary 151
- The truth about alcohol nicotine and other diversions 151
- Drug addiction is an inherently teenage thing. 151
- Where did all the drugs come from 154
- Modern humans have 154
- Why do drugs affect teenagers differently 162
- People usually start 162
- So is teenage drug use really a bad thing 178
- Adults worry a 178
- 4. Love and Loss 191
- Why teenage relationships can be the best and worst things in the world 191
- Being a teenager is a confusing experience. 191
- Why do teenagers get so sad 194
- Teenagers used to 194
- Why do teenagers get so confused 212
- It is not 212
- Ten theories about schizophrenia 215
- Why do teenagers get so worried 224
- All teenagers worry 224
- And what is love 241
- I apologize if 241
- 5. Teenage Kicks 252
- The ifs whens and whys of sex 252
- Teenage sex has a certain dramatic tension to it. 252
- Why do teenagers have sex 255
- To find out 255
- When are teenagers meant to have sex 265
- We do not 265
- Why do teenagers get sexually transmitted diseases 276
- More than half 276
- Why is teenage pregnancy different 287
- The phrase teenage pregnancy 287
- Why are teenagers meant to have sex 297
- Although we probably 297
- Conclusion 314
- The Long Game 314
- At the start 314
- Acknowledgements 319
- About the author 319
- Bibliography 321
- Index 353
