The Teenage Human Body Operator's Manual

There is a reason "The Teenage Human Body Operator's Manual" is in its 5th printing. This is an easily accessible and entertaining manual for preteens and teenagers tackling the tough issues facing today's adolescents. It provides candid and helpful information on topics including nutrition, hygiene, communication, physical health, stress, anger, depression, substance abuse, STDs, sexual assault, abusive relationships, steroids, eating disorders, tattoos, piercing, and branding, safer sex, condoms, sexual preference, [...], birth control, and pregnancy. It also presents a helpful 5 step process for changing bad habits. As a school-based behavioral health psychologist who has worked with over 1,000 adolescents in the past decade, I highly recommend this book for teenagers, teachers, health educators, counselors, parents, and anyone else who has the opportunity to work with kids.

This book--printed to look like an automobile owner's manual--is just the right blend of humor and seriousness. I use it to help teach groups of foster children about basic lifeskills. We always start with the last half of the book, that includes the "Routine Checkup." This is a questionnaire (multiple choice) that helps kids get in touch with their habits, and helps them learn how to change a habit and develop good ones. Kids often laugh at the book when they get it, but it is there for them with accurate information when they have a question about anything that comes up in their teenage years--peer pressure, drugs and alcohol, sexuality, exercise, eating right, taking care of themselves, anger, body changes, etc. Some of the illustrations (all ink drawing/cartoons by the illustrator) were a bit goofy looking for my taste, but my son says, "Dad, you're trippin'. They're cool." It's the best $12 I ever spent for my own son, and I highly recommend this book.