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| Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations | 
 enlarge | List Price: $16.99
Buy New: $9.63
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Avg. Customer Rating:  (based on 81 reviews)
Sales Rank: 384
Category: Book
Authors: Alex Harris, Brett Harris
Publisher: Multnomah Books
Studio: Multnomah Books
Manufacturer: Multnomah Books
Label: Multnomah Books
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 256
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.1 x 5.2 x 1
ISBN: 1601421125
Dewey Decimal Number: 248.83
EAN: 9781601421128
ASIN: 1601421125
Publication Date: April 15, 2008
Release Date: April 15, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 A Serious Challenge for Teens July 31, 2008
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
Today, a teenager is considered a "good kid" if he gets good grades, gets into a good college, and stays out of trouble. In a culture where the perceived norm for high school students is drugs and detentions, making the honor roll is an accomplishment worthy of a bumper sticker. But the sad reality is that at many schools even the honors classes are so dumbed down that merely showing up and turning in all the work gets you an A. So if a student gets straight A's, plays a sport and joins a club he is considered top-notch. And if he regularly attends church, well...that is even better.
Alex and Brett Harris (yes, the younger brothers of Joshua Harris, and yes, that Joshua Harris) have noticed this trend. They have noticed that teenagers are consumed by low expectations, and by and large have bought the myth that reaching a bar knee-high is something to be proud of.
The Harris brothers point out that this expectation of worthlessness has produced years of wasted potential. In their book, Do Hard Things, they expose this culture of mediocrity as the teenager's enemy. They make it clear that the victims in this are teens who squander their first opportunities in life to excel--to do things that count for eternity.
Where did this culture come from? They blame the myth of adolescence (a term Al Mohler and Rick Holland have been using for years). They assault the idea that there should a be a time period between being a kid and being an adult, and that in that fictional time period it is acceptable to squander your years staying out of trouble, instead of seizing them to serve God. The first way the myth gets teens to waste their life is by convincing them that being above average is actually something to be proud of. Excellence is defined by getting good grades in easy classes, and if the grades are to hard, at least trying to get good grades should be sufficient. The second way, the Harris brothers say, is by getting teens to be known for what they don't do, rather than what they do. "Tim doesn't do drugs or get in trouble at school--what a good boy he is!"
This book is refreshing because it is unlike most other books written for teens; it challenges them with real challenges. It challenges the both the myth and the culture of mediocrity the myth creates. And it encourages teens to try things at which they might very well fail. In this vei it reminds me of John Piper's Don't Waste Your Life.
The Harris brothers are 19, and they write for a teenage audience. I heard someone say that this book would be suitable for adults to read, but I'm not sure how the Harris brothers would take that. After all, the point of the book is that teenagers need to grow up and act like adults. If culture has set the bar too low for adults too, well that almost misses the point of what the Harris brothers are trying to say. They are not calling teens to rise to the level of the average adult--they are calling teens to excellence.
The most helpful part of the book for me was the examples of hard things the authors give. There are five categories of hard things given, and while I won't give you the list here, I will tell you that they range from making your bed and working out consistently to ending childhood poverty in Africa. The most common example the book gives, and some might find this the book's most obvious weakness, is political activism. The Harris brothers themselves worked on a campaign for a state supreme court candidate, and the longest example in the book is about a girl who ran a county-wide election in Colorado.
The appendix of the book is an explanation of how the Gospel fits into this call to do hard things, and it is very evangelistic. I would have liked to see the Gospel at the front end, and I would have liked to see them show in each section how the call to follow Christ fits in with the overall message to teens. But this is a minor concern, and the book is replete with Scripture passages and allusions, so it is not as if they were trying to obscure the Christian message. I just wish it would have been more integrated to the theme.
I would recommend this book be given high school students, and the younger the better. It could be a good graduation gift, but at that point the thrust of the book would already be in a person's rear-view mirror. It is more suited for freshman. Those who read it will be challenged to escape the trappings of modern-American adolescent-mediocrity.
Finally, the Harris brothers have a website, www.therebelution.com, which is an excellent source of information and forums for Christian teens. It is worth exploring, and youth pastors especially will mind much that is helpful there.
You really can do hard things... July 26, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
This book is a much needed look at the state of adolescence in our society. There is this odd idea out there that adolescents are basically useless, and should bide their time until they get a certain level of education and experience under their belts. This book prompts the teens in our society to flush that idea, and embrace a new one: Teens can take on responsibility, do hard things, and impact their own lives and others in meaningful ways.
The twins are, of course, Christian; therefore, this book is written from that perspective and so it contains references to Christian themes and scriptural teachings (as I plan to talk about more in depth on TheChristianScribbler.com) . However, this book is actually a great resource for people from all different religious backgrounds because the message is quite capable of carrying through. Also, I'd recommend this book to older children, teens, tweens, and anyone who is going to be working with kids; pastors, parents, teachers, counselors, etc...
Young or Old..Join the Rebelution July 15, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
This is a great book that really challenges the way you think and the way you live. This is a book that causes you to get up and do something. In a world of low expectations, I'm OK you're OK, whatever, I don't know I don't care, and endless mindnumbing entertainment with the click of a mouse.... this is indeed a refreshing book. Read it as a family or with 2 other friends and DO HARD THINGS together.
Excellent resource to challenge teens to greatness July 14, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
We are using this book as our study guide with a group of 13-18 year olds. Written by teenagers, it addresses their thinking directly without pandering or talking over or down to them. The Study Guide, available for free on the website, had very good questions to lead small groups. The book and the study guide make very good base materials to lead small groups.
Help your kids start a Rebelution July 9, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I bought this book for my 15 year old grandson, and of course I previewed it to make sure I knew the book would be a positive influence. I can only say I wish I'd had this book to give to my son 25 years ago. Shoot! I wish someone had told me I COULD choose to do hard things that would set the precedent for my entire life.
The book is written (with help, I suspect-but maybe not) by teens for teens, but is not dumbed-down. I pray adults who see the enuii in our kids will use this book to encourage and help to inspire them to Do Hard Things. You can download the FREE (Did I say FREE??) study guide on the Rebelution website, and the blog gives me hope for the future leaders of this nation and this world. Do the Hard Thing--buy this for your teen and then encourage him/her to read it. Then give our kids the tools they need to practice and see the principles are true! They CAN do those things they never dreamed they could...
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