Coming of Age

The only book you need on adolescence- Coming of Age gets beneath the myths and stereotypes to reveal the real reasons why teens behave as they do - and how we can help them flourish in lifeWhat we experience during adolescence shapes us for life, but psychologist Lucy Foulkes shows that too often we fear, dismiss or even try to prevent aspects of it that are crucial to our development. Drawing on decades of psychological research, and including profoundly moving interviews, Coming of Age gets beneath the recent myths and age-old stereotypes of adolescence to reveal the reasons why teens behave the way they do.Above all, Foulkes shows that adolescents have an extraordinary capacity for resilience, empathy and mutual support, and that even the most challenging encounters are part of an essential process of self-discovery.

Wise and compassionate, well-researched and straight-talking - Lucy Foulkes shows with stories and with science why the teen years are so intense, and how today's adolescents can be helped to flourish in life -- Dr Gavin Francis, author of Recovery
Compelling, useful and fascinating . . . revealing its unwritten rules and some really vital insights -- Jo Brand
A wise and compassionate book, and moving too ... I imagine I might want to reread this book when my own children become teens. But for now, I found it helped me better understand my own awkward adolescence ... Once we better understand the psychology of these awkward, in-between years we can start to be a bit kinder towards our awkward, in-between selves. And who wouldn't want that? New Statesman
A refreshingly clear-eyed description of the forces shaping adolescent behaviour and emotions . . . teens are often viewed through a lens of judgement or morality . . . but you will find none of that here. Each short chapter is cleverly punctuated by often-moving interviews . . . Foulkes delivers a positive message . . . an eye-opening read for anyone who knows a teenager, or who has been one New Scientist
Expertly distilling academic research into readable insight peppered with fascinating, moving case studies, Foulkes offers a clear-eyed, unerringly sensible and sympathetic survey of adolescence . . . there is insight and kindness throughout this book -- Patricia Nicol Daily Mail
Thank goodness . . . for this timely . . . and eminently sensible book . . . You will read this book and sigh in recognition . . . just knowing that everything they – and we – struggle with is normal, and necessary, is helpful -- Lucy Denyer Telegraph
Excellent and insightful . . . As an academic psychologist at Oxford University who has been studying adolescent cognition for more than a decade, Foulkes is steeped in knowledge about, as well as respect for, teenage life. She expertly marshals clinical research, both classic texts and recent findings, interlaced with moving accounts from people . . . who open up about their formative years . . . It’s worth getting adolescence right because it doesn’t ever go away -- Kate Womersley Observer
A myth-busting . . . eye-opening guide to the psychology of adolescence . . . delivers many counterintuitive insights -- David Shariatmadari Guardian
Lucy Foulkes’s wonderful and deeply moving book shows us the potentially positive aspects of adolescent experiences so often seen as negative. You will almost certainly find yourself reassessing your own teenage years -- Mark Haddon, author of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time
This is a must read for everyone interested in what is going on with adolescents. Scientific findings are discussed incisively and illuminated with real life accounts of adolescent joys and sorrows. This book is full of insight and compassion -- Essi Viding, Professor of Developmental Pyschopathy, UCL
This is a compelling read, deploying an engaging combination of narrative and science to make important points about a much misunderstood and maligned age group -- Tasmin Ford, Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Cambridge
The adolescent years are probably the most dramatic period in human life, and yet they are still the least studied. Lucy Foulkes is an ideal and compassionate guide to unlock this secret world -- Uta Frith, Emeritus Professor of Cognitive Development, UCL
Captivating and novel, providing valuable insights into the physical, psychological and emotional changes that teenagers navigate -- Sarah-Jayne Blakemore, author of Inventing Ourselves: The Secret Life of the Teenage Brain
Hopeful, inspiring . . . leaves you with a greater understanding of your own adolescence, and greater compassion for those currently in its throes -- Camilla Nord, author of The Balanced Brain
Comprehensive, accessible, and super useful -- Dr Tara Porter, Clinical Psychologist and author of You Don't Understand Me
Offers a refreshing lens on adolescence as a profound developmental period that shapes how we become, and understand, who we are. This book is essential reading for researchers, parents, professionals, and anyone seeking to better understand themselves -- Ola Demkowicz, Senior Lecturer in Psychology of Education, University of Manchester
Beautiful writing and robust science rarely travel together; they do so in this remarkable book by Foulkes who will guide you through the complex world of adolescence and its science -- Argyris Stringaris, Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, UCL
I loved this book. Lucy writes so thoughtfully and movingly about this uniquely challenging and exhilarating period of life – to help us better understand and support our teenagers, and as adults, to give our own teenage selves a break. -- Polly Waite, Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology, University of Oxford
Keeping in mind the complexities of mental health and adolescent development doesn’t equate to dismissing adolescents’ pain. She’s right: the nuanced approach she adopts can help us support them more fully, becoming able to find more accurate, individualised words to fit and describe their experiences . . . One of the book’s greatest strengths is Foulkes’ ability to move the focus away from viewing adolescence as a period that should terrify us. Instead, she presents it as a time of learning, growth, liveliness, and self-discovery . . . it’s also filled with stories with which we can identify and, somewhere, find ourselves . . . a pleasure to read -- Maria Papadima Journal of Child Psychotherapy

Dr Lucy Foulkes is an academic psychologist. She is currently a Prudence Trust Research Fellow at the University of Oxford, where she leads research into adolescent mental health and social development. She is the author of What Mental Illness Really Is (and What It Isn't) and has written for the Guardian, New Scientist and Wall Street Journal. Her work has been discussed on BBC 2's Newsnight and reported in The Times, Economist, New York Times and Atlantic, and she has appeared on BBC Radio 4's All in the Mind and Start the Week.

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