Stuff That Sucks: A Teen's Guide to Accepting What You Can't Change and Committing to What You Can

Gr 8 Up—Teens and advice go together like, well, chocolate and sardines. But if a teen were to have a hankering for advice from a book, this might be one to suggest. Using a catchy title, this brief but informative selection presents Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), which includes a heavy dose of mindfulness, an emphasis on accepting feelings, and a commitment to future goals and methods to change behavior. The author, a clinical psychologist, is well versed in this field and practiced in working with teens. Sedley's approach is viable for those with issues large and small. He provides strategies for self-talk and ideas for dealing with friends, discovering personal values, and overcoming defeatist behaviors. Although the text is laudable, the design isn't. Unfortunately for libraries, there are three pages where readers are asked to write down answers to questions posed. While this volume isn't marketed as a workbook, the write-in feature encourages readers to enter their thoughts, and those entries could influence future ones. Handwritten chapter titles seem to be amateurishly scanned, but serviceable black-and-white illustrations appear throughout. Back matter offers those interested in ACT three additional reading recommendations but no other resources.