The Breakthrough Years: A New Scientific Framework for Raising Thriving Teens

In 2015, child-development expert Galinsky (president, Families and Work Institute; Mind in the Making) interviewed 45 researchers who specialize in the study of adolescents, and she read studies by hundreds more. In 2019, she followed that up with a qualitative study of 1,666 adolescents in which she asked them to reveal what they wanted adults to know about their age group. Galinsky’s findings are covered in this book; one finding is that one in five teens want it to be known that they are smarter than adults give them credit for. The main takeaways are that teens want adults to understand how they are developing and to listen to and talk to them without jumping to conclusions. The research shows that adolescents are putting in the work to try to understand themselves, and they have a strong desire to grow and learn new skills. All this research is a bit weighty for a parenting book, and Galinsky sometimes uses technical language. Some readers, however, will appreciate the author’s meticulously researched approach.