I am slow to consider a book for my “Best Books Ever” list, but this one has got me thinking about it. It’s not eloquently written, but the content is stellar. ““Do Hard Things” by Alex and Brett Harris is a book for teenagers by teenagers (the authors were 19 when this book was published).And, as the title suggests, they want to inspire teenagers to actually DO something. Some of you might argue that you’d like to get your teens to STOP doing some things. But Alex and Brett have a Christian message that encompasses not only tackling big challenges, like fighting for fairness at your school or passing out petitions through your neighborhood, but also for overcoming the small everyday obstacles like finishing chores, obeying your parents, etc.

What I love most about this book is that Alex and Brett point out the inherent ridiculousness of our current culture. Just 70 or 80 years ago, teenagers were responsible enough to be wage earners, earning enough in some cases to support not only themselves, but to help feed their parents and siblings as well. Almost all teens in the early 1900′s raised their younger siblings, worked on the farm or at a job and shared their income with their parents. Many of them had families of their own by the time their teen years came to an end.

While I’m not suggesting that 15 year olds should be having children, the fact is that they used to do that and a whole lot more. We’ve gradually reduced expectations of teens to the point that just showing up to school occasionally gets them kudos. We don’t even expect them to do all that well in their classes! How did we go from one extreme (kids working in sweatshops 60 hours a week) to another (18 year olds who refuse to work 15 hours a week because it’s “too demanding”)?

This is a great book and would make a great gift for anyone over 11.