Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations

I got this book about a year or so ago, and I've read it 4 or 5 times over. It completely changed my view of my teen years. Instead of idling through life waiting till I "grow up," I now desire to use my teen years to glorify God!! This book reminded me of 1 Timothy 4:12 which says "Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity." Something that I find especially helpful about this book is that it focuses on how to do the "small hard things," the things that might not seem big and life changing. Sometimes doing something "big" seems daunting to me--when am I going to go out and start a big group that changes and impacts the nation? Probably not anytime soon. BUT that doesn't mean that I can't do hard things! Focusing on family relationships, shepherding my heart, and being devoted to the Lord ARE hard things (at times), and they are worthwhile to pour into! I was so glad when I read that chapter because that specifically applies to me and my situation in life. I highly, highly recommend this book. It has rocked and impacted my world and I am sure it will inspire and challenge you as well.

Great book. A must read for any teen and parent.

"This is what we call the Rebelution: throwing off the shackles of lies and low expectations and returning our generation to a true and very exciting understanding of the teen years--not as a vacation from responsibility but as a launching pad for the rest of our lives." ~Alex and Brett Harris~ I pre-ordered several copies of this book, knowing it would be above average. It finally came, and indeed, it's not your everyday book written by teens. (Um, there aren't many of those, are there? Let's say it's not your everyday book, period.) In the book, the Harris twins offer an expanded, in-depth look at the rebelutionary concept of doing hard things. They talk about the myth of adolescence and the potential the teen years hold. They detail five kinds of Hard Things. And they show practical ways they can be accomplished. Much of the content is familiar to me since it's similar to articles on their blog, but it's great to have a book-length look at Doing Hard Things. It's challenging. Maybe especially to those of us already past our teen years who know we could be doing more, striving for bigger and better things, and we don't even have the excuse of being teenagers anymore. Of course, part of the whole point of the book is that being a teen is no excuse, and that they should and can rebel against low expectations. But the Do Hard Things mindset is something all Christians should have. It's just incredibly sensible, useful, fulfilling, and possible to do so at an early age. The stories are probably the most challenging parts of the book, since they are real-life (historical and modern) examples of teens doing real-life hard things from overcoming sickliness, buying and learning to use recording equipment, running political campaigns, beating procrastination (ouch!), designing top-quality survey programs, captaining ships, and more. Alex and Brett also do a consistent, thoughtful job of backing their points with Scripture, making their message all the more powerful. I'm not quite finished with the book. It's a good length. The cover design is really cool. It has an intro by Chuck Norris, if that interests anyone. (Half a year ago, I had no clue who this cool guy was who got all the jokes made about him..."You don't know who Chuck Norris is?!?!?" was usually followed by uninformative silence. Now I know he's a real person, not some mythical character, and I chiefly think he's cool because he's a Christian and admires the Harris twin's character and message.) These guys have a message that is changing lives because of its grounding in truth. I think God is using it to change mine, and only time and effort will tell where He'll take me next.

The two Twin boys who authored this book came out of a Portland, Oregon social background with what appears to be a deep Faith and Home School background. Alex and Brett Harris founded TheRebelution.com when they were sixteen-years-old. They had no idea it would soon become one of the most popular Christian teen websites on the Internet, with nearly 40 million page views from over 5 million unique visitors since 2007. One of the young heroes mentioned in the book is quoted with "I think our generation is sick of the world....they are sick if everything it has to offer. The only reason they're pursuing it is because that's all they're given....That's why our mission as a band is to wake up our generation." p. 208 The book and their associated web presence look in many ways as an 'Amish' way of 'raising' children with concrete hard tasks and high expectations from a very early age. Rather than leaving our children and young people unable to do much real work, or have the courage to challenge their elders with boundless faith, energy and visions for a better world for all of us. It's a great book for almost any young age, Bible Study Groups and Youth Ministries. Certainly it's a terrific inspirational book for Home Schooling parents; it's unfortunate that its faith basis makes it ineligible for use in Pubic school environments.

Good book

Great challenging read for teens.

A friend suggested this book to me and I devoured it in about 1 1/2 hours. Then I passed it to my young teenagers. They found it really inspiring, and the message resonated with them. The basic premise is that teenagers have it so easy today -- just don't do bad things and finish your chores -- but this can lead to boredom, mischief, and even a lack of confidence. Instead, teenagers should be innovating, pushing themselves, branching out, whether it be joining political campaigns, running a business, or volunteering for charities, and therefore, making a real and positive difference to the world. Don't settle for easy and mediocre -- do things that push and challenge and grow citizens in ways that aren't just expanding waistlines.

When I first started to read this book I had no idea about what Alex & Brett Harris where intending to show with this book. But i was just amazed when I realized how easy but powerful their message is. This book is really something everyone should read who feels that there is a bigger calling for teens nowadays!

Motivant, autant pour les jeunes que les moins jeunes. A lire aussi dans sa traduction française, et vous aurez envie de transformer le monde, comme ces jumeaux américains. Cela change des articles désabusés sur les générations X ou Y. Si seulement nous, les adultes, nous commencions aussi à croire en eux. Les jeunes sont la force d'aujourd'hui. Si des milliers de jeunes aux Etats-Unis commencent à le réaliser, pourquoi pas ici aussi?