Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations

"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.

If you have a teenager, are a teenager, work with teenagers, know a teenager, or have a heart for building God's Kingdom whatever your age, you must read this book. Don't argue with me--go get it today. I'm not kidding! Go! Alex & Brett Harris were only 16 when they founded TheRebelution.com--"a teenage rebellion against low expectations." This book was born of that movement and, though written for teens, is full of sage advice for adults as well. The Harris brothers took Paul seriously when he said, "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" -1 Timothy 4:12. Through their web site, book, and conferences, they are encouraging others to do the same. In the book, they start by telling their story, then move into a history of "teenagers." Did you know they've only existed since the early 1800's? The Harris brothers explain how teenagers came to be and some of the results society is seeing today. After that, they give examples of historical "teenagers," then considered adults, who accomplished some amazing things. They call this first section of the book, "Rethinking the Teen Years." In section two, they define hard things and tell why teenagers should attempt them--to grow, to pursue excellence, to dream big, to be faithful and choose integrity, and to stand for what is right. They also explain what is needed to accomplish hard things: courage, commitment, competence, collaboration, character and so on. Finally, they tell stories of teenagers today who have done hard things and who are planning to do hard things. They encourage the reader to make a plan to attempt his or her own hard things. In the appendix, Alex presents the Gospel for any reader who doesn't yet know Christ. "Do Hard Things" is a well-researched, well-organized, and well-written. It's an easy and interesting read. It's also a very good idea! I highly recommend it. Happy reading!

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.

There is much in this book to like. The writing style is very fluid and catchy. It is a very easy read but also one that has the ability to stir up your heart. The first part of the book, at least in my opinion, shines the brightest. The second and third section are necessary to help us see what The Rebelution looks like but I was sold on the first part. The Myth of Adolescence and A Better Way are two really great chapters. These teens know their culture and are impacting it in a profound way. As a youth pastor I made an effort to get this book in the hands of every one of our teenagers. We went through this book in our Sunday School meetings and most of the students liked it, and some were excited about joining The Rebelution. This book, or at least all of the principles behind it, needs to catch on in our churches and within our youth culture. What I Disliked: This book will not solve all of the problems within teen culture nor is it meant to. However, there does seem to be something that is missing with this book. It pains me to say it because I expected the exact opposite, but the thing that seemed to missing was a Christ-centered, gospel-centered, appeal to rebel against low expectations. By no means is the gospel left out. The Harris brothers are always quick to point to God and many of their stories include the living out of the gospel. But there is a sense in which the gospel seems to take a back seat to social change. Would they consider someone a Rebelutionary that started a grass roots political campaign but never came to know and share in the glory of Christ? It is clear that their intent is to "do hard things for the glory of God" but does that really happen when unbelievers are merely creating social change? Should You Buy It? If you are an old codger that disdains and is bothered by the plight of youth culture then you need to read this book to see why teens are the way they are and what you can do about it. If you are a blissfully ignorant teenager then you need to read this book. If you work with teenagers and are beating your head against the wall this might be a good book for you. Simply put, if you have ever seen a teenager then this might be a good read for you. In my opinion this book is a seed of something really great. Be a part of it, buy the book.

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

Love this book so much I got one for my sister. Had some stuff written in it since it was used but nothing major. Very biblical and a rise to the occasion type book. Definitely recommend to any young child and even college students

I'm 37 years old and just finished this book. It's one of many that I have started over the last 16 months, but the only one I have finished. I was inspired to read the book after listening to an audio about a father who watched his son's love for baseball, be cut short as he tried out for the High School team and was cut. This sent the son on the "normal" teenage path of bad choices, friends who were bad influences, and ultimately a party that changed his son's life. The father came home from a family outing that the young man, who was 14 at the time, decided not to go on. What he found once he got home, was the remains and evidence of what had been a wild party. With fire in his eyes, and not knowing what to do, he chased his son to his room, bent him over his knee and spanked him. Further discussion came with the price of not knowing what further consequences would be, but for the immediate future, he was grounded. Shortly after this experience, the father came across this book. The new consequence would be, his son could be ungrounded once he read the book and wrote a report about what he had learned from the book, not just a report about what the book was about. The young man has since started his own free enterprise business, leads others in the fight of free enterprise education, and continues to grow and inspire others his own age and is only 18. My oldest son is now 14 and he excels in school. He should only be in 8th grade, but is dual enrolled in both High School and College as a freshman, taking a handful of sophomore classes. He also has his own business as a subcontractor doing miscellaneous jobs to earn money. Because school comes so easy for him, he doesn't push himself to his limits or full potential. His spare time and all of his money is drowned in video games and he knows everything there is to know about the Zelda Universe. He recently asked my wife and I if he could skip a couple days of school to buy the newest game system and the newest Zelda game that came out the same day. Neither of us liked the idea, but we also knew how hard he had worked to save up the money to achieve his goal. At that point I made a deal with him. He could have the 2 days off of school if he agreed to read this book and write a 2 page report of what he learned from the book. I gave him this challenge a month ago, 02/02/17. My wife, in her infinite wisdom, 2 weeks later, challenged me too read and finish the book before he did. She thought it would be a good idea for me to be able to discuss what I'd learned from the book with him once we were both done reading it. He finished late last night, I finished this morning 03/01/17. I look forward to reading his report and discussing my goals and the hard things I plan on accomplishing this year. My hard things include significant weight loss, tripling my income, and taking my entire family (I'm a sole provider of a family of 9) on a 2 week long tropical getaway. 2017 will be my best year!

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?