You Are Not Special: ... And Other Encouragements - Softcover

McCullough Jr., David

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0062393340 ISBN 13: 9780062393340

Publisher: Ecco, 2015

Synopsis

David mccullough, Jr.'s now iconic high school commencement address was a tonic for children, parents, and educators alike. With wit and a perspective earned from raising four children and teaching high school students for nearly thirty years, McCullough expands on his speech, shares his insights into the lives of today's children, and advocates for a life of passionate engagement.

About this title

About the Author:

David McCullough, Jr. taught for sixteen years at Punahou School in Honolulu and has been teaching at Wellesley High School near Boston since 2002. He lives with his wife and four children in Sudbury, Massachusetts.

Review:

“Drawing on his teaching and parenting experience, You Are Not Special calls on teenagers to use their privilege and considerable talents to solve the increasingly complex and dire problems plaguing our world... It’s a lovely notion... and the book is fantastic.” (Chicago Tribune)

“...a success. May its salvos ring from Cambridge and Arlington to the hinterlands of Wellesley, Weston, and Way-wayland. You Are Not Special is also big-hearted - and clearly forged in a hearth of caring, doubt, and fear. Aphorisms could be lifted from every page and blossom into memes.” (Boston Globe)

“... McCullough scores an A+ with this volume for teens and parents. Rich in literary references and poetic in cadence, the author ... offers plenty of hilarious and pointed comments on teens and today’s society. ” (Publishers Weekly (Starred Review))

“Despite the somewhat disparaging tone of the title, McCullough’s graduation book is anything but a downer. The high school English teacher ...expands on his viral commencement address with words of encouragement: Do what you love, don’t be afraid to make mistakes and remember-we’re all in the same boat.” (Bookpage)

“...to open You Are Not Special...and Other Encouragements is to enter a deeply intellectual and thought-out analysis of the forces that shape modern teenage life, both at home and in the classroom. . . Even if you didn’t agree with McCullough’s speech, this is essential reading.” (The Swellesley Report)

“The author tackles big issues ... with searching sincerity, open-heartedness, and a deft, light touch.” (Kirkus (Starred Review))

“Every once in a long while, a voice seems to come out of nowhere, and you wonder how you ever managed without [it]. David McCullough, Jr. has that startling, insightful, wry, reassuring, helpful voice and You Are Not Special may be the wisest ‘parenting’ book I’ve read in decades.” (Madeline Levine, author of author of The Price of Privilege and Teach Your Children Well)

“A clear-eyed but affectionate polemic urging kids to stop trying to be perfect and to take chances, even at the risk of failing. A profound celebration of the life well lived.” (Clayton Christensen, author of How Will You Measure Your Life?)

About this edition

• Publisher: Ecco
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 0062393340
• ISBN 13: 9780062393340
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 352