"When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years."

Mark Twain

In The Teenagers Guide to the Real World, Marshall Brain writes about the Teenage Illusion Module that formed in his brain at puberty and began to take growth there, as it does in every other teenager. The Teenage Illusion Module sends signals into your head, telling you that you are the smartest person in the world, that you know everything, and that all the adults around you are idiots.

The Guide carefully dispels that myth by examining each facet of the real world step by step—from finances to love to attitudes, from jobs to marriage to success. The Guide begins with a primal philosophical question that surfaces at some point in every teenager's mind. "Should I run away?" The question implies, of course, that teenagers would do far better on their own than remaining with their parents.

Marshall Brain, an author of nine books and a president of a multi-million dollar software development company as well as a former teacher at North Carolina State University, begins this book by answering the question tactfully and comprehensively. He systematically examines the costs that would be involved and then the matter of income. From there, the author defines practical rules that emerge from this examination—rules such as If you don't pay the rent, you are homeless and You must have a job to pay the rent.

He continues his strategy then by examining jobs and careers, love and marriage, attitudes and values, success and money, and other facts of life. His straightforward but sympathetic approach will appeal to both teenagers and parents. His clear language and his authentic reminiscences will capture the attention of the teenager while his honest style and complete coverage will convince the parents.

Throughout the book, the author maintains a tone and approach as though his reader is an awkward adolescent who feels that he or she does not fit in and thus is on the outside looking in. This is to say, the author is speaking to most adolescents (who are not aware that they, in their loneliness, form the majority.) The book's prose rings true and has a voice appealing to teenagers who are looking for strong guidance without being talked-down-to.

Marshall Brain's no-nonsense approach teaches teenagers how to get adults to take them seriously, improve their confidence and self-esteem, find an enjoyable job and earn good pay, find the love of their life, make smart choices about sex, function successfully in business and in personal life, manage their money, and plan for success. Most of what one finds in the book is fresh and direct, but founded on experience and common sense.

In the end, the issue remains how to get the teenager to learn as painlessly as possible what every mature adult has eventually discovered. I propose that parents and teachers read the book to plan more successfully their own attempts to teach teenagers the facts of life while purchasing the book as a gift for the young teenager with hopes that the teenager might pick up the book to read it. I believe that most teenagers just might do that. The opening preface of the author will ignite most teenagers' interests. Who couldn't resist reading beyond an opening that starts, "I have to start by confessing to you that I was a pretty miserable teenager"?

Dr. Jacobson is a community pediatrician, Sunday school teacher, vaccine researcher, and father of four. He is a member of the Ambulatory Pediatric Association and serves on its Education Committee. He is an Associate Professor of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine at the Mayo Clinic and the Mayo Medical School. His research interests range from issues in vaccine delivery and acceptability to genetic variation in vaccine response.