Teens today are suffering from an epidemic of anguish that cannot be ignored. Last year, nearly one-fifth seriously considered suicide. We’ve always known that teenagers can be moody, but that is not what is going on today. Today’s teenagers and preteens are growing up in an entirely new world, and understandably, many parents are paralyzed by problems that didn’t exist less than a decade ago. The good news is that we do understand why this generation is different and why they are suffering, and this means that we understand what we can do to reverse the scary trends in mental illness. A highly acclaimed sociologist at UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center, Dr. Christine Carter melds research—including the latest findings in neuroscience, sociology, and social psychology—with her own real-world experiences as the mother of four teenagers. In The New Adolescence, she gives parents and educators realistic ways to help preteens, teens and college students find focus and fulfillment.