Camden County Library Teen Zone

Ahoy me hearties!

Today be International Talk Like a Pirate Day!  Find your pirate name, learn the lingo, and give your conversation some swagger!  Savvy?

Leaving Dirty Jersey Author To Speak at South Brunswick Public Library

James Salant;  author of Leaving Dirty Jersey

Friday, November 9^th from 6:30pm to 8pm. 

In its first pages, this disturbing memoir sees 18 year-old Salant in a California drug recovery center some 3,000 miles from his upper-middle class Princeton home.

His memoir explores the allure and effects of the least understood drug of our time, crystal meth.  It has been called a compulsively readable, superbly told story that is shocking precisely because it could happen to almost anyone.

Salant’s tale is a detailed and gritty account of a young man from our area spiraling down through the perils of the drug world. 

Dava Sobel, author of the international best seller Longitude, believes “every parent should read this book. And every teenager on the verge of a drug trip should read it. And everyone else, too. It's that good, that important."

Hear Mr. Salant, now 23, speak of his experiences, recovery and the reasons he wrote his book.  Autographs will be available after he speaks for those with copies of his book.  There will be some copies given as door prizes at the event.

This event is open to everyone, but is recommended for adults and those in high school due to the explicit discussion of drugs and drug culture.

 
Snacks and door prizes are provided courtesy of the Friends of the Library.
Author provided courtesy of the South Brunswick Municipal Alliance against Substance Abuse.

Directions may be obtained at www.sbpl.info.

Hope to see some of you there!!!

The Kids are Alright

You may have noticed a flurry of articles and books over the last few years devoted to exploring the theme of What Is Wrong With America's Youth?  Books like Queen Bees and Wannabes, and Reviving Ophelia (click the links to find these books in the CCLS catalog, or click here to read reviews debunking them -- read both & decide what you believe!) lump teens together as violent, mindless, self-hating, and materialistic.  Some current neurological research purports to prove that teens are incapable of advanced rational thought.  My own view as someone who works with teens every day is that most of the teens I know are kind, thoughtful, well-adjusted, and interested in the world around them, so it was both refreshing and disturbing to read this recent New York Times op-ed piece, This is Your (Father's) Brain On Drugs by Mike Males. 

On the one hand, I was happy to read that not every brain-imaging scientist thinks teens are mindless risk-takers.  On the other, Males's argument and supporting statistics (he loses points with me for failing to cite them -- boo!) that it's actually Baby Boomer parents who are the mindless risk-takers is really very alarming.  Males is the Principal Investigator & Content Director for YouthFacts.org, an organization "dedicated to providing factual information on youth issues such as crime, violence, sex, drugs, drinking, social behaviors, education, civic engagement, attitudes, media, and whatever the latest teen terror du jour arises."  I like what he's trying to do -- provoke adults to think more carefully about your generation before we pronounce you broken -- but the way he's doing it is a little suspect. 

It's Monday morning food for thought, at least.  Happy reading!

Back To School Thoughts

The new school year is nearly upon us, so I offer you the following:

Last-minute Summer Reading Info: Find your school's summer reading list here.  You can even search the catalogue for titles and place holds where necessary.  Caveat lector, though: it's kind of late in the game for this, so even though we have purchased at least four copies of every book on these lists, there may not be enough copies to go around at this point.  Local booksellers also have the school lists and may be able to sell you a copy if we don't have one available for you.

Cornell Method of Note-Taking:  Okay, this is admittedly quite nerdy, but hello, I am nerdy. The Cornell Method is a note-taking strategy designed to help you get the most out of your notes, whether you use them for writing a paper, or just for studying later.  It can be overwhelming looking at pages & pages of your own handwriting, and the Cornell Method helps you sift through the notes for the most important information & insights.  Here's an explanation of how it works, and I even found a handy personalized Cornell note paper PDF-generator.  Nerd heaven!  By the way, if the Cornell Method is not for you, The Learning Toolbox is full of ideas, methods, and strategies for nearly every subject.  One of them is bound to help you get a leg up.

Find Back-to-School Bargains: RetailMeNot is full of great online shopping coupon & freebie codes, so if you are going the online route for some of your back-to-school supply & clothing purchases, make sure you sift through their listings for ways to save a buck.

Prevent Teen Pregnancy Day

Today is National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy.  Whether you're sexually active or planning to remain abstinent til marriage, this is an issue that affects you and everyone around you.  Learn more at the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy's website.  Apparently, The N is planning a night of teen pregnancy prevention programming tonight.  Tune in!