Type 1 Teens

Gr 9 Up—Hood addresses readers directly in this guide, beginning with section and chapter titles like "Diabetes Is Yours...Deal with It" and "Get Your Priorities Straight," which firmly establish the importance of teens being advocates for themselves. The book's structure is easy enough to follow: aspects of teen life (peer pressure, family, school, sexual health) affected by diabetes get thorough coverage by way of explanations of the chapter's objective examples and a concluding summary called "Putting It All Together." Tips on overcoming barriers to taking care of oneself, communicating with friends and family, and recognizing a team of supports will help affected teens take charge of their conditions. While there are some strategies here that all teens could benefit from, like ways to achieve a compromise and the steps for problem-solving, the book is geared for more personal use by young people dealing with the disease.—Joanna K. Fabicon, Los Angeles Public Library