“Do Hard Things” by Alex and Brett Harris

Reviewed by Kara McCool

In our culture, the teenage years have become an excuse for mistakes, laziness, and low expectations. If a teenager manages to make it out alive without some sort of disaster like an unexpected pregnancy or a criminal record, parents count themselves worthy of a pat on the back for a job well done. Alex and Brett Harris endeavor to obliterate this stereotype and challenge teenagers all over the world to raise the bar. In this book by teens, for teens, the Harris brothers encourage fellow peers to …

“Check online or walk through your local bookstore. You’ll find plenty of books written by fortysomethings who, like, totally understand what it’s like being a teenager. You’ll find a lot of cheap, throwaway books for teens, because young people today aren’t supposed to care about books, or to see any reason to keep them around. And you’ll find a wide selection of books where you never have to read anything twice—because the message is dumbed down. Like, just for you.”

The Harris brothers are tired of being “dumbed down.” This book is based on the teenage movement spurred on by eighteen-year-old Alex and Brett called the “Rebelution,” a combination of the words “rebellion” and “revolution”.  Their movement is based on I Timothy 4:12, in which the apostle Paul tells Timothy, “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity” (EST). The authors state, “In other words, as young people we are called to be exemplary in all areas of life. Our generation is falling incredibly short of that calling. Instead of serving as the launching pad of life, the teen years are seen as a vacation from responsibility. We call it the ‘myth of adolescence.’ And the Rebelution is all about busting that myth.”

http://www.therebelution.com/