From child development expert Ellen Galinsky comes a book that blends cutting-edge research with engaging storytelling to offer readers a paradigm-shifting comprehensive understanding of adolescence.

THE BREAKTHROUGH YEARS
A New Scientific Framework for Raising Thriving Teens
by Ellen Galinsky
Flatiron Books, March 2024

Almost every adolescent has said to parents, “You JUST don’t understand.” In THE BREAKTHROUGH YEARS, Galinsky explains why that is so often true. Galinsky’s seven-year inquiry into the adolescent brain and behavior, including conducting original studies—uniquely informed by the questions adolescents have about their own development—shows why our understanding of adolescence is out of step with the latest research and how to correct it. In this book, Galinsky identifies the most important adolescent developmental needs—including belonging, developing competence, and building an identity; presents the life skills that are emerging rapidly during adolescence—like learning to be resilient and taking on challenges; and introduces Solutions Mindset and Shared Solutions—a problem-solving mindset and process that parents and others can use to help create solutions to their adolescent’s challenging problems. This book will help parents and those who work with teens to understand adolescence not as the “I hope we can get through these years” but as the breakthrough years that they truly can be.

Ellen Galinsky is President of Families and Work Institute. She’s conducted research on child-care, parent-professional relationship, parental development, work-family issues and youth voice. Ellen is the author of the best-selling Mind in the Making, more than 100 books/reports and 300 articles. She holds a Master of Science degree in child development and education from Bank Street College of Education and a Bachelor of Arts degree in child study from Vassar College. A popular keynote speaker, she has been a presenter at five White House Conferences, including the White House Conference on Teenagers in 2000. She has been featured regularly in the media, including appearances on Good Morning America, the Today Show, and The Oprah Winfrey Show.