A Totally Alien Life-Form: Teenagers

by Sydney Lewis

Young people between the ages of 13 and 19 from all over the US were interviewed for this book. In it, they discuss fears, plans, ambitions, and even nostalgia for the simplicity of childhood.

Genres: Nonfiction

368 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

Reviews

[Karah]

Only one person presented evidence of a depressing future. Everyone else? I anticipate they have thrived throughout turmoil and immersed in productive lives. I love the way it ended: Akili Merritt. I appreciate his bond to his blackness. I wonder if he ended up with a black woman and dark-skinned children who obediently cook for him and do homework. Yes!!!! I hope Akili Merritt achieved this!!!!

Stellar book, Sydney Lewis.

[Brandy]

Surprisingly thought-provoking, but almost horrifically so, in some ways. The author is based in Chicago, so I can understand why the majority of her interviewees were there, but it mostly painted a picture of Chicago as a festering pit of despair. Most of the kids in the book were minorities, and they usually talked about gang violence, drugs (selling or using), and sex. The jacket copy called it "touching and hopeful," but I honestly found the picture painted to be more bleak than hopeful. (Also, it was interesting to note that the interviews were conducted from 1994-1996, the same years I was in high school. The contrast between their inner-city experiences and my generic suburban experiences was pretty extreme.)