Organization and Motivation ... part 3

These two titles deal with emotions: anger and fear and how those can often stand in the way of  accomplishment and better organization.

ZERO TO 60 by Michael A. Tompkins is subtitled “A Teen’s Guide to Manage Frustration, Anger, and Everyday Irritations.” Its primary focus is on dealing with anger and explaining cognitive and behavioral strategies to promote better communication and the de-escalation of situations where aggressive behavior can get out of control. Unfortunately, there was no table of contents in the eBook preview, but the author does make an effort to speak directly to troubled teens; “zero to sixty” is just the first of many analogies to driving a car. Tompkins, a licensed psychologist and Assistant Clinical Professor at UC Berkeley, emphasizes reducing speed to regain control, pulling over, and leaving anger by the side of the road. ZERO TO 60 received positive reviews from Booklist (“a must for social-emotional learning collections”) and Kirkus (“a welcome workbook for teens wishing to get a handle on their anger issues”). Each chapter contains worksheets to help with anger management skills as well as a summary of key points; near the end there are several pages with lists of helpful resources (books, web sites, etc.) for teens, families, and educators. (APA/Magination Press) ordered – 4 stars

STOP AVOIDING STUFF by Matthew S. Boone, Jennifer Gregg and Lisa W. Coyne reviews “25 Microskills to Face Your Fears and Do It Anyway.” The authors’ credentials, a social worker, professor of Psychology at San Jose State, and a practicing clinical psychologist, are impressive. They bring much needed insight to overcoming fears with practical suggestions in sections designed to build awareness, feel your feelings, free yourself of fearful thoughts, shift your view, and take small steps. Noting that avoidance is about control, the authors use each of the 25 short chapters (e.g., take perspective or practice gratitude) to describe a microskill by using stories and scientific background. This means there are many words, but, unfortunately, few images or diagrams appear to be interspersed. (New Harbinger)  3 stars