September 2025
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    My 15 year old is currently acting like an awful, terrible person. He’s been this way for about a year. I’m at the point where I’m despairing it’s ever going to change.

    Suggest me some books that include terrible teenagers. Bonus points if they eventually turn out to be worthwhile people.

    by Ecstatic_Tax_4670

    7 Comments

    1. No_Construction3287 on

      The Catcher In the Rye is about a teenager who is—if not exactly terrible—really difficult and unruly.

      For what it’s worth, I was somewhat of a terrible teenager. Often mean, often disrespectful, massive temper, kind of a complete bitch. My parents were good to me during this time, but they also called me out on my behavior and weren’t afraid to knock sense into me and get me to see that my behavior actually hurt them (I was able to recognize that I was being awful), and I think that helped me mellow out quite a bit. I was also dealing with a lot of mental issues that I eventually worked out on my own, so if you could provide some help to your son I think that’d help him get better faster. I feel for you, and I’m sorry.

    2. This isn’t really what you’re asking for but I read The Teenage Brain by Frances E. Jensen when I was teaching teenagers and it gave me more empathy towards them while also expanding my toolkit of how to deal with them when they’re at their worst. Hang in there!

    3. Rainbow_Catto on

      Therapy for you. Your teenager is probably not a terrible person, and you need to find a way to understand them and build a healthy relationship. No book can teach you that

    4. I just finished Shy by Max Porter. It’s a story about a troubled teenager. It’s quite an intense read, but very interesting and the ending is satisfying.

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