Chicken Soup for the Teenager's Soul

I just finished reading some stories from Chicken Soup for the Teenager’s Soul – Book III. I realize that these books are pretty popular, and that some people do defend them pretty heartily, but after reading that…pathetic.

The entire book is some sort of mumbo-jumbo thing written by teenagers about different things. Half the book is about breaking up with your boyfriend or girlfriend and crying about it. I think I read one, just one story, out of the forty or so that I read, that was even written by a Christian and actually offered good advice for other people in their situation. And it was about a death, I think.

The book is titled Chicken Soup for the Teenager’s Soul but really what it is is this, “Chicken Poison for the Teenager’s Soul that Has Already had Much Bombardment From the World and Doesn’t Need This.” I really don’t want to sound super judgmental, but I do want to warn teens about this.

I think that the problem is that this book is supposed to be ‘comfort’, just like chicken soup when you are sick. Obviously, since the book is entitled ‘Chicken Soup for the Teen’s Soul’. But it fails to give comfort. The people and their stories in the book haven’t found real comfort. They can’t. Aside from Jesus, no comfort can be found. Maybe temporarily you may think that there is comfort in the arms of a boyfriend or girlfriend or something like that, but in the end it won’t help.

To conclude, the book is a good idea, maybe, but is very atheist and does not really convey the message that is intended by the title. I don’t recommend the book at all, and I don’t think I would recommend the other two Teen books either, though I haven't read those.