HOME SCHOOL BOOK REVIEW
Book: For You, Teen-Ager in Love
Author: Walter.Riess
Illustrator: Jim Cummins
Publisher: Literary Licensing LLC, republished in 2012
ISBN-13: 978-1258243937
ISBN-10: 1258243938
Language level: 1
(1=nothing objectionable; 2=common euphemisms and/or childish slang terms; 3=some cursing and/or profanity; 4=a lot of cursing and/or profanity; 5=obscenity and/or vulgarity)
Recommended reading level: Ages 13 and up
Rating: ***** 5 stars (EXCELLENT)
Reviewed by Wayne S. Walker
Disclosure: Many publishers and/or authors provide free copies of their books in exchange for an honest review without requiring a positive opinion. Any books donated to Home School Book Review for review purposes are in turn donated to a library. No other compensation has been received for the reviews posted on Home School Book Review.
For more information e-mail homeschoolbookreview@gmail.com .
Riess, Walter. For You, Teen-Ager in Love (published in 1960 by Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, MO). Written by an editor of high school materials for the Lutheran Church, this book is in the form of a series of talks with young people about love, sex, dating, and marriage. The purpose is “to mark out some of the guidelines of love that our Lord and His church have given” us. Since it was first published in 1960, some might think that it is hopelessly outdated, but what was true fifty years ago is still true today. And with chapters with titles like “All the Kids Are Doing It,” “If I Love Him, Why Wait?”, “If You Love a Girl, Petting’s All Right, Isn’t It?”, “For Those Who Have Gone Too Far,” and “Saying Yes at the Right Time,” it sounds pretty relevant to me.
The chapter on marriages between people of different faiths is especially noteworthy. The style of writing is frank but tactful and tasteful. My copy of For You, Teen-Ager in Love came from my grandfather, Glenn Workman (1896-1979). It even has his name written in it. He was a gospel preacher, and I assume that he purchased the book to help him in counseling young people about dating and marriage. There may be a few specific observations in the book with which some of us might disagree, but for the most part I have generally found sex education materials from Concordia Publishing to be fairly conservative and quite useful. It was republished in 2012 by Literary Licensing.
