Teen Health Today's Favorite Books Of 2025
AMAZING books on fatherhood, sex ed, puberty, adolescence, and more.
Hi! I am feeling deeply appreciative of book readers this year. "Talk To Your Boys,” the book I wrote with Joanna Schroeder, came out in September, and it has been an absolute joy to see your posts about it and meet some of you at book events. We just learned that UC-Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center selected “Talk To Your Boys” one of its favorite parenting books of the year (!!!)
Today, I’m sharing some of the my own favorite books of the year, and sending you good wishes for this holiday season. I hope you find space for joy, reflection, and connection, and maybe some quiet reading time.
Big love,
Christopher
What’s this book about? This is a fascinating, in-depth look at the history of sex education in the United States. Margaret Grace Myers examines how eugenics, world wars, teen pregnancy, and AIDS shifted the debates, and how the fights we are having right now echo the arguments people have been having for decades.
Why do I love it? Learning about the origins of the sex ed movement is fascinating. Ever since it was first proposed, there have been arguments about the whether it is appropriate and effective to use schools to share public health messages with teens, and those arguments are rehashed every time there’s a new health crisis. Myers is a meticulous researcher who spent years digging into this history and weaving it a compelling story.
How can I learn more? Read an excerpt from the book in LitHub.
What’s this book about? In “Diary of a Confused Educator,” Ever Forward Club founder Ashanti Branch reflects on what’s he’s experienced and what he’s learned while mentoring young men for more than 20 years. He explains how he went from being an engineer to being a math teacher to being a community leader and educator who is constantly asking people to “look beyond the mask” and connect more deeply to the people around them.
Why do I love it? I think Branch’s ideas are incredibly important and want them to reach more people, and I love that this book is so approachable and relatable. I appreciate that it includes stories about specific young people and how they’ve connected with the Ever Forward Club.
How can I learn more? Read this interview I did with Branch, and follow the instructions there to try making your own mask.
What’s this book about? This is large scale investigation of what we now know about the science of adolescence, how it is changing, and how those changes are affecting young people. It’s an expansion of the great series on teen mental health Matt Richtel wrote for the New York Times.
Why do I love it? I appreciate how the book takes teens and their concerns seriously, and that Richtel seems genuinely fascinated by the physical, mental, and biochemical changes that happen as kids transform into adults.
How can I learn more? Read “A Century Ago, Adolescents Weren’t Fully Human,” an essay adapted from the book.
What’s this book about? This is the new book from science and parenting writer Melinda Wenner Moyer, author of the terrific Substack Now What and the amazing book How to Raise Kids Who Aren’t Assholes. Here, Moyer takes on 10 different topics that parents often worry about - things like encouraging friendships, fostering financial literacy, and preventing polarization - and applies her best journalistic chops to discovering what really works and turning it into useful, functional advice.
Why do I love it? Moyer is the kind of expert you want on your side - someone who can offer genuine insights and helpful suggestions while mantaining a sense of humor and empathy.
How can I learn more? Listen to a discussion of the book on the This is So Awkward podcast with Vanessa Kroll Bennett and Cara Natterson
What’s this book about? This is a collection of short essays on fatherhood from Shawn Taylor, a Bay Area-based storyteller, educator, and writer. The daughter he writes about raising here is almost done with high school, but this collection doesn’t just focus on the teenage years - it includes memories and reflections from throughout his years as a parent. The honesty and emotionality he shares here is striking.
Why do I love it? I haven’t read a lot of books about what it feels like to be a father today, especially one who is actively trying to be closely involved in his kid’s life. Taylor’s love for his daughter is pure and big, but that doesn’t mean parenting comes easily to him. He shares a lot here about his joys and his frustrations, and ends up telling a very different kind of story about fatherhood than we are used to seeing.
How can I learn more? Listen to Parenting Without Fear: Shawn Taylor’s Vision for Black Fatherhood
What’s this book about? This is an examination of how sexism and misogyny fuel a lot of the worst violence and extremism in our world today. Cynthia Miller-Idriss, the founding director of the Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab (PERIL), understands how hate and violence can spread though a society, and illustrates this with both data and compelling case studies, followed by a clear call of action about how to fight back.
Why do I love it? This book ties together a lot of things that I teach teenagers about - violence, bullying, online behavior, gender stereotypes, racism, etc. - and makes a compelling case about why it’s so important to keep pushing for a better, safer, more equitable society.
How can I learn more? Watch this book talk with Cynthia Miller-Idriss.
What’s this book about? Unlike many of the titles on this list, this one is designed for tweens and teens to read themselves, or in partnership with a caring adult. It is a GREAT guide to puberty and the changes that come during the tween/teen years.
Why do I love it? This book is written with a tremendous amount of care and attention, and it comes through on every page. Any young person who gets a copy can feel lucky that they have access to accurate, factual information written by someone who cares deeply about their health and well-being. Plus it’s funny.
How can I learn more? Read “An Inclusive, Shame-Busting, Get-Real Guide To Puberty,” my interview with Melissa Pintor Carnagey
What’s this book about? This is a small book of big ideas, focused on the concept of “male supremacy” as a system that needs to be dismantled. With a mix of insightful, opinionated commentary, facts, and statistics, Soraya Chemaly outlines the many places where we still need to work towards gender equity, and makes a strong case for how our current systems make life worse for almost everyone - men included.
Why do I love it? I’ve been doing a lot of talks about raising boys this year, and I always try to place those discussions in a larger cultural context. I explain to the audience that while the concerns about boys today are real and important, they are not the only gender-related issues we need to solve. This book will help me sharpen and improve those comments.
How can I learn more? Check out this ‘zine that Chemaly made that artistically plays with the ideas in the book, and watch this discussion she had with Amber Tamblyn.
What’s this book about? First Love argues that we need to take teen relationships seriously, and understand the deep emotions that can come up in those relationships, rather than minimizing them as just “puppy love.” Author Lisa A. Phillips addresses the serious feelings that crushes, romance, rejection, sexuality, and break-ups produce, and what kind of support young people need to navigate those feelings well.
Why do I love it? I think teen friendships and romantic relationships are important, and young people can learn a tremendous about from them. Unfortunately, youth often feel like they are navigating these relationships on their own without much adult guidance. I love that Phillips offers lots of practical advice for adults who want to actually be helpful .
How can I learn more? Listen to Phillips’ advice on the “Where Parents Talk” podcast.
What’s this book about? In this book, Deborah Farmer Kris latches onto a simple-but-powerful concept and explores it in multiple ways. That concept: Awe is an powerful experience that is oven overlooked and undervalued, and that if parents can help kids find and experience awe it will enrich their lives.
Why do I love it? Some of the happiest adults I know are people who have learned to stop and take in beauty when they see it. In fact, many of the “bids for connection” that research shows help strengthen relationships revolve around sharing those moments with others (think “Oooh, look at this cool bird nest!”). I love that Kris encourages parents and educators to foster and share these moments with kids.
How can I learn more? Read Kris’ essay “How Moments in Nature Help Kids Thrive” in Greater Good Magazine.
Want to catch up on my favorite books from past years?
Favorite books of 2024, featuring Ruth Whippman, Jo-Ann Finkelstein, PhD, Shana Minei Spence, Dr. Charlotte Markey and more.
Favorite books of 2023, featuring Jennifer L.W. Fink, Devorah Heitner, PhD, Virginia Sole-Smith, Lisa Damour, PhD and more.
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Love "Growing Into You" by Mellisa Pintor Carnagey -- glad it made your excellent list!