US: Tiny Step Away from Deepest Faith (PDF)

"e;In a society where my generation is often mischaracterized or misunderstood by parents and those around them, assumed to be irreligious, cynical, and jaded, I intend to depict it as I see it: which is to say a generation lying just at the door of faith, having rejected everything but faith itself. Having assumed everything to be meaningless, we are very close to accepting God as the only source of meaning."e; - Marjorie CorbmanIn this candid, thought-provoking account, seventeen-year-old Marjorie Corbman teaches the rest of us something about faith. She recounts her own experiences as well as those of many of her friends, dismantling with remarkable transparency and grace the misconceptions surrounding today's teenagers. Chapters focus on issues and experiences that Corbman and her peers are searching for - such as intimacy, tradition, eternity, community, justice, escape - and how each relates to what Corbman calls "e;the one thing needful"e; - faith. Much has been written about teenagers, from self-help books for parents to young adult novels, but very little has been written by teens themselves. This is a book that is sorely needed, both for adults wishing to understand today's kids, and also for those teenagers who wish to assign some meaning to their beliefs, sufferings, and searching.