Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul Letters: Letters of Life, Love and Learning

by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Kimberly Kirberger

Overview

A collection of the most important letters received from teens responding to the Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul series, this book is a powerful reflection of the feelings of generation of readers. Some letters will make readers laugh and others will make them cry; but all the letters reveal that teens share similar outlooks, experiences and feelings.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781453279311
Publisher:	Chicken Soup for the Soul
Publication date:	10/23/2012
Series:	Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul Series
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	400
File size:	1 MB
Age Range:	13 - 17 Years

About the Author

Jack Canfield is cocreator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul® series, which includes forty New York Times bestsellers, and coauthor of The Success Principles: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be. He is a leader in the field of personal transformation and peak performance and is currently CEO of the Canfield Training Group and Founder and Chairman of the Board of The Foundation for Self-Esteem. An internationally renowned corporate trainer and keynote speaker, he lives in Santa Barbara, California.
Jack Canfield is co-creator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul® series, which includes forty New York Times bestsellers, and coauthor of The Success Principles: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be. He is a leader in the field of personal transformation and peak performance and is currently CEO of the Canfield Training Group and Founder and Chairman of the Board of The Foundation for Self-Esteem. An internationally renowned corporate trainer and keynote speaker, he lives in Santa Barbara, California.
 Mark Victor Hansen is a co-founder of Chicken Soup for the Soul.

Hometown:

Santa Barbara, California

Date of Birth:

August 19, 1944

Place of Birth:

Fort Worth, Texas

Education:

B.A. in History, Harvard University, 1966; M.A.T. Program, University of Chicago, 1968; M.Ed., U. of Massachusetts, 1973

Website:

http://www.jackcanfield.com

Read an Excerpt

Bonding with Notebooks

"Today could be the day that my mom realizes I'm growing up and gives me some more responsibility."

Jenny Gleason

Dear Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul,

I have always been a real fan of your books and the important lessons of love and understanding that are shared in each of the stories. They have helped me to see things that were not so clear to me. I have received a great deal of comfort from reading many of the stories.

I had been going through some difficult times not so long ago dealing with the pressures of growing up and trying to communicate with my parents, particularly my mother. Our relationship had suffered because of this. When I would get frustrated or angry it seemed like we would end up in some sort of confrontation with each other and not talk about what we were really feeling. I feel like I have overcome those obstacles now, but not without a certain turn of events.

A while back I ran away from home so that I could be far enough away to vent my anger and release some of the pain bottled up inside of me. I stayed away for many hours, well into the night, before I finally decided to return home. When I walked through the front door of my house, I immediately saw all the pain, anger and disappointment on my parents' faces, especially my mother's. For days after the incident, my mom and I were on unfirm ground, to say the least. Everything we did or said was filled with tension until we both eventually snapped. We knew we desperately had to have a talk. We agreed to have breakfast together the next morning. That morning will remain etched in my memory forever. It was a turning point in both of our lives and our relationship.

We decided to go to a local café. On our way to the table I noticed that my mother had two notebooks and some pens. I asked her what they were for. She explained to me that sometimes it is easier to write down our feelings rather than try to talk about them. She then proceeded to hand me a notebook of my own and she kept one for herself. The "rules" for that talk were that she would pick a topic,
and we would write down our feelings about the topic in the form of a letter. It could be as long or as short as we wanted. Our first topic was: "Why I am so angry." I had written a half page worth of stuff, and my mom filled up nearly three pages. I watched tears stream down her face as she wrote. I never realized anyone could hide so much anger and frustration. It could have been that I never paid much attention, either. Sometimes we think we are the only ones with problems, but I was reminded that morning that other people can be hurting just as much.

After she was finished writing we exchanged our notebooks and read what the other had written. As soon as I started reading my mother's words, I began to cry and so did she. When we were finished reading we discussed our feelings. Amazingly enough, it felt like all the anger I had welled up inside of me drained from my body. Our talk helped me realize so many things I had never thought of before,
not only about my mother but about other people as well.

My mother and I continue to use our notebooks as a means of communicating our anger and frustrations, and our happiness also. We know that no matter how we feel about each other, our notebooks are a safe place to express it. We have made a pact that at the end of each letter we write, "I love you." Here are two of our more recent entries:

Dear Mom,

I just wanted you to know that some things I do are not meant to hurt or spite you. When I yell at you it's not because I hate you. And when I tell you I hate you, you should know that I really don't, although at times I feel like you hate me. Sometimes you just make me really mad and frustrated, and I don't know what to do with it. Like when you tell me you don't believe me even though I'm not lying, or when you do things that invade my privacy without my permission that you know I won't like. For instance, the other day you searched my room without

me knowing or being there. I just wanted to hate you so much then. Then today you yelled at me, and it made me so mad. I really don't think there is much more to say right now. I love you.

Katie

And my mother's response to my letter:

Dear Katie,

I realize that you get mad and frustrated, but I do, too. I don't want you to think that since I am an adult I don't have feelings. As much as you think that I might like it, I don't like yelling at you. I just wish you would help out a little more with the family and around the house. It would make things easier on me. Some things I do, like searching your room or not believing you, are not done to be mean. I only do those things if I have good cause. Sometimes you worry me, but it's just because I care. Although you might not think so, you yell at me as much as I yell at you. It hurts my feelings as well. Sometimes I just want to cry. I'm glad you told me how you felt about all those things. I'll try to work on my temper with you, and I'll try to be more patient if you will return the same courtesy to me and help me out a little around the house. If this is not okay, tell me and we can try to work something out. I love you.

Mom

We gained a special gift that day at the restaurant and we continue to be blessed with each other's everlasting love and patience. I am now a firm believer that we all need to express our feelings in order to live healthy lives. Thank you so much for letting me share this with you.

Sincerely,

Katie Benson

---

(c)2002.
All rights reserved. Reprinted from Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul Letters
by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Kimberly Kirberger. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the written permission of the publisher.
Publisher: Health Communications, Inc., 3201 SW 15th Street, Deerfield Beach, FL
33442.

Table of Contents

	Acknowledgments	xi
	Introduction	xvii
	Healing Words Corey Dweck	xx
	Share with Us	xxiii
1.	Dear Chicken Soup...
	Thanks, Mom!	2
	My Sister's First Love	5
	Unconditional Love	20
	Guy Repellent	24
	Always a Tomorrow	28
	April 15, the Worst and Best Day of My Life	31
	Hope	35
	Am I Helping ...?	40
	Sharing an Intimate Moment	44
	Treasuring a Friend	49
	My Dad, My Source for Healing	53
	A Simple Smile, a Scream Inside	56
	Whatever I Want to Be	59
	A Loving Change	62
2.	Overcoming Obstacles
	Never Count Me Out	66
	Kind Words	70
	A Healed Heart	77
	You'll Never Walk Again	81
	Winning Life's Battles	85
	Yes I Can	89
	Getting the Most Out of Life	93
	Regaining My Pride	97
	The Shadow	101
	Discovering Me	106
	Not Alone	110
	Lucky After All	114
	Inspired by Tragedy	118
3.	Thank You!
	Chicken Soup? How Lame!	124
	Respecting Others	127
	A Plea for All of Us	131
	Defining Courage	135
	Coming Together	138
	Declaration of Humanhood	143
	Misinterpreted	146
	People Change but Friendships Remain	149
	Giving from the Heart	152
	Moving On	155
	Our Journey Together	158
	If They Can Make It, So Can I	161
	A Closer Family	164
	Dealing with My Mother's Death	167
	A Buoy in the Ocean of Life	170
	Feeling Better About Myself	173
	Me	175
4.	Insights and Lessons
	Bonding with Notebooks	180
	Life Is a Bumpy Road	186
	Learning the Hard Way	189
	My Magic Mirror	191
	It's Not What's on the Outside, but What's on the Inside	195
	A Simple Story	198
	Lessons	202
	Wiping Off the Fog	205
	The Soft Voice of Forgiveness	208
5.	Tough Stuff
	Honoring My Sister	214
	Cotton Candy	222
	There for My Father	226
	Coping with the Loss of a Friend	230
	Letting Go of Guilt	234
	The Crash	236
	When I Get Out	238
6.	Helping Others
	Helping Others: Introduction	242
	Mike's Gift: A Continuation of the Story "Hero of the 'Hood"	244
	There Is Hope	258
	Yellow Ribbon Project	262
	We Did It!	268
	A Most Precious Possession	271
	Challenge Day	274
	A Day That Changed Us All	279
	The Violence Needs to Stop	284
	A Teacher's Dream	291
	Dusty Sentiments	303
	More Chicken Soup?	309
	Who Is Jack Canfield?	310
	Who Is Mark Victor Hansen?	311
	Who Is Kimberly Kirberger?	312
	Contributors	313
	Permissions	322

Editorial Reviews

From the team that launched the highly popular and inspirational Chicken Soup series comes Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul Letters, a collection of reactions from teens and others around the world who have read the various volumes of Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul. These heartfelt letters, stories, and poems invoke a wide range of feelings and reactions as the contributors speak out on topics that range from the tragic and melancholy to the celebratory and joyous. There is humor, pathos, wisdom, hindsight, pain, and passion -- all of it designed to inspire, inform, and instruct.

Here are amazing stories from teens who have overcome tremendous obstacles, including physical deformities, sexual abuse, drug addiction, incarceration, debilitating depression, and overwhelming grief. Some of the letters are pleas to others who are troubled or lost; some are words of gratitude expressed to those who have reached out, supported, or simply been there; and still others are expressions of grief from teens mourning the loss of friends and loved ones. The subject matter is sometimes lighthearted but more often gritty, and the issues raised range from things as complex as racism to the simple need to be loved.

The entries are loosely organized into sections that bear such titles as "Lessons Learned," "Sharing and Confiding," "On Giving Back," "Tough Stuff," and "Making a Difference." Many of the letters describe the incredible impact the Chicken Soup series has had on the contributor and/or someone they know. There are also letters from several organizations who work with and support teens. You only have to read a handful of these letters to realize the awesome power of this inspirational series, and while the Chicken Soup books may be, as one topic heading says, "Changing Lives One Story at a Time," this collection of letters is proof positive of its incredible snowball effect. (Beth Amos)

barnesandnoble.com

Parents and teachers join with teen voices in Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul Letters: Letters of Life, Love and Learning edited by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen and Kimberly Kirberger. The authors of Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul, after receiving so many thank-you letters in response to the book, decided to compile many of them here. The letters begin with gratitude, but often wind up as a tool for sharing experiences, whether those of a teacher in a juvenile detention center, a 15-year-old struggling with cystic fibrosis or a vice principal of a high school who discusses a theft and the power of forgiveness. ( Apr.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Gr 7 Up-The contributors range from young teens to college students to professional writers, which is only clear from scanning the "Contributors" list at the end of the book. About two-thirds of the book is what readers might expect from the title: letters that mainly say thank you and others that include personal narratives prompted by "Chicken Soup" stories. Without showing any disrespect to the teens who had the courage to share their experiences, a few of these letters go a long way. The best writing makes up about a third of the book-stories and poems that are interesting, inspirational, and well written, and appear to be submissions in their own right. Buy where "Chicken Soup" products are extremely popular.-Amy A. Healey, Loyola Academy Resource Center, Wilmette, IL Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

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