Nate Slaymaker is a school counsellor and foster parent who lives in California. He has a wealth of additional experience from time spent as a sports coach, a youth pastor and as a high school teacher. In HANDING DOWN HOPE, Slaymaker calls on all of his knowledge and vocational skills to provide a personal guide to raising, teaching, coaching, and inspiring teenagers. The book is an honest and informative look at the methods and strategies that the author has tried and found to work.
By the author’s own admission, HANDING DOWN HOPE is not an academic study, neither are its contents backed up by hard scientific data or analysis. Slaymaker’s intention is to provide anecdotal evidence to the ways his personal approach to mentoring and inspiring teenagers was developed and to share his success stories as a means to inspire readers that are on a similar path. To this end, the book is a success and Slaymaker is an affable guide. Presented in short, accessible chapters HANDING DOWN HOPE is written in a clear manner with minimal jargon and with a solid sense of humor.
The author shares real world stories of how he handled difficult situations with a number of teenagers that were in his care. With frequent references to pop culture including the Lord of the Rings, Star Wars and various TV shows, HANDING DOWN HOPE is full of analogies that are easy to comprehend. Key to Slaymaker’s method is to not be judgemental but be curious and be empathetic. By getting to understand how and why teenagers act or react has meant that the author has been able to achieve significant success in turning around teens who were threatening to go off the rails.
Much of the book relates to Slaymaker’s time as a leader at church camps and this religious aspect may not sit comfortably with all readers. The author makes clear that his roots are in the church and that this is what shaped his outlook on life and was where he gained much of his experience. That said, there is never the notion of evangelizing within the text and its contents remain just as useful for the secular reader.
HANDING DOWN HOPE may not be the first book that a person working with teenagers will turn to but as an inspirational, hands-on history from somebody who has worked in the field it will certainly warrant its place on their shelves.
~Kent Lane for IndieReader