The following student report was submitted by Ambassador League Agent Kristina C. during the 2009-2010 League.
Mission: Read - Book Report on Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris
Do Hard Things is a phenomenal and distinctly different book for teens. Written by two teenage boys, Alex and Brett Harris, they encourage teens to look at their teenage years differently. Their message is clear: rebel against the low expectations of our society. Instead of wasting precious moments of life following the path of a typical teenager, this book challenges you to view your life through God’s eyes. As founders of the rebolution.com, Alex and Brett Harris have incredible stories to tell.
Right away, they jump into discussing a moral and educational declination in teenagers. Basically, teens are not expected to do much in our society. In fact, if teens do not smoke, drink, swear, or have premarital sex, then they are considered great. All a teen has to do is not do something to be spectacular in our society. In the early 1900’s, before we had created the word “teenager”, the government put all minors in school instead of being allowed to earn a trade. The word “teenager” was created for this class of people who no longer contributed to society. Today, because of this, the expectations of teenagers are very low, but Alex and Brett immediately challenged this idea. They urge all teens to wake up and to challenge themselves.
Shortly into the book, they introduced how to become a rebolutionary (someone who rebels against the low expectations and takes a stand in our society). They outline five different types of “hard things” which teens should strive for in becoming a rebolutionary:
- Things which are outside of your comfort zone.
- Things which are beyond what is expected or required.
- Things which are too big to do alone.
- Things which do not earn an immediate payoff.
- Things which challenge the cultural norm.
Embellished with many personal stories, Alex and Brett go into great detail of what this means to the average teen. Basically, they challenge teens to take the first big step by doing something that is terrifying to that individual. Whether that is volunteering, public speaking, or helping an elder at the grocery store, they portray this as a “must” for every rebolutionary. They continue to show how the other types of “hard” build off from each other after you have taken this first step.
Alex and Brett also strongly point out that even though we may not be “changing the world”, we still need to be a rebolutionary in every small situation. Whether that is unloading the dishwasher, cleaning the bedroom, or helping with dinner, each and every simple task needs to be treated as if you were changing the world. They point out that God wants us to obey Him in every situation, not only when we are trying to change the world. Alex and Brett encourage everyone to challenge the cultural norm by doing your very best in the “small” things. This part of the book really challenged me as I thought about how I treated my everyday tasks. I may not want to help out with dinner after a long day of school, but I know that that is my responsibility. Many times, I am happy to serve others and do great things when the opportunity comes, but am I equally happy to serve my own family? This is the question I was confronted with. After reading this book, I was encouraged to treat my everyday tasks as if I were striving for perfection. If every teen would read this book, the world would change drastically. It lets every teen see that they have a purpose to fulfill. I would strongly suggest that every teen read this book because they will finish it being convicted and ready to make a change.
