The following student report was submitted by Ambassador League Agent Richard P. during the 2009-2010 League.
Mission: Book Report on Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris
"…the modern understanding of adolescence... allows, encourages, and even trains young people to remain childish for much longer than necessary." ~ Alex and Brett Harris
Do Hard Things is not a typical read. It is not a simple self-help volume, a history or a mere instruction booklet. Rather, it combines all of the above. The book shares God's truth and explores troubling cultural trends. Do Hard Things is a wake-up call and a challenge to teens everywhere to break free of the minimal, restrictive expectations of society.
The book wastes no time in explaining society's problems with adolescence. After having briefly touched on the main troubles of teens today, authors Alex and Brett Harris dive into what formed the modern "teenager." The Harris twins agree with other researchers that the education and labor reform of the early 1900s created an entirely new class of people. These individuals were forbidden by law to hold jobs, as the workforce was "too large" already. Instead of letting such people learn a trade, the government forced them to stay in the classroom. Expectations were lowered of students; they were no longer contributing members of society. Thus we changed the rule of expectations.
Alex and Brett use the story of the Indian Elephant to illustrate a key point. The elephant, a true behemoth in size, is separated from its mother early in its life. As it tries to escape, the trainers place heavy chains around its legs which dig deep if the elephant moves. Eventually, the elephant abandons all escape plans and the trainers slowly use weaker materials to keep it in place. Once trained, the massive beast is kept stationary by a piece of twine and a twig. While it could move anytime, the elephant expects to stay in place so it will.
The authors suggest that the modern day teenager is in much the same predicament, with expectations being the whimsical twine. They challenge teens to wake up and charge ahead. To sweeten the deal, the Harris brothers point out the natural course of failing to launch into the life ahead of us while listing the benefits of a future that is worth working toward.
After exploring the cause of the problem along with its symptoms they cover "five kinds of hard," or five kinds of hard things that somebody can do. The "five" are:
- 1) things that are outside your comfort zone;
- 2) things that go beyond what is expected or required;
- 3) things that are too big to accomplish alone;
- 4) things that don't earn an immediate payoff; and
- 5) things that challenge the cultural norm.
Each hard thing has benefits and obstacles but each also pays off in huge ways.
To challenge the norm and inspire their peers, the Harris brothers encourage readers to become a "Rebelutionary." By combining the terms revolutionary and rebel they have formed their own word.
Besides giving ways to join with other like-minded people they offer three pillars of being a rebelutionary. The three they offer are:
- 1) Christ-like character,
- 2) God honoring competence, and
- 3) World-spanning collaboration.
Each pillar is essential to a true rebelutionary. In addition, they share successful stories of rebelutionaries who have done hard things successfully and discuss how they have been blessed because of it.
They end the book with a sharp conclusion, quickly recapping the main points and ideas. Included is a section that helps you decide how to rework schedules and priorities.
Do Hard Things is very powerful, especially considering its 210 page size. Passion, purpose, and zealotry guided the remarkable young authors into creating a quality book that I would recommend to anyone. Thanks to the Harris brothers, many teens have taken on the challenge. It's exciting that additional members of my generation are shaping their corners of the world to a pattern more closely aligned with God's truth.
