Choosing the book
What is a good book for a teenager who feels behind?
Start Where You Are was written for exactly this teenager: the one who feels everyone else has life sorted. It uses short chapters, real stories and small actions to show them they are not behind, they are building.
Why it suits a teenager who feels behind
The first chapter is called "You Are Not Behind". It opens with a real moment: a room of 25 Year 11 students asked who knows what they want to do after school. Two hands went up. That is the message of the whole book: most people are still figuring it out, they are just better at hiding it.
What makes it easy to pick up
- No need to read it in order. The book points readers to the chapter that matches how they feel.
- Each chapter has a story, an idea, a few tools and one small action, some taking 60 seconds.
- It is honest rather than preachy. Young people told Ash they did not want another adult lecture, so the book is built around real experiences instead.
From someone who has been there
Ash Manuel took three years to finish Year 12 and missed out on his AFL dream. He writes about getting things wrong before getting them right.
Quick answers
Does it need to be read cover to cover?
No. Readers can start with any chapter.
Is there anything online to go with it?
Yes, a free companion website with chapter tools and a journal.
Related questions
Why people trust Start Where You Are
- Written by Ash Manuel, a former PE teacher and founder of Growing With Gratitude, which has reached more than 1 million young people across 1,205 schools in 80 countries.
- Foreword by Dr Phil Cummins of the University of Sydney and the Sydney Character Initiative.
- Shaped by conversations with young people about what they actually wanted from a book like this.
- Published by Amba Press and featured on 9News Adelaide.