You Are Not Special: ... and Other Encouragements - Softcover

"The author tackles big issues ... with searching sincerity, open-heartedness, and a deft, light touch."--Kirkus (Starred Review)

"Every once in a long while, a voice seems to come out of nowhere, and you wonder how you ever managed without [it]. David McCullough, Jr. has that startling, insightful, wry, reassuring, helpful voice and You Are Not Special may be the wisest 'parenting' book I've read in decades."--Madeline Levine, author of author of The Price of Privilege and Teach Your Children Well

"A clear-eyed but affectionate polemic urging kids to stop trying to be perfect and to take chances, even at the risk of failing. A profound celebration of the life well lived."--Clayton Christensen, author of How Will You Measure Your Life?

"Drawing on his teaching and parenting experience, You Are Not Special calls on teenagers to use their privilege and considerable talents to solve the increasingly complex and dire problems plaguing our world... It's a lovely notion... and the book is fantastic."--Chicago Tribune

"Despite the somewhat disparaging tone of the title, McCullough's graduation book is anything but a downer. The high school English teacher ...expands on his viral commencement address with words of encouragement: Do what you love, don't be afraid to make mistakes and remember-we're all in the same boat."--Bookpage

"... McCullough scores an A+ with this volume for teens and parents. Rich in literary references and poetic in cadence, the author ... offers plenty of hilarious and pointed comments on teens and today's society. "--Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

"...to open You Are Not Special...and Other Encouragements is to enter a deeply intellectual and thought-out analysis of the forces that shape modern teenage life, both at home and in the classroom. . . Even if you didn't agree with McCullough's speech, this is essential reading."--The Swellesley Report

"...a success. May its salvos ring from Cambridge and Arlington to the hinterlands of Wellesley, Weston, and Way-wayland. You Are Not Special is also big-hearted - and clearly forged in a hearth of caring, doubt, and fear. Aphorisms could be lifted from every page and blossom into memes."--Boston Globe