The Goodness Within: Reaching Out to Troubled Teens with Love and Compassion

By Mark V. Redmond

In The Goodness Within, Mark Redmond offers readers pragmatic reflections on mentoring, as well as a chronicle of his own experiences with young people in crisis. Incorporating stories from his twenty-year career as a counselor, Redmond examines some of America's crucial social issues, such as: neglect, adolescent self-destruction and racism. The author writes, "This book is about helping adolescents discover their own worth, dignity and goodness."

Each chapter invites readers to consider ways to support young men and women "at-risk" in the discovery of their value and significance. The Goodness Within is a call to adults--parents, students, educators, counselors and clergy--to become involved with at-risk adolescents. Redmond writes, "The adult must take the position, I'm going to stand by this young person, no matter what it takes, no matter how long it takes... The long-term consequences for negative behavior are real, often severe and sometimes lethal."