As a parent to two young children, this was the perfect resource. I am terrified of the world my kids are growing up in and this book provided so much information that brought me comfort. I will be referencing this book as much as possible in the years to come.

HELLO, CRUEL WORLD! by Melinda Wenner Moyer offers "Science-Based Strategies for Raising Terrific Kids in Terrifying Times." In ten chapters Wenner Moyer, a contributing editor at Scientific American and a regular contributor to The New York Times, looks at Coping, Connecting, and Cultivating, all presented in a conversational, non-judgmental and helpful way. Adam Grant writes, "[Moyer's] book is packed with evidence-based, nonobvious practical advice for nurturing resilience, kindness, critical thinking, and well-being." I certainly saw the critical thinking aspect in the entire chapter devoted to Information Literacy which is full of ideas (including discussion prompts), plus some organizations (Thinking is Power, Reboot Foundation, etc.) that I did not know as well as skills (e.g., lateral reading) school librarians have been talking about and teaching for years. Other chapters cover self-compassion, resilience, self-control, relaxing, empathy, friendships, curiosity/inclusion, plus financial and information literacy and managing social media. HELLO, CRUEL WORLD! is a text which parents – and educators – should consult and discuss. At the end of each chapter there is a summary of key points, and the author also includes 300+ citations in a separate section. As Wenner Moyer says, much of her writing is about "being intentional about our choices and the kinds of conversations we have with our kids. ... I implore you to take the advice that feels like it will be a good fit and leave the rest."

Helpful parenting book covering 10 difficult topics: self-compassion; resilience; preventing substance use and addiction; recognizing when to rest, relax, have fun, and quit; empathy and compassion; healthy friendships; curiosity and inclusion and preventing bias and polarization; financial literacy and inequality; media and information literacy; and managing tech and social media.
Each chapter had useful suggestions backed up by scientific research, and ended with a brief summary of the most important points. Some of the advice felt like common sense or things I'd heard before, but this was overall a very helpful book.

Melinda Wenner Moyer has done something wonderful here. The world is not lacking in parenting advice, but finding guidance that is useful, accessible, grounded in scientific evidence, and nuanced is the goldilocks problem of parenting books. This book fits the bill. I think the way the book is organized is important, the topics that are addressed in the context of parenting today in challenging times are very thoughtfully laid out. Self-compassion, the importance of leisure, media literacy (seperate from the chapter on screen time) are topics that are very important and yet not often seen in parenting books. What is present in the book is very deliberate and thoughtful. I will be recommending this book widely.

CH9. Encouraging Media and Information Literacy.
It should be read by more people. Honestly.
If you don't read half of the book, check out this chapter at least. (page 164 sums it all up if you're super busy and can't read the whole thing BTW)

Man what a sad book, but sadly necessary for the dark time we're living in. Looking forward to adding it to our collection.

“[R]esearch should be communicated carefully, and with nuance, so as to avoid stoking excessive fear.” - Melinda Wenner Moyer*

“Youth is a time of learning and preparing for adulthood, and that means helping young people identify and navigate risks, not avoid them.” - Jacqueline Ryan Vickery (as quoted by Moyer)*

This is a rich, research-based resource. I appreciate that most of the book was backed by science (I would have liked it even better if there were more thorough in-text citations in places). While I may not agree with or take all of the advice in the book - for example, I’m not going to let my very young daughter have sleepovers at the house of anyone I don’t know extremely well - the general principles are true: our job as parents is to prepare our kids, not just protect them. It is well-written and easy to read, helpfully organized into chapters based around topics such as financial literacy and technology usage. This book is full of fantastic and well-considered tips for parents. It even has some reassurance on the dreaded topics of social media and screen time!

I give it 4.5 stars rounded up to 5. As a parent and teacher, I definitely recommend this excellent book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the free eARC. I post this review with my honest opinions.

*Please note that I received an advanced review copy; final edits may change these quotes before the book is published. The ideas behind the quotes still hold true throughout the book.

This review is cross-posted on Goodreads; it will be posted on Amazon and Instagram upon the book’s publication