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Blackwell handbook of adolescence Edited by Gerald R. Adams & Michael D. Berzonsky Maiden, MA: Blackwell. 2003. Hardback, £124.99. ISBN 0-631-21919-6
As a colleague pointed out, weighing-in at over 600 pages, this is a handbook for someone with big hands. Given the breadth of topics it covers, it needs to be. Following the editors' introductory chapter, the book is divided into five sections: first, biological and genetic processes; second, the social context (religion, family, sports and leisure, work and careers, school, college); third, developmental patterns and processes (autonomy, identity, cognitive, moral, emotional and self-concept/esteem); fourth, personal relationships (romantic, friendships, unrelated adults, sexuality, sexual-minority relationships); and finally, problem behaviours (pregnancy and childbearing, substance, conduct problems, running away, crime, eating disorders, depression and suicide, sexually transmitted diseases). In respect of coverage, it is usually easy for specialist readers to identify areas in very broad texts which they think could be expanded. One which I might suggest is bullying and victimization,...