The Teenage Brain: A Neuroscientist's Survival Guide to Raising Adolescents and Young Adults

Dr. Frances Jensen is the author of The Teenage Brain. As an American neurologist and academic, she is an expert on brain development from infancy to adulthood, so the book title not only describes the book topic but also states her area of expertise. Currently a Professor of the Department of Neurology at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Jensen has worked in a variety of environments during her career. She was a professor at Harvard Medical School, a Director of Epilepsy Research at Boston Children’s Hospital, and has worked in several pediatric neurology departments. Jensen was the recipient of the Basic Scientist of the Year from the American Epilepsy Society and the Director’s Pioneer Award from the National Institutes of Health. Jensen uses her role as an expert in a variety of ways throughout the book. On one hand, she attempts to relate to the non-expert reader by outlining her own challenges with parenting, and on the other hand, she uses her expertise to present objective information to back up her opinions. Her dual tone in the book therefore works to draw in the reader while maintaining an educational purpose.

In The Teenage Brain, Jensen’s professional expertise and her role as a mother to two sons converge. She explains that extensive experience as a pediatric neurologist meant that “[k]ids’ brains were [her] business” (1). However, when her sons became teenagers, she realized that much of her work had been focused on brain development in infants. As a single parent determined to help guide her sons through this challenging period, Jensen turned her attention to the adolescent brain: a relatively overlooked area of neurology. The book in many ways is not just a scientific nonfiction but also a personal narrative of her journey from being perplexed by adolescence to being informed by neuroscience—a journey readers are supposed to mirror. The book is dedicated to her sons, Andrew and Will, and features accounts of their teenage experiences and behavior. She therefore presents herself in the book not just as scientific expert but as parental sage, both for her own children and for the reader. Her parenting personality in the book turns it away from a purely scientific text to one of journalism and social commentary for the purpose of its general interest readers.

Due to her personal and professional experience, Jensen is a passionate advocate of increased brain research awareness. She believes that an improved public understanding of adolescence as a distinct brain development stage will help both parents and teenagers navigate this important life stage. Jensen frequently gives public talks on the subject in settings such as high schools and museums. She has appeared on radio and TV and has delivered several TEDMED talks.