Big Questions, Worthy Dreams: Mentoring Young Adults in Their Search for Meaning, Purpose, and Faith

by Sharon Daloz Parks

The "twenty-something" years of young adulthood are increasingly recognized as critical but puzzling. Building on the foundation she established in her classic work, The Critical Years, Sharon Parks urges thoughtful adults to assume responsibility for providing strategic mentorship during this important decade in life. She reveals also, however, the ways young adults are influenced not only by individual mentors but also by mentoring environments...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0787941719
• ISBN13: 9780787941710
• Release Date: November 2000
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 1.14 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.0" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

Mentoring to Make a Difference

As the father of three teens, I have frequently been torn between repressed anger, guilt, and a feeling of total inadequacy as a parent. Thanks to the influence of Sharon D. Parks, Big Questions; Worthy Dreams, I have found mentoring to be a reasonable response to my parenting situation. Parks makes two points that clarify the mentoring task at hand. The first point is her definition of a young adult. She asks: "When does one cross the threshold into adulthood? The response of North American culture is ambiguous" (p. 4). Finding work and a spouse are still important, but the time required to become educated and increasing problem of downward mobility make it harder to become settled. The ambiguity and instability of the young adult situation in society are reflected in the greater challenge facing mentors, including parents. The second point is reflected in her title. Young adulthood is a life-stage where the formation of meaning is particularly important. Parks writes: "in the years from seventeen to thirty a distinctive mode of meaning-making can emerge, one that has certain adult characteristics but understandably lacks others" (p. 6). The importance of challenging the young adult to take new faith steps is captured in her prescription--develop and expand a worthy, young adult dream. Parks writes: "If the young adult Dream is to have mature power and serve the full potential of self and world, then it must be critically reexamined from time to time throughout adulthood" (p. 219). The role of mentors is to help the young adult craft, refine, and be true to this dream. The scope and depth of Park's scholarship suggests that this book targets graduate students and professionals focused on counseling young adults. Most readers looking for advice on parenting are likely to find this book a challenging read. The gap between these two ready audiences suggests an opportunity for a follow up text focused on aid and comfort for the typical parents of young adults. Dr. Stephen W. Hiemstra Centreville, VA

Powerfully Motivating

If it seems vague or overly theoretical, you may not be paying attention; and that's fine, if it's not what you need to be reading. But to me it is always inspirational and powerfully motivating. It literally moves me to tears with some regularity - I see so many real people in these pages. After a little focused time with this book I consistently feel she is one of the few writers for whom every sentence and every paragraph are seriously written and contentful. Highly recommended.

A Captivating Read for Mentors

In Big Questions Worthy Dreams, Sharon Parks affirms the purpose, promise and possibility of mentoring for mentor and mentee. She recognizes the critical role of "meaning making" in the mentoring journey. The reader is at once (and always) aware of the awesome responsibility of the mentor in supporting "meaning making"at each stage of the mentee's developmental journey. Parks solidly anchors mentoring in the rich dynamic of developmental theory. At the same time, she challenges the reader to heightened levels of accountability. The examples she offers, documented from her own experience, and those of others, inspire the reader to create stimulating mentoring environments that foster growth and development. This thoughtful and well-crafted book hooks the reader from the very start raising big questions and worthy dreams for mentor and mentee alike. A mentoring must-read!

Inspiring and Thoughtful Advice for Helping Today's Youth

"Big Questions, Worthy Dreams" is a stunning book that delivers even more than it promises. I was expecting another philosophical/psychological tome on the intellectual and emotional development of young adults. I was also expecting yet another alarmist treatise on the lack of morality in today's youth--"and here's what we adults should do about it." Instead, I stumbled upon a wonderfully insightful book that weaves together developmental theory and inspirational stories, but--thankfully!--without the academic gobbledegook jargon that clogs up the prose of so many other books. But what I like best about this book is the hopeful, even inspiring, message of the book. Parks offers a clear picture of the challenges facing those of us who wish to be mentors to young people, and shows us why it's necessary--and rewarding--to take an active interest in the lives of others. This is truly an excellent book! I'm recommending it to all my colleagues.