Teenage Kicks

Michael Bradley joined his school friend's group in Derry, Northern Ireland in the summer of 1974. They had two guitars and no singer. Four years later the Undertones recorded 'Teenage Kicks', John Peel's favourite record, and became one of the most fondly remembered UK bands of the post punk era. Sticking to their punk rock principles, they signed terrible deals, made great records and had a wonderful time. They broke up in 1983 when they realised there was no pot of gold at the end of the rock and roll rainbow. His story is a bitter-sweet, heart-warming and occasionally droll tale of unlikely success, petty feuding and playful mischief during five years of growing up in the music industry. Wiser but not much richer, Michael became a bicycle courier in Soho after the Undertones split. "Sixty miles a day, fresh air, no responsibilities," he writes. "Sometimes I think it was the best job I ever had. It wasn't, of course."

A journey from childhood to the teenage dream of playing rugby union for the National side. A torturous voyage riding the highs and sinking into the lows of a fiercely competitive sport. All children should be supported by the family and encouraged to participate in an activity, whether it is chess, music or snowboarding it is the duty of all parents to help the child realise his/her ambition. Without an ambition we do not grow solid well rounded adults.A great natural story that will hopefully inspire and help others to achieve their goals.The experiences learnt from a young age can and will shape the character of our children.Ultimately it will help the society that we all live in. In memory of Mauricette Zdenek. 1932-2000

The New Generation Witches is the first published anthology to investigate the recent rise of the teenage Witchcraft phenomenon in both Britain and North America. Scholars from Theology, Cultural Studies, Sociology, History and Media Studies, along with Neo-Pagan commentators outside of the academy, come together to investigate the experiences of thousands of adolescents constructing an enabling, magical identity through a distinctive practice of Witchcraft.The contributors discuss key areas of interest, inspiration and development within the teen Witch communities from the mid 1990s onward, including teenage Witches' magical practices and beliefs, gender politics, the formation and identification of communities, forums and modes of expression, media representation and new media outlets. Demonstrating the diversification and expansion of Neo-Paganism in the 21st Century, this anthology makes an exciting contribution to the field of Neo-Pagan Studies and contemporary youth cultures.

Despite the mythology of sport bringing people together and encouraging everyone to work collectively to success, modern sport remains a site of exclusionary practices that operate on a number of levels. Although sports participation is, in some cases at least, becoming more open and meritocratic, at the management level it remains very homogenous; dominated by western, white, middle-aged, able-bodied men. This has implications both for how sport develops and how it is experienced by different participant groups, across all levels. Critical studies of sport have revealed that, rather than being a passive mechanism and merely reflecting inequality, sport, via social agents’ interactions with sporting spaces, is actively involved in producing, reproducing, sustaining and indeed, resisting, various manifestations of inequality. The experiences of marginalised groups can act as a resource for explaining contemporary political struggles over what sport means, how it should be played (and by whom), and its place within wider society. Central to this collection is the argument that the dynamics of cultural identities are contextually contingent; influenced heavily by time and place and the extent to which they are embedded in the culture of their geographic location. They also come to function differently within certain sites and institutions; be it in one’s everyday routine or leisure pursuits, such as sport. Among the themes and issues explored by the contributors to this volume are: social inclusion and exclusion in relation to class, ‘race’ and ethnicity, gender and sexuality; social identities and authenticity; social policy, deviance and fandom. This book was published as a special issue of Sport in Society.

A laugh-out-loud coming-of-age memoir, set in late 1970s Belfast.

Teenage Pregnancy and Young Parenthood provides a comprehensive, unparalleled insight into the UK Government’s highly successful Teenage Pregnancy Strategy (TPS) for England which reduced the under-18 pregnancy rate by well over 50%, and considers how the lessons from this policy can be applied internationally. This important book captures and shares the lessons from the TPS for future governments and policy makers, and documents the details of implementing a long-term strategy with its innovative approach to policy issues. After providing the rationale for prioritising teenage pregnancy, the book demonstrates evidence for what is effective, both in helping young people avoid unplanned pregnancy and in improving outcomes for young parents. The TPS is analysed against the World Health Organisation’s key actions for effective scale-up of adolescent sexual and reproductive health programmes, to offer an important contribution to international understanding of this global public health challenge. Advocating a ‘whole systems’ multi-agency approach this book translates evidence into clear action, and combines theory and practice with illustrative case studies to demonstrate how to implement policy successfully. It is valuable reading for policy makers and practitioners dealing with young people’s health, as well as undergraduate and postgraduate students in the fields of psychology, health studies, social work, youth work, education, social policy, sociology and related disciplines.

In the 21st century, films about the lives and experiences of girls and young women have become increasingly visible. Yet, British cinema's engagement with contemporary girlhood has - unlike its Hollywood counterpart - been largely ignored until now. Sarah Hill's Young Women, Girls and Postfeminism in Contemporary British Film provides the first book-length study of how young femininity has been constructed, both in films like the St. Trinians franchise and by critically acclaimed directors like Andrea Arnold, Carol Morley and Lone Scherfig. Hill offers new ways to understand how postfeminism informs British cinema and how it is adapted to fit its specific geographical context. By interrogating UK cinema through this lens, Hill paints a diverse and distinctive portrait of modern femininity and consolidates the important academic links between film, feminist media and girlhood studies.

The Gig Book returns with another volume of crowd-pleasers, this time weaving through the anthemic world of Classic Rock, jam packed with 100 hits from the likes of Tom Petty, Foo Fighter, Iggy Pop and Bruce Springsteen. Presented with melody line arrangements in standard notation, with guitar chord boxes and complete lyrics, this is the perfect reference for guitarists, keyboard players and all other musicians, allowing you to quickly understand and learn every song – how to sing them and what chords to play. The setlist includes: - All The Young Dudes [Mott The Hoople] - American Pie [Don McLean] - Are You Gonna Be My Girl [Jet] - Best Of You [Foo Fighters] - Black Hole Sun [Soundgarden] - A Design For Life [Manic Street Preachers] - Don’t Stop [Fleetwood Mac] - Gloria [Them] - Golden Touch [Razorlight] - Johnny B. Good [Chuck Berry] - Layla [Eric Clapton] - Live And Let Die [Wings] - Lust For Life [Iggy Pop] - My Sharona [The Knack] - Oliver’s Army [Elvis Costello] - Purple Rain [Prince] - School’s Out [Alice Cooper] - Smells Like Teen Spirit [Nirvana] - Sunshine Of Your Love [Cream] - Teenage Kicks [The Undertones] - Tumbling Dice [The Rolling Stones] - 20th Century Boy [T. Rex] - Waterloo Sunset [The Kinks] And many, many more!