Michael Ungar

Praise for We Generation:

“A must read for parents, educators and anyone else who cares about kids. Michael's book is rich in advice and anecdotes, showing how we can help kids avoid the trap of “me, mine and more,” and embrace instead “us, ours and enough.”
Barbara Coloroso
Author of Kids are Worth it! and The Bully, the Bullied and the Bystander

“Michael Ungar's We Generation is a thoughtful, practical and inspiring book that helps adults, especially parents, raise children who are compassionate, responsible, global citizens. Moreover, there is a bonus: by using the book's carefully delineated building blocks, designed to nurture kids to become part of a we--not a me--generation, adults will find that they are more connected and content themselves.”
Kaethe Weingarten, Ph.D.
Associate Clinical Professor of Psychology, Harvard Medical School, and author of Common Shock

Praise for Too Safe for Their Own Good:

“At a time of escalating anxiety about teenagers, Too Safe for Their Own Good is the wake-up call we’ve been waiting for. Ungar not only shows why too much safety and not enough risk is a bad thing for adolescents, but he also gives practical tips for finding the right balance. Written with both authority and a light touch, this is required reading for parents, educators and anyone else who cares about our teens.”

Carl Honoré

Author of In Praise of Slow and Under Pressure

“Michael Ungar clearly demonstrates that risk and responsibility are meat and potatoes for the teenage soul; and he delivers his message to parents with compassion and the hard-earned wisdom of a veteran practitioner.”

Chris Mercogliano

Author of In Defense of Childhood: Protecting Kids’ Inner Wildness

"Too Safe for their Own Good is a terrific book. It offers parents such a different and smart view of raising teens that every parent should read it."

Author of The Secret Life of Families

Editor, Family Process

Director of the Center for Families and Health,

Ackerman Institute for the Family

“Michael Ungar has written an exciting, timely, and important book, one that significantly advances understanding of the bases of resilience and health among diverse children around the globe. He provides an innovative and insightful conception of the central role that both risk and responsibility play in enabling young people to thrive and to become adults who are ready to contribute to families, communities, and civil society. The vision and voice in this book compellingly illustrate why the scholarship of Professor Ungar is regarded internationally as a vital resource for enhancing science, policies, and programs fostering well-being among young people everywhere.”

Richard Lerner, Ph.D.

Author of The Good Teen

Bergstrom Chair in Applied Developmental Science
Director, Institute for Applied Research in Youth Development

Tufts University

“Author, social worker and family therapist Michael Ungar’s experience shows us the unintentional harm that can come from good intentions… Ungar helps us understand that over-parenting and trying to reduce the risk of physical harm to zero leads to unintentional side effects…Let’s take off the bubble wrap and let our kids breathe.”

Silken Laumann,

Olympian and Author of Right to Play

“This book is a must-read for all parents who worry about their children's safety and wellbeing. Michael Ungar, an internationally respected expert on raising resilient youth, provides valuable information and vivid case illustrations in this practical resource. In today's hyper-stressed and precarious world, families more than ever need his research-informed wisdom and guidelines to help their children avoid harmful risks and yet actively engage life challenges to build resilience and encourage positive growth.”

Froma Walsh, Ph.D.

Author of Strengthening Family Resilience

Mose & Sylvia Firestone Professor,

SSA & Dept. of Psychiatry

Co-Director, Center for Family Health

University of Chicago

“This book will be of great interest to parents and practitioners. Especially useful is the guidance Ungar provides about how to empathize and understand the function of risky behavior on the road to helping children grow and thrive. The title emphasizes a central message of the book, i.e., “Do not ‘protect’ children from opportunities to engage in challenging experiences,” but the scope of the book is much broader, addressing many important questions faced by today’s youth and their families.”

Barbara Friesen

Director, Research and Training Center on Family Support and Children’s Mental Health

Portland State University

“With Too Safe for their Own Good, Michael Ungar is likely to touch the parent of any teenager. He illustrates the positives of what many see as only negative: taking a risk. What child learned to walk without daring to take that first step? What teen learned to drive without turning the key for the first time? Risk is essential for children to develop, and Ungar kindly instructs parents how to help their children discover the right balance between taking risks for growth and taking risks to the point of harm. This book is a must-read for parents worried about their risk-taking youth.”

David C. Schwebel, Ph.D.

Associate Professor and Vice Chair, Department of Psychology

Director, UAB Youth Safety Lab

University of Alabama at Birmingham

Birmingham, AL, USA

Contact Dr. Ungar