Do you long for stress in your life? Do you ever have days full of nothing but leisurely fun and meaningful pursuits? You should read The Overachievers; The Secret Lives of Driven Kids, by Alexandra Robbins, and chase away those feelings of calm and contentment.
This book, assigned summer reading for high school students entering their first AP English course, is more anxiety-producing than the most suspenseful thriller. It's more tedious than a documentary on the manufacturing of beige carpet, and about as long as your average Harry Potter book. The characters aren't flat, exactly, but their emotions are relegated to ambition, anxiety, and exhaustion. Anything irrelevant to the college application process is omitted, and every college councelor visit and extra curricular is described in detail.
So if you aren't one of those unfortunate high school students who has this as assigned reading, let this serve as a warning: do not read The Overachievers. You will not be surprised, intrigued, or informed. You'll be bored, nervous and feeling vicariously over-worked.
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