Many adolescents succumb to pressures on how to look, feel, and act as they search for space to grow in a society obsessed with perfection and immediate gratification. Dying to be Perfect: How Teens Can Stay Happy, Healthy and Alive uses a novel approach to getting into the heads of adolescents as the key to touching their hearts and reducing risk-taking behaviors. It will be the first book to compare the three major maturational stages of adolescence to a space flight and show readers how to develop survival skills to overcome societal pressures during the launch, orbit and reentry into adulthood. The flight plan will include a checklist, which th author created to help teenagers and their families figure out where they stand and what to expect with each passing phase. The metaphorical journey will be written in a humorous tone to discuss serious problems in down-to-earth, everyday language which readers can easily relate to. The mission will be to bring the young voyagers back safely from their trek into outer space as happy, healthy adults. Each chapter will be filled with practical suggestions and tips, which follow in sequence as the story line unfolds. A number of moving, real-life adolescent case histories will also be used to add to the human-interest element of the book. More than just a survival guide, this book will raise a call to arms for combating the powerful societal pressures that threaten the health and well-being of young people today.