At last! A book that takes prom seriously as a deeply meaningful event for teenagers. Written for teens and their parents and counselors, American Prom is not about hairdos and dresses or how-to lists and planning calendars. It is about the meaning of prom: what teens use it for, what parents believe about it, why it is so desperately important to teenagers, and the role it plays in moving into young adulthood.

Fille with hundreds of prom-night sotires that teenagers shared with Richard G. Calo on www.ThePromSite.com, American Prom offers accounts of first love and all the hopes and anxieties that come with it. Perhaps surprisingly, many of the best stories come from guys. In all of the stories, high schoolers pour out their hearts on such emotional issues as:

• how to turn a wished-for prom date into a real prom date
  
• how to make one's lifetime crush crush back
  
• how to handle boys (or girls) who demand sex on prom night
  
• and many more issues regarding this important milestone in any teen's life

American Prom helps teens prepare for their proms, mentally and emotionally. For parents, it provides a window of understanding into what teens are really thinking about before, during, and after prom, and how they can help them prepare for it. And for teachers and counselors, it offers tremendous insights into the contemporary prom and what teens think about it.