64 Honest (& Practical) Lessons! Straight Up Discussion Questions and Review

Straight Up Discussion Questions and Review written by the Ent on 8/27/2020 This post contains affiliate links, you can find out more on our policies page or in the disclaimer at the bottom of the blog.**We reviewed an audiobook copy of the book from the publisher- our opinions are our own and we highly recommend the book**

Know Before You Read the book Straight Up by Trent Shelton

Book: Straight Up: Honest, Unfiltered, As-Real-As-I-Can-Put-It Advice for Life’s Biggest Challenges
Author: Trent Shelton (with David Tieche)
Genre: Self Help (Teen and Young Adult)
Pages: 368
Published: August 4^th, 2020
Age Suggestion: 13+
Themes: Motivation, Relationships
Warnings: Straight Up deals with many topics very directly and bluntly.  Most of them are not controversial, but he does discuss relationships and sex.

Quick Summary of the Straight Up book by Trent Shelton:

Trent Shelton is here to give you lessons on how to face life’s biggest challenges. The topics discussed are varied, ranging from friendships, life change, all the way to creating a legacy.  64 of them in fact- hard won truths pushing you towards self improvement. Trent Shelton is an ex-nfl player who lost everything when he was let go.  He has risen to become one of the greatest motivational speakers/writers of this generation. This is a great read for young adults, especially ones who are about to go into high school or college.

Straight Up Review

-Content-

There is a lot of advice that Trent Shelton dives into with knowledgeable experience.  Trent does a great job tying theoretical ideas and concepts to stories from himself or friends.  The topics get more and more intense and in depth as you get through the book, culminating in how to create a positive legacy. 

-Structure-

The layout of this book is very well organized and categorized, making it a great resource to go back to when you need to hear the advice again. And who doesn’t have days where they could use some solid advice? It is broken down into twelve sections with each one having 3-4 chapters with clear, understandable titles.  All this comes together in a fluid and efficient way to make a great self-help book.

-Why Read It-

Straight Up contains a lot of unique and applicable advice.  All the sections carry nuggets of truth that are applicable to everyone.  It is written for a younger audience, but the truths and topics are relevant to all age groups. Everything is written through the filter of Trent’s relationship with God. Which is the worldview that he gives advice through in this book. Even if you don’t think you need a self-help book, this is a great book simply to get you pumped up and excited for life.

Straight Up Discussion Questions:

1. Have you ever not asked for help because you didn’t want to look foolish?
2. Have you ever felt like something was ending (a dream, journey, etc).  How did you react to that feeling?
3. Have you ever burned a bridge with a friend because they were bad for you?  Has it been an improvement to your life? If so, how have you seen your life changed?
4. Discuss a time when there was something easier said than done but you did it anyway.  What was the result of doing it anyway?
5. What would your life look like if you stopped comparing your life to others?  How do you think social media plays a role in comparison?
6. When things get stressful, what do you do to find peace?
7. If you were to make a big change in your life, what would you want to change?  What are the steps you could take to get there.
8. Have you ever been afraid of something to find that it wasn’t as bad as you thought?
9. What is uniqueness in your purpose?  How could you have a positive impact on the world using this uniqueness?
10. What kind of legacy do you want to leave?

Final Thoughts:

Straight Up is a great self-help/realization book for a specific audience.  Most readers over the age of 25 may find themselves knowing a lot of the material.  This does not mean that there aren’t great universal pieces of truth in this book for that group.  But it is also very important to note the intended audience.  Also, this book can definitely lead to some straight up discussion (pun intended). Ultimately, Straight Up would be a great graduation present or even just a good book for teenagers trying to improve their life.

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