The Journal Sentinel comments on "The 50 Rules Kids Won't Learn in School":

 Hard-headed tips for teens, a story about a truck and love in rural Wisconsin, and high adventure on the high seas are the grist that will fuel three Wisconsin authors' readings at local bookstores next month.

Radio talk show host Charles J. Sykes is to discuss his new book, "50 Rules Kids Won't Learn in School: Real World Antidotes to Feel-Good Education" during two appearances. His book is best described in his own words, succinctly laid out in the preface: " . . . the world is full of touchy-feely books of affirmation. This is not one of them." 

 And so, we have his rules, spawned by common sense, aimed at parents, and designed to give teens a dose of reality. 

His advice includes such gems as "No matter what your daddy says, you are not a princess" and "If you think your teacher is tough, wait until you get a boss. He won't have tenure, so he'll tend to be a bit edgier. When you screw up, he's not going to ask you how you FEEL about it."

There are also the old standbys, delivered, however, in the Sykes mouthy style familiar to his radio listeners: "Life is not fair. Get used to it." And "You are not a victim. So stop whining." And "Be nice to nerds. You may end up working for them. We all could." 

His 50 rules grew out of the initial 10 (and eventually 14) rules he once listed in a television commentary in the 1990s. Those rules subsequently were erroneously attributed to Bill Gates and even Paul Harvey and Ann Landers.  

Sykes, who has three children, said that since his first list he has always compiled more rules in his mind. Finally he decided to write them down with dollops of zinging humor - and St. Martin's Press decided to publish them. 

"We've gone too far in bubble wrapping our kids and as a result we don't prepare them for real life," he explained last week.  

The book tries to zero in on responsible parenting. 

"I guess one of the themes of the book is we have become a generation - the super parents who have become obsessed with making our kids happy . . . not (with) what they will be 10 to 20 years from now," Sykes said. "That requires some tougher love." 

Sykes' gentler side - yes, he has one in this book - glimmers here and there with such chin-up advice as "You are not perfect, and you don't have to be," and "Grown-ups forget how scary it is to be your age. Just remember: This too will pass." 

And if you don't like what he has to say, tough. As his rule No. 21 says, "You're offended? So what? No, really. So what?"  

This is Sykes' sixth book. His earlier ones include "A Nation of Victims" and "Dumbing Down our Kids."