Almost-graduated great-nephew needs self-discipline

DEAR AMY: My great-nephew is almost graduating from high school this month. Apparently, he has not been doing well academically. The school will allow him to walk across the stage if he agrees to finish his work during the summer. This young man needs to be inspired to realize that he could make choices that benefit him. He has not always had the strongest or most consistent parenting, and he seems to lack self-confidence, motivation and self-discipline. In many ways, he is in the "normal" hormonal and maturation stages of many 18-year-old young men. I believe he needs to be held accountable to build maturity, self-esteem and discover the interests he is willing to work toward. Do you have any recommendations of inspiring stories or books for this age group? I love your collection of second-chance stories, but I need something I can wrap and send to him that caters to his level.

--Caring Great Aunt

DEAR GREAT AUNT: I'm not quite sure how someone can cross the stage and "almost graduate," predicated on conditions that haven't yet been met. This is an example of a deeper problem - not just concerning young people, but having to do with all of us.

If we don't face real consequences, our choices don't matter all that much.

My favorite inspirational book for this graduation season is "Heroes for My Son," by Brad Meltzer (2010, HarperStudio). Meltzer was inspired to put together a list of heroes when his son was born, and it includes many people your great-nephew would have learned about in school, such as Gandhi, Albert Einstein and Neil Armstrong, but also John Lennon and Eleanor Roosevelt.

Meltzer's comment, "History doesn't just pick (specific) people, history picks everyone," is an invitation to find the hero within.

I love the fact that you recognize this need and see the promise in this young man.