This past week, a friend took his own life. He was talented, interesting and big-hearted - and those words only dwarf the loss of this one-of-a-kind individual. You never know what drives someone to that ultimate choice. But, like many other parents of teens, I can't help but fear the things that, at least in part, drive teens to contemplate it.

The Labor Department released its delayed Jobs Report on Monday, announcing that American employers added 148,000 jobs in September, well below the forecast of 180,000. For the youth of America, transitioning into adulthood has become more delayed and harder to reach - a reality that will result in a lasting impact on the country's society and economy, and play into the "lost generation" that many economists have identified for millennials.

The vast majority of 16- to 17-year-olds (86%) have read books in the past year, and 51% have borrowed books from a library, according to Pew Research. While some of their reading is certainly for school, they're also reading for pleasure. Smarty Pants' research finds that 63% of teens aged 13-14 say it's important to keep up with the latest books, which might partly be because the most popular young adult (YA) novels become next year's blockbuster movies.

You don't have to be a Directioner to have heard of "This Is Us," the 3D movie by the British boy band One Direction. Since its release in the final week of September, the movie raked in more than $60 million worldwide, easily exceeding its $10 million production cost and becoming one of this summer's box office successes.

A colleague forwarded me the following article: "British Vogue educates teenage school girls about 'natural' beauty standards." Fascinating, I thought. It's been a few years since Dove sparked the discussion about natural beauty - from portraying women without makeup in their ads and to the recent Real Beauty Sketches project - and I appreciate new news on this topic.