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4.17 AVERAGE
4.17 AVERAGE
This was an interesting read. I think it's very clear what prompted this collection of essays. A number of these authors, like many Americans, were impacted by the results of the 2016 election. Questions such as, "what does this mean for our nation?" and "is my well-being at risk?" raced through the minds of many, myself included. It's fascinating to see these political trends among such an admirable group of creative thinkers.
Anyways, though. This collection of short essays was fascinating. Of course I enjoyed some more than others but I believe each story was worth telling and worth reading. The candor of some of these authors was incredibly moving. I just wish each piece was accompanied by visuals; photos of the author or of a particular setting would have made each narrative a bit more memorable (there were over 20 essays, after all!)
Anyways, though. This collection of short essays was fascinating. Of course I enjoyed some more than others but I believe each story was worth telling and worth reading. The candor of some of these authors was incredibly moving. I just wish each piece was accompanied by visuals; photos of the author or of a particular setting would have made each narrative a bit more memorable (there were over 20 essays, after all!)
While not every essay in this book may speak to you, I'll bet every reader can find at least one that seems written just for them.
This collection felt a bit uneven. I really enjoyed the pieces by Libba Bray, Romina Garber, Atia Abawi, Christina Diaz Gonzalez, I. W. Gregorio, Julie Murphy, Marie Lu, Nic Stone, Nicola Yoon, and Jenny Torres Sanchez, and the collaboration from Brendan Kiely and Jason Reynolds. The two opening pieces, from David Levithan and Libba Bray, were significantly longer than the rest, so starting off like that made me worry the book would drag. It picked up, though. I preferred the essays that were personal stories instead of lectures. I would be really curious to see the prompt that these authors were given for this, though, as there were enough that seemed based on the theme "Finding Hope Following the 2016 Election." I did not mind this, but it was specific enough that it could be off-putting to some readers if it came as a surprise.
So many great stories in here!! I was very excited to see some familiar names (Libba Bray, Angie Thomas, Jason Reynolds, Julie Murphy) and learn some new ones (Nic Stone, Nicola Yoon, Atia Abawi, Marie Lu, and more).
A troll-like review about this book condemned the fact that the authors did not write about major issues (paraphrasing). These are short stories so stuffing someone's major life issue wouldn't really cut it here. You want to read about something major like a life defining rape (Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson or Lucky by Alice Sebold) or suicide attempt (I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sanchez) come to mind. You want to read about how successful people overcame micro/macro aggressions and insults, read Hope Nation.
TBH, most/all young adults/people are way more likely to experience these encounters than the major life issue ones. And those encounters are hard to overcome and it's comforting to see how others dealt with them. Atia Abawi's story, in particular, stuck with me. I took a 6 week equity course before my break and it was very difficult. Hearing Abawi's story really helps frame the content I learned in that course, as do other stories.
I really enjoyed this collection. The narrators were also really great and it was nice to hear some familiar voices like Bahni Turpin and Kyla Garcia. Also stoked there were at least three Texans
A troll-like review about this book condemned the fact that the authors did not write about major issues (paraphrasing). These are short stories so stuffing someone's major life issue wouldn't really cut it here. You want to read about something major like a life defining rape (Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson or Lucky by Alice Sebold) or suicide attempt (I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sanchez) come to mind. You want to read about how successful people overcame micro/macro aggressions and insults, read Hope Nation.
TBH, most/all young adults/people are way more likely to experience these encounters than the major life issue ones. And those encounters are hard to overcome and it's comforting to see how others dealt with them. Atia Abawi's story, in particular, stuck with me. I took a 6 week equity course before my break and it was very difficult. Hearing Abawi's story really helps frame the content I learned in that course, as do other stories.
I really enjoyed this collection. The narrators were also really great and it was nice to hear some familiar voices like Bahni Turpin and Kyla Garcia. Also stoked there were at least three Texans
Definitely inspiring but unless you are an older teen or a lover of all young adult authors I don’t know if you would enjoy the stories. They are much more like an essay then short stories. A great anthology and current.
Well, one thing I’ve learned from reading this is that I apparently don’t care for essays too much. There were 22 essays in this and a total of 5 that I enjoyed. The rest sort of felt like essays that you might turn in for a high school assignment when a teacher asked you to write about “Hope” at the end of the year. After each essay, my reaction was mainly “why should the reader care?”
Redeeming essays in the book by: Libba Bray, Allie Condie, Nic Stone, and Alex London.
Redeeming essays in the book by: Libba Bray, Allie Condie, Nic Stone, and Alex London.
I got the early samples of this book which were Libba Bray, Angie Thomas, and Jeff Zentner. I am totally going to pick up the full book because the stories that I just read were fantastic and I think so many people will be inspired by them.
Full review to come
xoxo,
Bebe
p.s. hope y'all had a good Christmas and other holidays if u don't celebrate that. hope the new year is bright.
UPDATE: April 9
just read the actual book and it was great
xoxo,
Bebe (x2)
Full review to come
xoxo,
Bebe
p.s. hope y'all had a good Christmas and other holidays if u don't celebrate that. hope the new year is bright.
UPDATE: April 9
just read the actual book and it was great
xoxo,
Bebe (x2)
Hope is the theme so every essay (and one short story) expand on something to be hopeful about; how teens can look beyond the current circumstances and see a bright(er) future. As with most collections with a variety of contributors, some of the essays really touched me, others didn't; some of the writing was really strong, and some not-so-good. But overall the book is very thoughtful and helpful. You know, I am glad I read it just because of the first contribution, a short story by David Levithan and the second essay by Libba Bray. After those two all the rest were just window dressing. I hope teens find their way to book and even if they don't read the whole thing, find an essay or two that speaks to them and let it settle into their bones.
Topics covered: political dissatisfaction and feelings of hopelessness with our society; body image; LGBTQ relationships and coming out of the closet; suicidal thoughts; religious persecution; being Muslim American; immigrant status; Black Lives Matter and seeing self through new lens; Poverty; Family violence and new beginnings; moving; finding passions, etc.
Topics covered: political dissatisfaction and feelings of hopelessness with our society; body image; LGBTQ relationships and coming out of the closet; suicidal thoughts; religious persecution; being Muslim American; immigrant status; Black Lives Matter and seeing self through new lens; Poverty; Family violence and new beginnings; moving; finding passions, etc.
It's taken me way too long to read this and I've gotten close to the end, but gave up on it. I think it doesn't work for me because lately, I'm not really in the space to feel receptive to what it is trying to convey. There were some stories/essays I enjoyed, but for the most part, I dragged myself through. I might revisit it in the near future.