Cassandra is hassled by her friends for sitting with the "wrong" kids at lunch. Jennifer gets harassed because she's overweight. Dwan's own family taunts her for not being "black enough." Yen is teased for being Chinese; Jamel for not smoking marijuana. Yet all find the strength to face their conflicts and the courage to be themselves. In 26 first-person stories, real teens write about their lives with searing honesty. They will inspire young readers to reflect on their own lives, work through their problems, and learn who they really are.

Through thirty first-person teen narratives, including new stories on social media and gender identity, readers learn about seven resiliencies everyone needs to survive and thrive. Otis deals with the real-life consequences of online aggression; Artiqua dates a boy of another race despite her family s opposition. Charlene is raising her brothers and sisters because their mother is addicted to drugs; Craig is gay and worried about coming out. All of these teens have had more than their share of troubles. And all have the resiliency needed to face their troubles, live through them, and move forward with courage, confidence, and hope. In thirty first-person narratives, teen writers share how they ve overcome obstacles in their lives. As teens read, they discover they re not alone in facing life s difficulties. They learn about seven resiliencies everyone needs to survive and thrive in even the toughest times: insight independence relationships initiative creativity humor morality In this updated edition, new stories feature topics such as social media, gender identity, and drug addiction. A Think About It section at the end of each story offers questions for personal reflection or discussion. Vivid, articulate, and candid, these stories will motivate readers of all ages to build the skills and strengths they need to triumph over adversity.The corresponding leader s guide, A Leader's Guide to The Struggle to Be Strong updated edition, provides activities, exercises, and questions to invite teens to go deeper into the stories and issues of The Struggle to Be Strong.

In Resisting Peer Pressure for Teens, young writers show that it's possible to stand up to the pressure they may feel from friends and some family members to be "cool." Inspire teen and preteen readers to take responsibility for and make wiser decisions about their lives with the essays in this book--each written by a teenager. Within these pages, Jamel A. Salter, Fan Yi Mok, and Charlene George, and many others, describe how and why they chose to keep it real and fight back against the pressure they felt from friends to use drugs and alcohol; have sex too early; lie, cheat, and steal; and skip or act out in school. Essays include: My Secret Love Losing My Friends to Weed Why Do So Many Teens Cheat? Can't Afford to Follow Hiding My Talent No More Why I Speak My Mind Sex Doesn't Make You a Man My So-Called Friends Making Me Dance Peer Pressure Ended Our Relationship I Want to Be Pretty and Popular The Trouble with Being a Virgin Thinking for Myself and more! Through these essays, teen readers will pick up new ways to say no and advice that will help them stay true to themselves, while parents, teachers, and caregivers will be provided a much-needed glimpse into how the world looks to our younger generations.

Covering everything from sexual abuse to gangsta rap, from the decision to seek revenge in "the hood" to combat in the Persian Gulf War, Things Get Hectic offers a kid's-eye view of a world infinitely more terrifying than the one most of us grew up in. Here is a book that chronicles with vivid immediacy the violence young people are subjected to in their homes and neighborhoods; the sudden, wrenching loss they experience when friends and loved ones are taken from them; and their daily struggles to fashion a sane response to a world gone completely mad. Each piece in the collection is full of insight into the ways different forms of violence are learned, endured, resisted, and ultimately overcome.

Things Get Hectic will let teen readers know that they aren't alone and will help them cope with their own sense of menace, loss, and rage. The book also offers teachers and parents a unique opportunity to listen while kids share their most urgent concerns.

There are more than 450,000 children living in foster care. The Heart Knows Something Different collects over three dozen personal narratives by young writers, ages 15 to 20, and provides an insider's account of growing up in "the system." It takes us into a world largely hidden from public view, and attests to the mix of pain and fear, and sometimes hope, and sometimes even happiness that the foster care experience involves.