Table of Contents
Introduction xi
1 On Self-Acceptance
I Kiss Like a Horse Rebecca Woolf 2
Have You Ever Tiffany Blevins 7
I Am Lord Loni Taylor as told to Cynthia Hamond 9
Again Teal Henderson 14
Why I Have to Take U.S. History Again Tal Vigderson 16
Good-Bye My Angel Dear Tyler Phillips 21
Applying Myself C. S. Dweck 22
2 Drugs & Alcohol
The Last Song for Christy Rebecca Woolf 28
The Final Act Lisa Teller 33
A Sobering Experience Sarah Jackson as told to Jennifer Braunschweiger 36
Hitting Bottom Jenny Hungerford as told to Susan K Perry 40
That Warm Night Sarah Woo 44
What She Doesn't Know Kate Reder 48
The Man My Father Was Kristine Flaherty 51
A Sobering Place Monique Fields 54
3 Family Matters
What Siblings Know Danielle Collier 60
How to Scare a Big Sister Natalie Atkins 65
Sixty-Second Flashback Tiani Crocker 69
Change Carrie Hill as told to Cynthia Hamond 73
Table for Three Isabel Philley as told to C. S. Dweck 77
A Most Precious Gift Jessica Colman 81
Memories of My Mother Amy Jo Johnson as told to Linda Friedman 84
The Last Months Traci Kornhauser 89
Our Song Jennifer Dalrymple-Mozisek 92
It's Been a While Catherine Starr 95
Reaching Mom Analise Antone 97
4 Suicide
I Never Knew Rosanne Martorella 104
I Am Krysteen Hernandez 110
Beyond Surviving: Suggestions for Survivors Iris M. Bolton 111
Learning from My Past Rachael Bennett 113
Another Statistic Amanda Parmenter 117
5 Tragedy
An Unbreakable Bond Sara Preston 122
Losing the Best Garrett Drew 130
Turn It Upside Down Jessie Williams 136
Sorrowful Lesson James Kisner 139
Someone to Watch over Me Eva Unga 142
A House Is Not a Home Zan Gaudioso 146
Building Bridges Charlie Simmons 152
6 Abuse
Losing Myself Jenny Deyo 158
Help Me Hawon Lee 162
Nightmares Kara MacDonald 166
7 On Courage
The Birth of an Adult Jonathan Krasnoff 170
Unstoppable Nick Springer as told to Stephanie Booth 177
The Long Journey Home Phillip Thuss 182
Born to Win Jake Repp 187
Lumps Christina Angeles 192
Go for the Gold Michael Munds 197
The Walk That Changed Our Lives Maggie McCarthy 200
8 Learning Difficult Lessons
What My Father Wore Bret Anthony Johnston 204
The Graduation Speech Cheryl Costello-Forshey 208
The Purse Tal Vigderson 212
Friends to the End Jenny Michaels as told to Cynthia Hamond 218
I'm Sorry… Teal Henderson 223
A Different View Zan Gaudioso 225
It's Just the Way We Are Kristy Glassen 229
My Greatest Teacher William Elliott 231
9 Eating Disorders & Depression
Starving for Control Jamie-Lynn Sigler 238
Just One of Those Days Jenny Sharaf 243
Suffering in Silence Ruth Greenspan as told to C. S. Dweck 245
Cookie-Cutter Hands Kelly Peters as told to Rebecca Woolf 250
Numb Jessica Dubose 254
10 Death & Dying
This Too Shall Pass Kimberly Kirberger 256
Seize the Day Teal Henderson 262
Some People Come Lauren Anderson 263
My Guardian Angel Meghan O'Brien 268
And Then I Tell My Story Maria Piñedo 272
I Wonder as I Wander Hilary Begleiter 276
The Death of a Friend Cassius Weathersby III 277
Timeless Friendship Andrea Wellman 281
Grandma's Words of Wisdom Heather Deederly 285
Smiles in My Heart Sara Tylutki 287
Let's Go Dancing in the Rain Claire Hayenga 289
When Tomorrow Starts Without Me David M. Romano 293
Wherever You Go Kari Fiegen 295
11 Growing Up
Somewhere in the Middle Liza Ortego 300
Losing Becky Gwynne Garfinkle 302
Something I Couldn't See Caroline Smith 306
My Grandma Told Stories William Elliott 311
Where the Locks Click Open Stephanie Hsu 314
Rolling Down Summer's Hills C. S. Dweck 317
Who Is Jack Canfield? 323
Who Is Mark Victor Hansen? 324
Who Is Kimberly Kirberger? 325
Contributors 326
Permissions 333