How I Resist: Activism and Hope for a New Generation

by Maureen Johnson

Overview

"The Ultimate Resistance Guidebook." — Bustle

"This book will be a light in the darkness for some, and help guide them from despair."— Booklist

An all-star collection of essays about activism and hope, edited by bestselling YA author Maureen Johnson.

Now, more than ever, young people are motivated to make a difference in a world they're bound to inherit. They're ready to stand up and be heard - but with much to shout about, where they do they begin? What can I do? How can I help?

How I Resist is the response, and a way to start the conversation. To show readers that they are not helpless, and that anyone can be the change. A collection of essays, songs, illustrations, and interviews about activism and hope, How I Resist features an all-star group of contributors, including, John Paul Brammer, Libba Bray, Lauren Duca, Modern Family's Jesse Tyler Ferguson and his husband Justin Mikita, Alex Gino, Hebh Jamal, Malinda Lo, Dylan Marron, Hamilton star Javier Muñoz, Rosie O'Donnell, Junauda Petrus, Jodi Picoult, Jason Reynolds, Karuna Riazi, Maya Rupert, Dana Schwartz, Dan Sinker, Ali Stroker, Jonny Sun (aka @jonnysun), Sabaa Tahir, Shaina Taub, Daniel Watts, Jennifer Weiner, Jacqueline Woodson, and more, all edited and compiled by New York Times bestselling author Maureen Johnson.

In How I Resist, readers will find hope and support through voices that are at turns personal, funny, irreverent, and instructive. Not just for a young adult audience, this incredibly impactful collection will appeal to readers of all ages who are feeling adrift and looking for guidance.

How I Resist is the kind of book people will be discussing for years to come and a staple on bookshelves for generations.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250168368
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	05/15/2018
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	6.90(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	13 - 17 Years

About the Author

Maureen Johnson is the New York Times bestselling author of over a dozen YA novels, including 13 Little Blue Envelopes, The Name of the Star, and Truly Devious. She is also the co-host of Says Who, a political podcast about the aftermath of the 2016 election. She lives in New York City.

Table of Contents

What is Resistance?

"Could We Please Give the Police Departments to the Grandmothers?" — Junauda Petrus

Interview — Dylan Marron

"Keep Doing What You're Doing" — Malinda Lo

"Why We ALL Need to Be Activists Right Now" — Lauren Duca

"Thoughts on Resistance" — Rebecca Roanhorse

Interview — Jason Reynolds

"5 Things We Can Do to Engage in Politics Before Turning 18" — Carolyn DeWitt

Essay — Hebh Jamal

Interview — Javier Muñoz

"The Lucky Ones" — Jennifer Weiner

"Letter to a Sensitive Brown Queer" — John Paul Brammer

"The Clap Back" — Daniel J. Watts

Interview — Ali Stroker

"When" — Shaina Taub

"Part of the Problem" — KC Green

"Making Stuff That Matters" — Dan Sinker

"I, Wonder: Imagining a Black Wonder Woman" — Maya Rupert

"Rosie O'Donnell's Five Resistance Steps" — Rosie O'Donnell

Interview — Jacqueline Woodson

"An Announcement From Muffy Higginbottom, President of Delta Sigma Tau Sorority Resistance Committee" — Libba Bray

"Media-Consciousness as Part of Resistance!" — Jonny Sun

Essay — Jodi Picoult

"Three Easy Steps to Contact Your Reps" — Kate Linnea Welsh

Essay — Alex Gino

Interview — Justin Mikita and Jesse Taylor Ferguson

Poem — Sabaa Tahir

"The Jewish We" — Dana Schwartz

Cartoon — Jeffrey Rowland

"Refilling the Well" — Karuna Riazi

The Bigness Trap

The Beginners Guide to Books on Resistance

Editorial Reviews

03/19/2018
Candor and passion radiate from the 30 voices raised in this trenchant and timely compendium of interviews, essays, reflections, illustrations, and poems. Representing a range of ethnicities, sexual orientations, professional achievements, and—most intriguingly—personalities, the contributors share their own experiences encountering, and countering, various forms of injustice, and encourage readers to speak out and act against the same. The collection encompasses the contemplative (novelist Rebecca Roanhorse writes, “Live authentic to who you are.... Because you being you is the most powerful kind of resistance of all”) to the practical (Rock the Vote’s president Carolyn DeWitt pinpoints five ways that teens can engage in politics before they turn 18). Profound frustration with the Trump administration stokes the emotional quotient of numerous entries, including that of Javier Muñoz, who played the title role in Hamilton on Broadway. Readers will also hear notes of hope about their generation’s power to effect change, expressed eloquently, if conditionally, by author Jason Reynolds: “there’s a generational groundswell of young people who together are impenetrable—if all of us are doing our jobs by giving them the necessary legs.” This volume takes an assured step in that direction. Ages 12–up. Agent: Kate Testerman, KT Literary. (May)

Publishers Weekly

"The world is a bit of a mess, but it's not always easy to figure out ways to help. Just in time for the midterm elections, How I Resist is a perfect activism guidebook, featuring essays, stories, songs, and more from celebrities and some of the biggest names in YA. Even in dark times, this anthology promotes hope, showing how individual voices and efforts can truly make a difference. " — Bustle

"Candor and passion radiate from the 30 voices raised in this trenchant and timely compendium of interviews, essays, reflections, illustrations, and poems." — Publisher's Weekly

"[Maureen Johnson] has done an exceptional job calling on different voices to share their wisdom and thoughts on making a difference" — School Library Journal

"This offers plenty of access points for teens looking for advice, catharsis, and/or motivation." — The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

From the Publisher

04/01/2018
Gr 9 Up—In an anthology for young adults discontented with today's political climate and looking to take action, Johnson has pulled together a lineup of authors that are sure to excite teens, from Jason Reynolds to Hamilton actor Javier Muñoz. There are interviews, poems, artwork, sheet music, comics, lists, calls to action, and short stories. The topics are varied as well, each speaking to a different kind of activism. One message is clear: no one is too young to have a voice and to make a difference. Multiple authors call out the current presidential administration and speak to feelings of hopelessness about the 2016 presidential election. The overarching theme of activism and resistance transcend this one election, calling young adults to take action now and make the future different than the past. VERDICT The editor has done an exceptional job calling on different voices to share their wisdom and thoughts on making a difference. A worthy addition to YA collections.—Kat Paiva, Rye Public Library, NH

School Library Journal

2018-02-20
The activism that has ignited our nation has found its way into the pages of this anthology, one that offers a platform to 30 activists from many walks of life.Rock the Vote president Carolyn DeWitt offers a list of ways teens can become politically active before they turn 18. Broadway star Javier Muñoz gives an interview in which he discusses his feelings about today's political climate and how it intersects with the play Hamilton. Speaking about her experiences with disability, Glee actor Ali Stroker describes her approaches to advocating for her needs and articulating her hopes to the able-bodied world. Author Rebecca Roanhorse writes about the many ways there are to be an activist, emphasizing the diversity of effective approaches. Actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson and his husband, Justin Mikita, discuss the importance of being visible as allies and encourage teens to get involved with their schools' gay-straight alliances. Comedian Rosie O'Donnell offers five empowering and accessible tools a teen can use for resistance. This is an impactful, contemporary guide to activism that gives voices to individuals who are making a difference in today's tumultuous social climate.A useful classroom tool that will generate discussion around topics that matter to many young people today. (Nonfiction anthology. 14-18)

Kirkus Reviews

Listeners will hear every note of conviction, frustration, fierce honesty, and fearlessness that this inclusive lineup of celebrities, bestselling authors, and activists is ready to share with the next generation of bold leaders and inspiring game-changers. Editor Maureen Johnson’s voice is encouraging and inviting as she introduces listeners to these audio versions of formative personal essays, poems, and interviews contributed by those who are standing up for progress in America. As the sole narrator, Soneela Nankani has the challenging task of embodying the dozens of diverse voices featured in the collection, and she hits every mark. Nankani’s performance bolsters this unique audio experience, which serves as an essential guide for the developing teen and adult activist. J.E.C. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine

MAY 2018 - AudioFile