The Courage to Be Yourself: True Stories by Teens About Cliques, Conflicts, and Overcoming Peer Pressure

by Al Desetta

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781575421858
Publisher:	Free Spirit Publishing
Publication date:	09/15/2005
Series:	A Leader's Guide Series
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	156
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.42(d)
Age Range:	13 - 18 Years

About the Author

Al Desetta, M.A., was an editor at Youth Communication, a New York based nonprofit organization that teaches writing, journalism, and leadership skills to inner-city teens, from 1985 until 2002.

He is currently a freelance editor.

Editorial Reviews

ForeWord Book of the Year Awards, Finalist

From the Publisher

Gr 8 Up-It's a challenge to remain true to one's self in a world that encourages conformity to a narrowly prescribed norm. It is especially difficult when the individual is a teen. Here, Desetta presents 26 short essays from young people who have faced this challenge head-on and found ways to survive if not happily, at least tolerably. From a gay teen who is harassed by peers to overweight and unfashionable girls who are ridiculed because of their physical appearance; from an African-American teen who isn't "black enough" to an Arab American who is a target of hate after September 11, the selections cover the spectrum of being different or "other." What the essays have in common is the willingness on the part of the contributors to accept that they cannot control how others view them but only how they perceive themselves. These young people demonstrate that by having the courage to be themselves, they are equipped to live without compromising their ideals. Though not all the stories have happy endings, readers who are struggling with similar issues will be comforted and perhaps inspired by the honesty and poignancy of these narratives.-Elaine Baran Black, Gwinnett County Public Library, Lawrenceville, GA Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

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