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

Al Desetta M.A. (Editor), Educators for Social Responsibility (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 15, 2005

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.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 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 © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 8-11. The subtitle says it all. These teens have written their own stories with all the plodding earnestness of a school report. The format consists of the essays followed by pedantic questions, e.g., "Why do you think some people pick on gays and lesbians?" That said, there is certainly some value in hearing teens of many ethnicities and orientations speaking plainly about being fat, or being from India in a school full of blond, blue-eyed folk, or being Arab after 9/11. There's even a gently funny anonymous piece by a black teen who loves musicals but would never admit to his passion for The King and I or The Sound of Music. Despites its faults, this is a useful item. GraceAnne DeCandido
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 13 and up
  
• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Free Spirit Publishing (September 15, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1575421852
• ISBN-13: 978-1575421858
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #432,892 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #83 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Personal Health > Teen Health > Self-Esteem

More About the Author

I have over 20 years of editorial experience, with outstanding references from publishers, editors, authors, and collaborators. My work has received numerous awards, as well as praise from Jonathan Kozol, Marian Wright Edelman, and Martin Seligman, among others.

As a developmental editor, I help authors conceptualize, shape, rewrite, and correct their manuscripts for submission to publishers. I've worked on book projects for Free Spirit Publishing, McGraw-Hill, Simon and Schuster, Corwin Press, Persea Books, Youth Communication, and National Professional Resources, among others.

I've edited books on a wide range of subjects, including:

* education,
* psychology, mental health, and self-help,
* autobiography and memoir,
* peer and family relations,
* young adult issues,
* sexuality,
* diversity and multiculturalism,
* bereavement, and
* conflict resolution.

Find out more about me at http://aldesetta.com