Being a teenager is one of the most glorious, painful, difficult times of our lives. I remember feeling utter despair when the adults around me told me that this was the best time of my life. One of my lifelines was friendships with other adults outside my circle of family members, adults who treated me like an adult and respected me enough to tell me the truth—or at least the truth as they had seen and experienced it.
A group of YA authors has been brought together by E. Kristin Anderson and Miranda Kenneally to do just that. As teens, both Miranda and Kristin had geekish tendencies and wished they had had a world as big and broad as the internet back then so they could have been in touch with fellow geeks. In creating Dear Teen Me, Kristin and Miranda have gathered together an impressive roster of YA authors and invited them to write letters to their teen selves. In these letters, the authors speak plainly and honestly about what issues haunted them and what they would have liked to be able to tell themselves, if they were able to reach back through time.
YA writers are very much in touch with their inner teen, and articulate to boot. They care genuinely about young people and it shows in the honesty of their letters. Whether dealing with abuse, orculture shock, or a sense of isolation or exclusion, struggling to connect with their emerging creativity or just develop a sense of self or thicker skin to wear in the world, teens will find a huge assortment of advice, validation, and kindred spirits. Or maybe they just need to know they're on the right path; they’ll find that, too.
If you have a struggling or isolated feeling teen, I highly recommend you point them to the website. They just might find one of the many lifelines that will help get them through their teen years.
