He could have simply nodded along to what we were saying at the front of the room, remained silent, and let us speak through the megaphone that day. But instead, he grabbed the megaphone for himself and essentially said, “Do you hear me now?” He stood up to take his own leadership, and that gives me hope. Because I think he has the knowledge, he has the courage, and he has the tenacity to be a real, serious leader in our country.
Sixteen years old. What will happen? Will we listen to him?
Acknowledgments
First—there wouldn’t be a Hope Nation without my editor and publisher, Michael Green. MG—thank you for convincing me I had time to create a book and allowing it to be THIS book. Your dedication and passion for our project have given me more hope than I deserve.
Team Hope (otherwise known as my kick-ass contributors)—thanks to each of you for allowing me to interrupt your already very busy lives and previously scheduled writing obligations. Your contributions and personal stories continue to inspire me, and I will always adore each of you for jumping right on board and digging deep to offer our readers such intimate glimpses into your pasts and present to harness hope. I’m in awe of you all, always.
Special thanks to the amazing team at Philomel and Penguin Young Readers for all the support, including Jen Loja, Emily Romero, Jennifer Dee, and especially my darlings Venessa Carson and Carmela Iaria, who remind us all that hope is indeed a decision. Same goes for my former and present posse at Penguin Random House Audio. Shout-outs to Cheryl Herman and Jodie Cohen for being so immediately enthusiastic about Hope Nation, and to Jen Rubbins, Dan Zitt, Katie Punia, Kristen Luby, and Heather Dalton for all their work in creating, marketing, and getting the word out about this amazing production that offers listeners a chance experience these rich stories by “reading it with their ears.”
There also wouldn’t be a Hope Nation without my goddaughter, Hannah Vance, and my niece Autumn Brock—it was your search for answers and hope in hard times that inspired this book; thank you both for being such fierce young women. Keep speaking your truths. And the other amazing young women in my life—Nicole Jordan, Daniela Villarreal, and Hillary Bellah. You are wonderful. Always be courageous.
Also, a lifetime of thanks to my niece Laticia Porter; my daddy, Marion Little; and my brothers and sisters: Ingrid Little-Kesler, James Little, and Patty and Larry Anderson, who wouldn’t let the other two sibs sell me to a high or low bidder. Being the youngest can be hard, y’all. Much love to my Brock family as well. And here’s to the sisters I chose for myself: Nancy Fritz Vance, Sarah Leach Burey, Laura Williams Francis, Lisa Wall Bua, and April Whatley Bedford. Love you ladies so much more than you know.
The book world has provided me with some of the very dearest friends in my life, and these pals have a hand in so much of the fun I get to experience: Ally Carter, Lizette Serrano, Dina Sherman, Gordon Korman, Elizabeth Eulberg, Carrie Ryan, Ally Condie, Sonya Sones, Sarah Mlynowski, Libba Bray, Tim Jones, Sandy London, and Varian Johnson. Thanks for always making me laugh—wishing for many more years of mischief ahead of us.
A special shout-out to all my North Texas Teen Book Festival partners-in-crime: Mandy Aguilar, Stacy Wells, Ian Pearce, Amanda Hipp, Heather Aston, Renee Newry, Amanda Trowbridge, and especially Kristin Treviño for always helping me remember that our teens come first.
For having hearts as big as our home state, my Texas posse deserves a special yee-haw, especially Nicole Caliro, Jill Bellomy, Carson Childress, Kathy Arndt, Angie Mahalik, Laila Sanguras, Missy Schliep, Monica Champagne, Victoria Tong, Stephanie Howell, Laurel Dickson, Brooke Morris, Milissa Vo, Sid Grant, Vern Edin, and Cheri Johnson, and my friends and colleagues at SHSU: Teri Lesesne, Karin Perry, Holly Weimar, Robin Moore, Elizabeth Gross, and especially Rebecca Lewis for putting a roof over my head in Huntsville. And as always, no good thing I do professionally isn’t somehow tied back to my forever mentor and friend, Sylvia Vardell.
I’ve been so lucky to have gotten to teach and work with so many amazing teens throughout my years as an educator. Special thanks to my darlings Marcus Jauregui, Jennifer Sabatini Jabara, Chase Whale, Courtney Piano Newman, Jordan Cowen Muse, Candis Ray Morris, Samantha Kline Beltran, Lauren Lason, Courtney Cheek, and the thousands of others whose lives intersected with mine throughout the years. This book is filled with the stories I wish I could have handed you when you were a teen; I promise I was thinking of you all the while it was being created.
Finally, and most importantly, though my personal hope is inspired by so many, it’s always firmly rooted in Madeleine, Olivia, and Michael, and in the legacy of my mom, Irmgard Klebe Little. All I do is in hopes of making them proud.
About the Authors
ATIA ABAWI is an award-winning foreign news correspondent and author who has lived in the Middle East and Asia for the last decade. Born a refugee in West Germany to Afghan parents who fled a brutal war, Atia was raised in the United States. Her first book for teens was the critically acclaimed and award-winning Secret Sky, set in contemporary Afghanistan. Her second book, A Land of Permanent Goodbyes, delves into the Syrian refugee crisis. She lives in Jerusalem with her husband, Conor Powell, and their son, Arian, where she covers stories unfolding in the Middle East and surrounding areas.
RENÉE AHDIEH is the author of the number one New York Times best seller The Wrath and the Dawn, The Rose and the Dagger, and The Flame in the Mist. A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Renée likes to dance salsa and collect shoes in her spare time. She is passionate about all kinds of curry, rescue dogs, and college basketball. The first few years of her life were spent in a high-rise in South Korea; consequently, Renée enjoys having her head in the clouds. She lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with her husband and their tiny overlord of a dog.
LIBBA BRAY is the number one New York Times best-selling author of The Gemma Doyle Trilogy (A Great and Terrible Beauty, Rebel Angels, The Sweet Far Thing); the Michael L. Printz Award–winning Going Bovine; Beauty Queens, a Los Angeles Times Book Prize finalist; and The Diviners series. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her family and two cats of questionable intelligence. She feels hopeful about many things, except during deadline weeks. Then it’s a lot of Pink Floyd and Googling “how to fake your own death.” You can find her at www.libbabray.com and on Twitter and Instagram @libbabray. You can also usually find her anyplace they serve fried chicken.
HOWARD BRYANT is a senior writer for ESPN.com and ESPN The Magazine. He has been the sports correspondent for National Public Radio’s Weekend Edition Saturday since 2006 and has worked at several newspapers, including the Boston Herald and the Washington Post. A Boston native, he is the author of Shut Out: A Story of Race and Baseball in Boston; Juicing the Game: Drugs, Power, and the Fight for the Soul of Major League Baseball; The Last Hero: A Life of Henry Aaron; and the three-book Legends series for middle-grade readers. Mr. Bryant was a 2016 National Magazine Award finalist for commentary.
ALLY CARTER writes books for spies, thieves, and teenagers. She’s the author of three New York Times best-selling series: The Gallagher Girls, Heist Society, and Embassy Row. Her most recent novel is Not If I Save You First. She lives in Oklahoma and, online, at allycarter.com.
ALLY CONDIE is the author of the Matched trilogy, a number one New York Times and international best seller. Matched was chosen as one of YALSA’s 2011 Teens’ Top Ten and named as one of Publishers Weekly’s Best Children’s Books of 2010. The sequels, Crossed and Reached, were also critically acclaimed and received starred reviews, and all three books are available in more than thirty languages. Her middle-grade novel, Summerlost, was a finalist for the 2016 Edgar Award for Best Juvenile Mystery.
JAMES DASHNER is the number one New York Times best-selling author of The Maze Runner series, The Mortality Doctrine series, and several other books. He lives in the Rocky Mountains with his family.
CHRISTINA DIAZ GONZALEZ is the award-winning author of several
books, including The Red Umbrella, A Thunderous Whisper, Moving Target, and Return Fire. Christina’s books have received numerous honors and recognitions, with publications such as Publishers Weekly, the Miami Herald, School Library Journal, and the Washington Post calling her novels engrossing, compelling, and inspirational. Christina lives in Miami, Florida, with her husband, sons, and a dog that can open doors.
GAYLE FORMAN is the award-winning, New York Times best-selling author of the young-adult novels If I Stay, Where She Went, the Just One series, and I Was Here, and of the adult novel Leave Me. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her family.
ROMINA GARBER (aka Romina Russell) is the author of the New York Times/international best-selling young-adult science fiction–fantasy series Zodiac. Born in Buenos Aires and raised in Miami, Romina resides in Los Angeles but would much rather be at Hogwarts. As a teen, Romina landed her first writing gig—College, She Wrote, a weekly Sunday column for the Miami Herald that was later picked up for national syndication—and hasn’t stopped writing since. She is a graduate of Harvard College and a Virgo to the core. For more information about her books, follow her on Twitter/Instagram @rominagarber.
I. W. GREGORIO is a practicing surgeon by day, masked avenging young-adult writer by night. After earning her MD, she did her residency at Stanford, where she met the intersex patient who inspired her debut novel, None of the Above, which was a Lambda Literary Award Finalist, a Publishers Weekly Flying Start, and optioned for a TV series. She is proud to be a board member of interACT: Advocates for Intersex Youth, and is a founding member of We Need Diverse Books. Find her online at www.iwgregorio.com, and on Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, and Instagram @iwgregorio.
KATE HART studied Spanish and history at a small liberal arts school before teaching young people their ABCs. She also wrote grants for grown-ups with disabilities and now builds tree houses for people of all ages. Her debut young-adult novel, After the Fall, was published in January 2017. A former contributor to YA Highway, she hosts the Badass Ladies You Should Know series, and sells woodworking and inappropriate embroidery at The Badasserie. Kate is a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation and lives with her family in northwest Arkansas.
BRENDAN KIELY is the New York Times best-selling author of All American Boys (with Jason Reynolds), The Last True Love Story, and The Gospel of Winter. His work has been published in ten languages; has received a Coretta Scott King Author Honor Award, the Walter Dean Myers Award, and the Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award; was twice awarded Best Fiction for Young Adults (2015, 2017) by the American Library Association; and was one of the Kirkus Reviews Best Books of 2014. Originally from the Boston area, he lives with his wife in New York City. Tradition is his fourth novel.
DAVID LEVITHAN has written many young-adult novels, including Boy Meets Boy, Two Boys Kissing, Every Day, and Another Day. He’s also written many collaborations, including (most recently) Sam and Ilsa’s Last Hurrah, with Rachel Cohn. You can find out more about him at www.davidlevithan.com and find him on Twitter @loversdiction.
ALEX LONDON has written more than twenty books for children, teens, and adults, including the Wild Ones, Dog Tags, and Tides of War series for middle-grade readers. His young-adult debut, Proxy, has been included in numerous state reading lists, the American Library Association’s Top Ten Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers, Best Fiction for Young Adults, and the Rainbow Book List. His mom likes it too.
MARIE LU is the author of the number one New York Times best-selling series The Young Elites, as well as the blockbuster best-selling Legend series. She graduated from the University of Southern California and jumped into the video game industry as an artist. Now a full-time writer, she spends her spare time reading, drawing, playing games, and getting stuck in traffic. She lives in Los Angeles with one husband, one Chihuahua mix, and one Pembroke Welsh corgi.
JULIE MURPHY is the number one New York Times best-selling and award-winning author of Puddin’, Ramona Blue, Dumplin’ (soon to be a major motion picture), and Side Effects May Vary. She lives in North Texas with her husband, who loves her; her dog, who adores her; and her cats, who tolerate her. When she’s not writing, she can be found reading, traveling, watching movies so bad they’re good, or hunting down the perfect slice of pizza. Before writing full-time, she held numerous jobs, such as wedding dress consultant, failed barista, and ultimately librarian. Learn more about her at www.juliemurphywrites.com.
JASON REYNOLDS is the author of the critically acclaimed When I Was the Greatest, for which he received the Coretta Scott King / John Steptoe Award for New Talent; the Coretta Scott King Author Honor books The Boy in the Black Suit, All American Boys (cowritten with Brendan Kiely), and As Brave As You (his middle-grade debut); Patina, and Ghost, a National Book Award finalist and the first in a four-book series about kids on an elite track team. Jason’s most recent novel, Long Way Down, was long-listed for the National Book Award. Jason recently moved to Washington, DC, but before that spent many years in Brooklyn, New York, home of his protagonist in Miles Morales: Spider-Man.
AISHA SAEED is a founding member of We Need Diverse Books. Her novel Written in the Stars was listed as a best book of 2015 by Bank Street Books and a 2016 YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers. Her forthcoming middle-grade novel, Amal Unbound, will be published in 2018. You can follow her on Twitter @aishacs.
NIC STONE, author of Dear Martin, was born and raised in a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia, and the only thing she loves more than an adventure is a good story about one. After graduating from Spelman College, she worked extensively in teen mentoring and lived in Israel for a few years before returning to the United States to write full-time. Growing up with a wide range of cultures, religions, and backgrounds, Stone strives to bring these diverse voices and stories to her work. You can find her goofing off and/or fangirling over her husband and sons on most social media platforms as @getnicced.
ANGIE THOMAS was born, raised, and still resides in Jackson, Mississippi. She is a former teen rapper whose greatest accomplishment was an article about her in Right On! magazine with a picture included. She holds a BFA in creative writing from Belhaven University and an unofficial degree in hip-hop. She is an inaugural winner of the Walter Dean Myers Grant in 2015, awarded by We Need Diverse Books. Her debut novel, The Hate U Give, is a number one New York Times best seller and available in more than twenty countries. A film adaptation has been produced by Fox 2000, with George Tillman directing and Hunger Games actress Amandla Stenberg starring.
JENNY TORRES SANCHEZ is a full-time writer and former English teacher. She was born in Brooklyn, New York, but has lived on the border of two worlds her whole life. She is the author of Because of the Sun; Death, Dickinson, and the Demented Life of Frenchie Garcia; The Downside of Being Charlie; and her latest novel, The Fall of Innocence. She lives in Orlando, Florida, with her husband and children.
NICOLA YOON is the number one New York Times best-selling author of Everything, Everything, which is now a major motion picture, and The Sun Is Also a Star, a National Book Award finalist and Michael L. Printz Honor Book. She grew up in Jamaica and Brooklyn, and lives in Los Angeles with her family.
JEFF ZENTNER is the author of The Serpent King, winner of the William C. Morris, Amelia Elizabeth Walden, and International Literacy Association awards and long-listed for the Carnegie Medal. His second book, Goodbye Days, came out in 2017. Before becoming a writer, he was a singer-songwriter and guitarist who recorded with Iggy Pop, Nick Cave, and Debbie Harry. In addition to writing and recording his own music, he has worked with young musicians at Tennessee Teens Rock Camp, which inspired him to write for young adults. He lives in Nashville, Tennessee.
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