Channeling their own experiences, sixteen exceptional authors subvert mental health stereotypes in a powerful and uplifting collection of fiction. A teen activist wrestles with protest-related anxiety and PTSD. A socially anxious vampire learns he has to save his town by (gulp) working with people. As part of her teshuvah, a girl writes letters to the ex-boyfriend she still loves, revealing that her struggle with angry outbursts is related to PMDD. A boy sheds uncontrollable tears but finds that in doing so he’s helping to enable another’s healing. In this inspiring, unflinching, and hope-filled mixed-genre collection, sixteen diverse and notable authors draw on their own lived experiences with mental health conditions to create stunning works of fiction that will uplift and empower you, break your heart and stitch it back together stronger than before. Through powerful prose, verse, and graphics, the characters in this anthology defy stereotypes as they remind readers that living with a mental health condition doesn’t mean that you’re defined by it. Each story is followed by a note from its author to the reader, and comprehensive back matter includes bios for the contributors as well as a collection of relevant resources. With contributions by: Mercedes Acosta * Karen Jialu Bao * James Bird * Rocky Callen * Nora Shalaway Carpenter * Alechia Dow * Patrick Downes * Anna Drury * Nikki Grimes * Val Howlett * Jonathan Lenore Kastin * Sonia Patel * Marcella Pixley * Isabel Quintero * Ebony Stewart * Francisco X. Stork

2017 William C. Morris Award Finalist Almost seventeen, Rani Patel appears to be a kick-ass Indian girl breaking cultural norms as a hip-hop performer in full effect. But in truth, she's a nerdy flat-chested nobody who lives with her Gujarati immigrant parents on the remote Hawaiian island of Moloka'i, isolated from her high school peers by the unsettling norms of Indian culture where "husband is God." Her parents' traditionally arranged marriage is a sham. Her dad turns to her for all his needs—even the intimate ones. When Rani catches him two-timing with a woman barely older than herself, she feels like a widow and, like widows in India are often made to do, she shaves off her hair. Her sexy bald head and hard-driving rhyming skills attract the attention of Mark, the hot older customer who frequents her parents' store and is closer in age to her dad than to her. Mark makes the moves on her and Rani goes with it. He leads Rani into 4eva Flowin', an underground hip hop crew—and into other things she's never done. Rani ignores the red flags. Her naive choices look like they will undo her but ultimately give her the chance to discover her strengths and restore the things she thought she'd lost, including her mother. Sonia Patel is a psychiatrist who works with children and adults. She was trained at Stanford University and the University of Hawaii. She lives and practices in Hawaii. Rani Patel In Full Effect is her first young adult novel. BookExpo America Editor's Buzz Selection 2016 Kirkus Reviews Best Teen Books 2016 New York Public Library 50 Best Teen Books 2016 Book Page Top 10 Best Teen Book 2016 Texas Library Associations Top 10 Teen Books 2017 Multnomah County Library Best Books 2016 The Volumes Bookcafe Staff's Best 20 of 2016 2017 Amelia Bloomer List Recommended Feminist Literature For Birth Through 18 15 Essential Novels Of The #MeToo Movement, Bustle

"A fiercely honest and beautifully written book." —Paul Austin, author, Beautiful Eyes and Something for the PainA cautionary tale of careless psychiatric diagnosis, treatment, and resilienceSawyer's memoir is a harrowing, heroic, and redeeming story of her battle with mental illness, and her triumph in overcoming it. In 1960, as a suicidal teenager, Sawyer was institutionalized, misdiagnosed, and suffered through 89 electroshock treatments before being transferred, labeled as "unimproved." The damage done has haunted her life. Discharged in 1966, after finally receiving proper psychiatric care, Sawyer kept her past secret and moved on to graduate from Yale University, raise two children, and become a respected psychotherapist. That is, until 2001, when she reviewed her hospital records and began to remember a broken childhood and the even more broken mental health system of the 1950s and 1960s.

NO GREATER LOSS * NO GREATER LOVE is one mother's story of losing her child at the hands of a loved one. Readers will learn how she battled back, overcame paralyzing depression and grief; and was ultimately forced to make difficult life decisions. From one end of the emotional spectrum, all the way to the other, readers will be taken on the intimate journey of this mother's shattering heartbreak through her overwhelming grief, and finally to her ultimate triumph, when she once again rights her life and finds the will to go on. This story will help others learn how to work through the loss of a child; pick up the pieces and find joy in life once again. Readers will be forever changed by this story and its far-reaching impacts and they'll find hope when they once thought there was none.

Covering subjects ranging from modern technology and current events to human nature and drinking beer in the fourth grade, a treasury of "Pearls Before Swine" daily and Sunday strips.

A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2020 One of A Mighty Girl's Best Books of the Year A Bank Street Best Books 2021 Finalist for the Cybils Awards Len is a loner teen photographer haunted by a past that's stagnated her work and left her terrified she's losing her mind. Sage is a high school volleyball star desperate to find a way around her sudden medical disqualification. Both girls need college scholarships. After a chance encounter, the two develop an unlikely friendship that enables them to begin facing their inner demons. But both Len and Sage are keeping secrets that, left hidden, could cost them everything, maybe even their lives. Set in the North Carolina mountains, this dynamic #ownvoices novel explores grief, mental health, and the transformative power of friendship.

From the show's creators comes the groundbreaking, bestselling novel inspired by the hit Broadway show Dear Evan Hansen. Dear Evan Hansen, Today's going to be an amazing day and here's why... When a letter that was never meant to be seen by anyone draws high school senior Evan Hansen into a family's griefover the loss of their son, he is given the chance of a lifetime: to belong. He just has to stick to a lie he never meant to tell, that the notoriously troubled Connor Murphy was his secret best friend. Suddenly, Evan isn't invisible anymore--even to the girl of his dreams. And Connor Murphy's parents, with their beautiful home on the other side of town, have taken him in like he was their own, desperate to know more about their enigmatic son from his closest friend.As Evan gets pulled deeper into their swirl of anger, regret, and confusion, he knows that what he's doing can't be right, but if he's helping people, how wrong can it be? No longer tangled in his once-incapacitating anxiety, this new Evan has a purpose. And a website. He's confident. He's a viral phenomenon. Every day is amazing. Until everything is in danger of unraveling and he comes face to face with his greatest obstacle: himself. A simple lie leads to complicated truths in this big-hearted coming-of-age story of grief, authenticity and the struggle to belong in an age of instant connectivity and profound isolation.

Think you know what rural America is like? Discover a plurality of perspectives in this enlightening anthology of stories that turns preconceptions on their head. Gracie sees a chance of fitting in at her South Carolina private school, until a “white trash”–themed Halloween party has her steering clear of the rich kids. Samuel’s Tejano family has both stood up to oppression and been a source of it, but now he’s ready to own his true sexual identity. A Puerto Rican teen in Utah discovers that being a rodeo queen means embracing her heritage, not shedding it. . . . For most of America’s history, rural people and culture have been casually mocked, stereotyped, and, in general, deeply misunderstood. Now an array of short stories, poetry, graphic short stories, and personal essays, along with anecdotes from the authors’ real lives, dives deep into the complexity and diversity of rural America and the people who call it home. Fifteen extraordinary authors—diverse in ethnic background, sexual orientation, geographic location, and socioeconomic status—explore the challenges, beauty, and nuances of growing up in rural America. From a mountain town in New Mexico to the gorges of New York to the arctic tundra of Alaska, you’ll find yourself visiting parts of this country you might not know existed—and meet characters whose lives might be surprisingly similar to your own. Featuring contributors: David Bowles Joseph Bruchac Veeda Bybee Nora Shalaway Carpenter Shae Carys S. A. Cosby Rob Costello Randy DuBurke David Macinnis Gill Nasugraq Rainey Hopson Estelle Laure Yamile Saied Méndez Ashley Hope Pérez Tirzah Price Monica Roe

Sally Dunn is your typical eight-year-old in a not-so-typical world - one where kids rule and adults get schooled. It's fun to be in charge, but it's never easy. When Sally goes shopping, she needs to buy the right toys to make her whole family happy (and her parents never seem to like her choices). When Sally goes driving, she needs to try her best to not bump the other kids too hard. And she makes sure respects everyone else's choice of pets, whether they be a tiny little dog or a huge elephant. All of this becomes more difficult when Sally gets a Party Duty letter and is forced to entertain the entire town. Even with her friends by her side, it's going to be difficult when the mayor seems to have it out for her in this enticing adventure where the people are Growing Around.

In Dream Guidance, Anna-Karin Bjorklund invites you into the majestic dream realms with a charming introduction to Jungian psychology, a step-by-step guide for working with your own dreams, and an illuminating collection of dream interpretation examples. Learn about different types of dreams, and how honoring your dreams can help you: *Reach better knowledge of yourself, including your shadow, by analyzing the projections you are making on other dream characters*Process and clear unconscious emotions*Decode symbols and messages*Explore synchronicity and other forms of divine guidanceContents: IntroductionChapter 1: An Introduction to Dream Realms, Inspired by Jungian PsychologyChapter 2: Decode Messages from Your Dream Characters Chapter 3: An Intuitive Step-By-Step Guide to Dream Interpretation Chapter 4: Enhance Your Dreams with the Power of Intention and Programming Chapter 5: Nightmares Come with Urgent Messages! Chapter 6: Guidance Is All Around You-Learn How to Notice Synchronicities! Chapter 7: Recognize Intuitive and Prophetic Dreams Chapter 8: Questions to Ask When Interpreting Dreams Chapter 9: Invite Miracles into Your Life Using the Guidance from Your Dreams! Bibliographical Note