Many themes have emerged from our year of existential threat, political turmoil, and general upheaval. The one we return to time and again is resilience. It\u2019s what makes the unbearable bearable. It\u2019s how we make it through, whether the adversity is a global plague or a personal challenge.<\/p>\n
These 14 books help teens see different facets of resilience \u2014 and in particular, how it\u2019s a muscle that they can grow and develop. These books can help them find emotional strength and the will to keep going despite whatever life may bring.<\/p>\n
no no 9780593202876 How It All Blew Up<\/i> https:\/\/www.penguinrandomhouse.com\/books\/625445\/how-it-all-blew-up-by-arvin-ahmadi\/?ref=PRH06C9ECE222&aid=randohouseinc22957-20&linkid=PRH06C9ECE222 by Arvin Ahmadi <\/p>\n
Oh, to be gay, Muslim, and<\/i> a modern American teenager born to a conservative immigrant family. Amir Azadi grapples with each aspect of his identity in a novel that weaves together the relief and joy of finding your people (albeit an ocean away, in Rome) and intense moments of conflict, including being interrogated at the airport. \u201cIt is actually a tale of joy and found family, and not just to accept, but to embrace, who you are. To own who you are,\u201d Ahmadi told Entertainment Weekly<\/i><\/a>. <\/p>\n 9781984815712 Sanctuary<\/i> https:\/\/www.penguinrandomhouse.com\/books\/610887\/sanctuary-by-paola-mendoza-and-abby-sher\/?ref=PRH06C9ECE222&aid=randohouseinc22957-20&linkid=PRH06C9ECE222 by Paola Mendoza and Abby Sher <\/p>\n Paola Mendoza and Abby Sher create a vision of a dystopian world, just a decade in the future, that might sound ominously familiar. There\u2019s a wall between the US and Mexico, the United States tracks its citizens, and undocumented families get separated and deported. Sixteen-year-old Colombian immigrant Valentina \u201cVali\u201d Gonz\u00e1lez Ramirez flees with her family from Vermont to California, a sanctuary state. Says Publishers Weekly<\/i><\/a>, \u201cThough the novel\u2019s unflinching honesty and real-world parallels deliver uncomfortable truths, its propulsive narrative and its message of hope and resilience will carry readers through.\u201d <\/p>\n 9781984812261 We Are Not from Here<\/i> https:\/\/www.penguinrandomhouse.com\/books\/598987\/we-are-not-from-here-by-jenny-torres-sanchez\/?ref=PRH06C9ECE222&aid=randohouseinc22957-20&linkid=PRH06C9ECE222 by Jenny Torres Sanchez <\/p>\n In We Are Not from Here<\/i>, we don’t find a dystopian future but the harrowing present. Three teenagers flee violence and gangs in Guatemala for the uncertain promise of a new life in the United States. Writes The New York Times<\/i>, \u201cSanchez\u2019 unflinching and riveting account of the journey\u2014from Guatemala through Mexico atop the network of migrant-packed, often deadly freight trains known as La Bestia, or The Beast, and then on foot through the desert to the U.S. border\u2014is where her strength as a writer shines. She infuses this tragic tale with the love and dignity her characters demand. It is clear she knows the territory.\u201d<\/p>\n 9780147510662 The Last Voyage of Poe Blythe<\/i> https:\/\/www.penguinrandomhouse.com\/books\/314905\/the-last-voyage-of-poe-blythe-by-ally-condie\/?ref=PRH06C9ECE222&aid=randohouseinc22957-20&linkid=PRH06C9ECE222 by Ally Condie <\/p>\n Poe Blythe is a dystopian heroine who does what dystopian heroines do best\u2014she perseveres. Writes Publishers Weekly<\/i><\/a>, \u201cThe journey is full of unexpected revelations that force Poe to face the truth about the Outpost\u2019s past, confront her enemies and personal demons, and learn to love and trust again.\u201d<\/p>\n 9780593095195 Concrete Kids<\/i> https:\/\/www.penguinrandomhouse.com\/books\/612189\/concrete-kids-by-amyra-leon-illustrated-by-ashley-lukashevsky\/?ref=PRH06C9ECE222&aid=randohouseinc22957-20&linkid=PRH06C9ECE222 by Amyra Le\u00f3n, illustrated by Ashley Lukashevsky <\/p>\n Told in free-verse, Concrete Kids<\/i> is playwright, musician, and educator Amyra Le\u00f3n\u2019s own life story as the daughter of a single mother. She falls into the foster care system before being adopted and raised in Harlem. Writes Kirkus<\/i><\/a>, \u201cLe\u00f3n describes with gripping honesty the heartbreak of being separated from one\u2019s mother, the trauma of enduring violence at the hands of those who are supposed to care for you, and the bittersweet feeling of being adopted and finding a sense of belonging outside of one\u2019s biological parentage.\u201d<\/p>\n 9780525553021 Dancing at the Pity Party<\/i> https:\/\/www.penguinrandomhouse.com\/books\/573483\/dancing-at-the-pity-party-by-tyler-feder\/?ref=PRH06C9ECE222&aid=randohouseinc22957-20&linkid=PRH06C9ECE222 by Tyler Feder <\/p>\n In this award-winning debut graphic novel, Tyler Feder spends her sophomore year of college grappling with her mother\u2019s death from uterine cancer. \u201cThis vulnerable memoir is a tribute to a beloved woman as well as a meditation on losing a parent when one is on the cusp of adulthood. Much like grief itself, the book careens from deep despair to humor to poignancy, fear, remorse, and anger, mirroring the emotional disorientation that comes with such a significant death,\u201d writes Kirkus<\/i><\/a>. <\/p>\n 9780593114179 Break the Fall<\/i> https:\/\/www.penguinrandomhouse.com\/books\/610580\/break-the-fall-by-jennifer-iacopelli\/?ref=PRH06C9ECE222&aid=randohouseinc22957-20&linkid=PRH06C9ECE222 by Jennifer Iacopelli <\/p>\n It\u2019s a story ripped from the headlines\u2014the U.S. gymnastics team is torn apart by a sexual abuse scandal involving a coach, and 17-year-old Audrey Lee\u2019s Olympic dreams hang in the balance. Writes Publishers Weekly<\/i><\/a>, \u201cDetailed descriptions of training sessions and step-by-step accounts of gymnastics routines combine with #MeToo considerations and dramatic friendship shifts to create a fraught behind-the-scenes look at the lives of young Olympic hopefuls.\u201d<\/p>\n 9781984829665 Dear Justyce<\/i> https:\/\/www.penguinrandomhouse.com\/books\/594995\/dear-justyce-by-nic-stone\/?ref=PRH06C9ECE222&aid=randohouseinc22957-20&linkid=PRH06C9ECE222 by Nic Stone <\/p>\n Dear Justyce<\/i> is the sequel to Nic Stone\u2019s New York Times<\/i> bestselling debut, Dear Martin<\/i><\/a>. Justyce McAllister is now at Yale, and a childhood friend, Quan, writes him letters from a very different world: juvenile detention. The book, says Stone, was inspired by two boys who texted her after reading Dear Martin<\/i>, who both wanted a book that better reflected their lived experiences. And many of the stories from juvenile detention that appear in the book are entirely factual. \u201cThe most heartbreaking thing and the hardest thing about this book was knowing during the writing process that the most unrealistic thing I was writing was the support system that Quan receives,\u201d Stone tells NPR<\/a>. <\/p>\n 9780593118764 This Is My America<\/i> https:\/\/www.penguinrandomhouse.com\/books\/608329\/this-is-my-america-by-kim-johnson\/?ref=PRH06C9ECE222&aid=randohouseinc22957-20&linkid=PRH06C9ECE222 by Kim Johnson <\/p>\n For another book about the broken criminal justice system in this country, read This Is My America<\/i>. This debut novel follows 17-year-old Tracy Beaumont as she tries to save her father, a wrongfully accused man on death row, as well as her older brother, who is also unjustly charged with murder. But all is not lost. Writes Kirkus<\/i><\/a>, \u201c[Johnson\u2019s] belief in the power of social movements shines through, inciting a new generation of social change activists to be called into service of transformative change.\u201d<\/p>\n 9780385527460 The Beautiful Struggle<\/i> https:\/\/www.penguinrandomhouse.com\/books\/29064\/the-beautiful-struggle-by-ta-nehisi-coates\/?ref=PRH06C9ECE222&aid=randohouseinc22957-20&linkid=PRH06C9ECE222 by Ta-Nehisi Coates <\/p>\n Ta-Nehisi Coates\u2019 2008 memoir, adapted for a young adult audience, is \u201ca beautiful meditation on the tender, fraught interior lives of Black boys,\u201d says Kirkus<\/i><\/a>. <\/p>\n 9780593177044 Just Mercy (Movie Tie-In Edition, Adapted for Young Adults)<\/i> https:\/\/www.penguinrandomhouse.com\/books\/567033\/just-mercy-movie-tie-in-edition-adapted-for-young-adults-by-bryan-stevenson\/?ref=PRH06C9ECE222&aid=randohouseinc22957-20&linkid=PRH06C9ECE222 by Bryan Stevenson <\/p>\n Another memoir adapted for young adults, Just Mercy<\/i>, has been called \u201crequired reading.\u201d From his days as a Harvard Law intern to those leading the Equal Justice Initiative, Bryan Stevenson\u2019s fight to end mass incarceration in the U.S. is eye-opening. \u201cThese important stories put a human face on statistics and trends and give us tested strategies to reverse the oppressive consequences of racial and economic injustice in our country,\u201d writes Kirkus<\/i><\/a>. <\/p>\n 9781984848857 Scars Like Wings<\/i> https:\/\/www.penguinrandomhouse.com\/books\/600225\/scars-like-wings-by-erin-stewart\/?ref=PRH06C9ECE222&aid=randohouseinc22957-20&linkid=PRH06C9ECE222 by Erin Stewart <\/p>\n A devastating fire takes away just about everything 16-year-old Ava Lee loves\u2014her parents, home, cousin, and even much of her face. After countless surgeries, Ava returns to high school, where she faces the expected cruelties and prejudice of callous teens\u2014but also finds the power of true friendship. \u201cWithout sugarcoating or overdramatizing her protagonists\u2019 circumstances, she focuses on the internal challenges of survivors profoundly affected by trauma,\u201d says Publishers Weekly<\/i><\/a>. <\/p>\n 9781101934784 How to Make Friends with the Dark<\/i> https:\/\/www.penguinrandomhouse.com\/books\/530120\/how-to-make-friends-with-the-dark-by-kathleen-glasgow\/?ref=PRH06C9ECE222&aid=randohouseinc22957-20&linkid=PRH06C9ECE222 by Kathleen Glasgow <\/p>\n What happens when the most indispensable person in your life\u2014and your only family\u2014suddenly dies? How to Make Friends with the Dark<\/i> tried to answer that question. It takes place in the two weeks after 16-year-old Tiger Tolliver\u2019s mother\u2019s death, as Tiger is left to manage foster homes, funeral arrangements, and her grief. Kirkus<\/i><\/a>, it\u2019s \u201ca gritty, raw account of surviving tragedy one minute at a time.\u201d<\/p>\n 9780593118528 The Lucky Ones<\/i> https:\/\/www.penguinrandomhouse.com\/books\/608024\/the-lucky-ones-by-liz-lawson\/?ref=PRH06C9ECE222&aid=randohouseinc22957-20&linkid=PRH06C9ECE222 by Liz Lawson <\/p>\n