Be the One

February 15, 2017
"Where do you go, where do you hide, when the world hurts too much?" This question is posed to six teens from different backgrounds, all of whom have endured childhoods filled with pain and difficulties. How does 14-year-old Ryan cope with his father's sudden death and his mother's frequent suicide attempts? What about Michaela, who had to cook and care for her siblings as a fifth-grader due to her mother's substance-use disorder and mental illness? Both found it within themselves to draw upon what was left of their inner resources to transcend their circumstances. Television journalist Pitts offers a collection of true stories told by young people who share how they found self-worth while living in adversity. Not all of the stories draw from a dysfunctional home life. At 11, Mason took it upon himself to go on the internet to find ideas about weight loss and exercise, for instance, after he dealt with his failing health and school bullies who brutally teased him about being overweight. Ultimately, the author leans heavily on academic achievement as inspiration, and although education can be an outlet, overachievement isn't a cure-all for youths who have suffered years of abuse. It's too bad there is no list of national youth mental health programs and hotlines for readers in need. Although the stories are heartbreaking, they also offer solace and hope to other youth who may be suffering through similar experiences. (Nonfiction. 12-16)

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April 1, 2017
Gr 7 Up-Pitts, an ABC News chief correspondent and Nightline coanchor, shares the inspirational accounts of six teens who overcame unbelievable odds. The book began when a young girl (featured in the first story) asked Pitts: -Where do you go, where do you hide, when the world hurts too much?- Though their backgrounds and circumstances are different, the teens all demonstrate an incredible amount of strength of character and steadfastness. These young men and women are, in Pitts's words, true heroes. They beat the odds against them-surviving and later thriving-despite the torments of abandonment, sexual abuse, bullying, war, drug addiction, mental illness, and violence. Pitts's sensitive storytelling and deep empathy for young people provide the backdrop for these compelling narratives. VERDICT Consider for middle and high school collections where redemptive tales are popular.-Elaine Baran Black, Georgia Public Library Service, Atlanta

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2018
"Where do you go, where do you hide, when the world hurts too much?" ABC News correspondent Pitts shares six inspirational stories of youth who overcame difficult starts. The social issuesfocused narratives have a Chicken Soup for the Soul feel. Still, Pitts handles his subjects' profound struggles--with foster care, mental illness, bullying, refugee status, and more--with consistent respect and understanding. Reading list, websites.

(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

April 15, 2017
Grades 7-9 Emmy-Awardwinning news anchor Pitts brings a journalistic bent to this book that attempts to redefine heroism. The six teens chronicled have likely experienced hardships far beyond what the average reader could imagine, including abandonment, abuse, poverty, war, and violence. All six are people who saved their own lives through their resiliency and faith. In text that reads like an engrossing news program, Pitts recounts their problematic childhoods in heartbreaking detail. Through these stories, he seeks to define what attributes and habits the teens have in common and what lessons about fortitude readers can glean from their experiences. The book's title summarizes its thesis and is a take on an old adage that Pitts' grandmother would often repeat. The idea is that real heroes are masters of self-determination and tenacity in spite of the worst of circumstances. Uplifting in its message and captivating in its content, this book goes beyond typical hero worship to explore the notion of role models in modern society.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)