This book is an amazing book for middle schoolers. It gives them real life examples of what happens and it lets them know that they are not alone. That is important for the developemnt in a student this age. ( )

Hope Nation is a collection of essays, letters, and stories by popular YA authors seeking to either give others hope or show that hope can lead to better things. It was put together in 2018 after the devesting break in American society with the election of Donald Trump. It reminds people that things will get better eventually. Some of my favorite stories were Libba Bray and her car accident, Angie Thomas talking about how worried she was for the release of the hate you give, or (I can not remember which author) talking about their immigrant experience and having to be told as a teenager to remember they are an immigrant. This was not a book I set out with a purpose to read, other than to fill a challenge, but the idea of hope worked. Listening to these stories made my day lighter and had me looking and fighting for a brighter and better future for myself and others. ( )

This is a series of essays written by various authors for a young adult audience. It starts out with the statement that hope is a decision and I fully endorse that idea. These essays examine a variety of challenges that needed to be faced.

Authors include: Atia Abawi, Renee Ahdieh, Libba Bray, Howard Bryant, Ally Carter, Ally Condie, James Dashner, Christina Diaz Gonzales, Gayle Forman, Romina Garber, I. W. Gregario, Kate Hart, Bendan Kiely, David Levithan, Alex London, Marie Lu, Julie Murphy, Jason Reynolds, Aisha Saeed, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Jenny Torres Sanchez, Jeff Zentner, and Nicola Yoon.

Libba Bray: car accident that changed her life
Angie Thomas: discusses the current political climate and her book The Hate U Give, and
Ally Condie talks about depression and the things and people that help with hope.
Marie Lu writes about moving from China to America and survival and adaptation.
Nicola Yoon recounts the challenges of being an interracial couple.
Christina Diaz Gonzalez talks about baseball, being the only Hispanic girl in her small North Florida town, and her Cuban grandmother.
Atia Abawi writes about her dream of being a journalist, persistence, roadblocks, and believing in yourself.
Howard Bryant writes about his newspaper internship in a small Pennsylvania farm town and the lessons he learned there. Ally
Romina Garber recalls her move from Argentina to the US as a child and what it meant to be an immigrant.
Aisha Saeed writes about apologies and being an American Muslim.
Jenny Torres Sanchez discusses growing up afraid of her father and the abuse that he suffered as a child.
I.W. Gregorio shares how a repressed teen grew up to become a urologist, and discusses breaking taboos and getting rid of awkwardness.
Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely have a conversation about their tour for All American Boys and the conversations and kids who have stuck with them.

I left some out. Some stories were more interesting of course. I do feel that not all POV were presented. It lacked balance.

Rating will be 3 stars. ( )

There were several times when, as I was reading this book, I would copy down a favorite quote to share with my favorite reader friends. This was a very good book and helped me see new perspectives from authors I already admire greatly ( )

Marketed as a modern day "Chicken Soup for the Soul" this book contains essays written by some very big, very popular names. Teens today have so much pressure and as in every era of the world, struggle to figure out who they are and how they fit into the crazy jigsaw of society. In this collection of essays, these authors attempt to reassure students that while life is certainly hard right now, there is hope at the end of the tunnel.