Hope is a decision, but it is a hard one to recognize in the face of oppression, belittlement, alienation, and defeat. To help embolden hope, here is a powerhouse collection of essays and personal stories that speak directly to teens and all YA readers.

"We" by David Levithan -- "Before and after" by Libba Bray -- "Now more than ever" by Angie Thomas -- "Rundown" by Ally Condie -- "Surviving" by Marie Lu -- "Nobody remembers the names of people who build walls" by Jeff Zentner -- "Love" by Nicola Yoon -- "Wings and teeth" by Kate Hart -- "Shot of hope" by Gayle Forman -- "Baseball pasta" by Christina Diaz Gonzalez -- "Don't listen to the a**holes" by Atia Abawi -- "Different dances" by Alex London -- "The dreadful summer of 1991" by Howard Bryant -- "The two types of secrets" by Ally Carter -- "Born in Argentina, made in America: the immigrant identity" by Romina Garber -- "Chah-muh" by Renée Ahdieh -- "The only one I can apologize for" by Aisha Saeed -- "In the past" by Jenny Torres Sanchez -- "Always" by Nic Stone -- "Hoping for home" by Julie Murphy -- "Caution: this hope is NSFW (but it shouldn't be)" by I. W. Gregorio -- "Four-letter words" by James Dashner -- "The kids who stuck" by Jason Reynolds & Brendan Kiely.