Dear Teen Me: Authors Write Letters to Their Teen Selves

Title: Dear Teen Me: Authors Write Letters to Their Teen Selves
Authors: Various
Published by: Zest Books
Pages: 192
Source: Library
Format: Paperback

Summary from Goodreads: Dear Teen Me includes advice from over 70 YA authors (including Lauren Oliver, Ellen Hopkins, and Nancy Holder, to name a few) to their teenage selves. The letters cover a wide range of topics, including physical abuse, body issues, bullying, friendship, love, and enough insecurities to fill an auditorium. So pick a page, and find out which of your favorite authors had a really bad first kiss? Who found true love at 18? Who wishes he’d had more fun in high school instead of studying so hard? Some authors write diary entries, some write letters, and a few graphic novelists turn their stories into visual art. And whether you hang out with the theater kids, the band geeks, the bad boys, the loners, the class presidents, the delinquents, the jocks, or the nerds, you’ll find friends--and a lot of familiar faces--in the course of Dear Teen Me.

Dear Teen Me is a powerful book filled with many issues that teenagers deal with everyday.  Each of these authors wrote a letter to their teen selves.  Some were funny, some heartbreaking, but each one important to not only the authors but to many teens going through the same issues. 

Instead of a real review on this book I thought I'd open myself up a bit and write a letter to my teenage self.  This was quite difficult for me to do, but it was therapeutic at the same time.  I encourage each of you to do this also.  It really is quite powerful. 

Dear Teen Me,
It's your future self here.  Ok, I know you don't believe it's me because you are super skeptical, but stretch your imagination and trust me (and yourself) this once.  Please!

Ok, we're all good right?  Well we better be because there are some things you need to hear.  The amount of worrying you do is not normal.  This is something you are going to struggle with and truth be told we still do.  The worrying and anxiety will just lead to dark and lonely places you don't want to be.  You cannot control every aspect of your life.  Stop trying...you will be so much happier when you just let yourself experience the moment without analyzing everything about it.  Stop hiding behind your perfect facade and go talk to someone.  It will help. 

I know you have everyone fooled, but not me.  You are scared of what people will think, but I'll let you in on a secret...they don't matter.  Seriously you will only keep in touch with three people from high school and they love you unconditionally no matter how messed up you are. 

Let it all go.  You don't have to be perfect.  That little chant you tell yourself about being perfect so that when you are the first lady they won't dig up any incidents to hold against your husband is RIDICULOUS.  Let me spell it out.  You are not going to be the first lady so instead of trying to be perfect, have a little fun instead of pretending you are having fun.  Don't hold yourself to those impossible standards....no one else does.  You will look back someday and realize that you missed out on so much.  Please don't continue to let your life pass by without living it.    

You may not believe this but you have a great life and it's only going to get better.  So stop worrying about your future and what tomorrow may bring...instead find the good in everyday and every situation.  Oh yeah, and that boy...you know the one.  Stay away from him.  Trust me on this one.