How I Resist: Activism and Hope for a New Generation

Description: How I Resist is the response, and a way to start the conversation. To show readers that they are not helpless, and that anyone can be the change. A collection of essays, songs, illustrations, and interviews about activism and hope, How I Resist features an all-star group of contributors, including, John Paul Brammer, Libba Bray, Lauren Duca, Modern Family's Jesse Tyler Ferguson and his husband Justin Mikita, Alex Gino, Hebh Jamal, Malinda Lo, Dylan Marron, Hamilton star Javier Muñoz, Rosie O'Donnell, Junauda Petrus, Jodi Picoult, Jason Reynolds, Karuna Riazi, Maya Rupert, Dana Schwartz, Dan Sinker, Ali Stroker, Jonny Sun (aka @jonnysun), Sabaa Tahir, Daniel Watts, Jennifer Weiner, Jacqueline Woodson, and more, all edited and compiled by New York Times bestselling author Maureen Johnson.
 In How I Resist, readers will find hope and support through voices that are at turns personal, funny, irreverent, and instructive. Not just for a young adult audience, this incredibly impactful collection will appeal to readers of all ages who are feeling adrift and looking for guidance.

Review: Our current political climate has left many of us disillusioned and hopeless. How I Resist is a timely anthology that encourages teens to take charge and be agents of change. The book features 30 diverse voices from a wide range of ethnicities, religion, sexual orientations, professional achievements, and even a few familiar celebrities. Each contributor shares their own definition of resistance, their own experiences encountering, and countering, various forms of injustice, and encourage readers to speak out and act against the same. Along with the diverse voices, the compendium also features essays, poems, music, interviews, comics, and other formats to address the topic of resistance. While some entries offer a step by step guide on how teens can enact change even if they are not old enough to vote, others like Jacqueline Woodson's interview suggest that change can start by having an open and honest conversation at home. The strongest entry in this anthology is by Maya Rupert who muses the problematic representation of Wonder Woman as a symbol of feminist power and diverse representation in all forms of media.
 If read as an entire book, the anthology does become repetitive but it would work better if used in selection and excerpts for class discussion. It is clear that this work is driven by passion, honesty, and the yearn to do something instead of being a passive bystander.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Words of Caution: There is some strong language in the book and mature themes discussed. Recommended for Grades 9 and up.

If you like this book try: Hope Nation edited by Rose Brock, Nevertheless, We Persisted: 48 Voices of Defiance, Strength, and Courage by In This Together Media