Reality Bites

Being a teenager isn't easy. Everything is changing both physically and emotionally, and you're thrust into the most intense situations of your lives, facing heartbreak, anxiety, low self-esteem, peer pressure, and so much more. Reading stories about other teens in real-life situations can help you feel validated—and can often illuminate paths forward. Four authors who write for young adults, Kristin Elizabeth Clark ('Jess, Chunk, and the Road Trip to Infinity'), Kim Culbertson ('The Wonder of Us'), Sandhya Menon ('When Dimple Met Rishi') and Alexandra Sirowy ('The Creeping') share how they capture the unique interior worlds—the joys, the pitfalls, the intimate struggles—of young adults.