What We Remember, What We Forget

Gr 8 Up–This year marks the 10th anniversary of the PUSH anthologies, so Levithan has compiled the best of the best from the 2008 to 2011 winners. The poetry and prose selections are a combination of voices from every walk of life that traverses the world from Beijing to Nigeria to America and back again in a compendium of love and loss, life and death. Topics covered range from working the graveyard shift at Walgreens to Eve in the Garden of Eden to the bravery of coming out and finding yourself. There is a broad range of mature emotion that adults can sometime forget exists in teens. It is uplifting and inspiring to hear the creative voices of the up-and-coming generation. Teens will be able to relate to at least one of these stories as they hear their own voices in those of their peers. The experiences found within these words will resonate with readers long after the last page is turned. A collection of art and photography submissions found in the center of the book will appeal to visually oriented teens.–Kimberly Castle-Alberts, Hudson Library & Historical Society, OH