First edition.

xi, 324 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Channeling their own experiences, sixteen exceptional authors subvert mental health stereotypes in a powerful and uplifting collection of fiction. A teen activist wrestles with protest-related anxiety and PTSD. A socially anxious vampire learns he has to save his town by (gulp) working with people. As part of her teshuvah, a girl writes letters to the ex-boyfriend she still loves, revealing that her struggle with angry outbursts is related to PMDD. A boy sheds uncontrollable tears but finds that in doing so he's helping to enable another's healing. In this inspiring, unflinching, and hope-filled mixed-genre collection, sixteen diverse and notable authors draw on their own lived experiences with mental health conditions to create stunning works of fiction that will uplift and empower you, break your heart and stitch it back together stronger than before. Through powerful prose, verse, and graphics, the characters in this anthology defy stereotypes as they remind readers that living with a mental health condition doesn't mean that you're defined by it. Each story is followed by a note from its author to the reader, and comprehensive back matter includes bios for the contributors as well as a collection of relevant resources. With contributions by: Mercedes Acosta * Karen Jialu Bao * James Bird * Rocky Callen * Nora Shalaway Carpenter * Alechia Dow * Patrick Downes * Anna Drury * Nikki Grimes * Val Howlett * Jonathan Lenore Kastin * Sonia Patel * Marcella Pixley * Isabel Quintero * Ebony Stewart * Francisco X. Stork

They call me Hurricane / Rocky Callen -- A body with wholes / Ebony Stewart -- Spidey sense / Nora Shalaway Carpenter -- Nothing feels no pain / Sonia Patel -- Avalanche / Nikki Grimes -- Beggars would ride / Val Howlett -- My sister Rafaela is a good person / Mercedes Ángel Acosta -- Verbatim / Patrick Downes -- Back of the truck / Isabel Quintero -- Don't go breaking my heart / Anna Drury -- We are stardust / Alechia Dow -- River Boy / James Bird -- A bridge over silence / Karen Jialu Bao -- Almost beautiful / Marcella Pixley -- The call: a one-act play / Francisco X. Stork.

Includes bibliographical references (page [313]-322)

Mental illness -- Juvenile fiction.

Self-esteem -- Juvenile fiction.

Depression, Mental -- Juvenile fiction.

Young adult fiction.

Depression, Mental.

Mental illness.

Self-esteem.

Young adult fiction.

Fiction.

Juvenile works.

Short stories.

Short stories.

Carpenter, Nora,

Callen, Rocky,

Acosta, Cibby,

Bao, Karen,

Bird, James, 1979-

Dow, Alechia,

Downes, Patrick, 1984-

Drury, Anna,

Grimes, Nikki,

Howlett, Val,

Kastin, Jonathan Lenore,

Patel, Sonia,

Pixley, Marcella,

Quintero, Isabel,

Stewart, Ebony,

Stork, Francisco X.,

Absolutely normal

Abnormal : short stories that smash mental health stereotypes

9781536224146 (hardcover)

1536224146