Jamel loses his friends to marijuana; Artiqua dates a boy of another race despite her family’s opposition. Youniqiue was abandoned by her mother; Charlene is raising her brothers and sisters because their mother is addicted to drugs; Craig is gay and worried about coming out. All of these teens have more than their share of troubles. And all have the resiliency needed to face them, live through them, and move forward with courage, confidence, and hope. In 30 first-person accounts, teens tell how they overcame major life obstacles. Many aren’t the everyday problems most kids encounter, which makes their stories especially compelling—and their successes especially inspiring. As teens read The Struggle to Be Strong, they discover they’re not alone in facing life’s difficulties. They learn about seven resiliencies—insight, independence, relationships, initiative, creativity, humor, and morality—that everyone needs to survive and thrive in even the toughest times. Vivid, articulate, and candid, this book will motivate readers of all ages to build the skills and strengths they need to triumph over adversity.

Through thirty first-person teen narratives, including new stories on social media and gender identity, readers learn about seven resiliencies everyone needs to survive and thrive. Otis deals with the real-life consequences of online aggression; Artiqua dates a boy of another race despite her family’s opposition. Charlene is raising her brothers and sisters because their mother is addicted to drugs; Craig is gay and worried about coming out. All of these teens have had more than their share of troubles. And all have the resiliency needed to face their troubles, live through them, and move forward with courage, confidence, and hope. In thirty first-person narratives, teen writers share how they’ve overcome obstacles in their lives. As teens read, they discover they’re not alone in facing life’s difficulties. They learn about seven resiliencies everyone needs to survive and thrive in even the toughest times: insight independence relationships initiative creativity humor morality In this updated edition, new stories feature topics such as social media, gender identity, and drug addiction. A “Think About It” section at the end of each story offers questions for personal reflection or discussion. Vivid, articulate, and candid, these stories will motivate readers of all ages to build the skills and strengths they need to triumph over adversity. The corresponding leader’s guide, A Leader's Guide to The Struggle to Be Strong updated edition, provides activities, exercises, and questions to invite teens to go deeper into the stories and issues of The Struggle to Be Strong.

Activities, exercises, and questions invite teens to go deeper into the stories and issues of the updated edition of The Struggle to Be Strong. Designed for use with the anthology The Struggle to Be Strong, this leader’s guide explains how to use the stories in the student book to build teens’ resiliency. Activities, exercises, role plays, and questions about the issues in The Struggle to Be Strong help students go deeper into the stories, reflect on them, relate them to their lives, recognize their own potential for resilience, and start building resilience skills. Introductory materials offer guidelines for group leadership and provide leaders with more information about the seven resiliencies: insight independence relationships initiative creativity humor morality

"In a down-to-earth, let's-get-real approach, [the author] cuts through the confusion and shows [readers] how to discern whether we're dealing with battles within ourselves, resistance from God, or genuine fights with the Devil, throw off misconceptions about spiritual warfare, and understand what Jesus really said about our spiritual authority and the certainty we have in him, [and] ask the right questions and build a realistic battle plan to win one day at a time"--Amazon.com.

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • When we deny our stories, they define us. When we own our stories, we get to write the ending. Don’t miss the five-part HBO Max docuseries Brené Brown: Atlas of the Heart! Social scientist Brené Brown has ignited a global conversation on courage, vulnerability, shame, and worthiness. Her pioneering work uncovered a profound truth: Vulnerability—the willingness to show up and be seen with no guarantee of outcome—is the only path to more love, belonging, creativity, and joy. But living a brave life is not always easy: We are, inevitably, going to stumble and fall. It is the rise from falling that Brown takes as her subject in Rising Strong. As a grounded theory researcher, Brown has listened as a range of people—from leaders in Fortune 500 companies and the military to artists, couples in long-term relationships, teachers, and parents—shared their stories of being brave, falling, and getting back up. She asked herself, What do these people with strong and loving relationships, leaders nurturing creativity, artists pushing innovation, and clergy walking with people through faith and mystery have in common? The answer was clear: They recognize the power of emotion and they’re not afraid to lean in to discomfort. Walking into our stories of hurt can feel dangerous. But the process of regaining our footing in the midst of struggle is where our courage is tested and our values are forged. Our stories of struggle can be big ones, like the loss of a job or the end of a relationship, or smaller ones, like a conflict with a friend or colleague. Regardless of magnitude or circumstance, the rising strong process is the same: We reckon with our emotions and get curious about what we’re feeling; we rumble with our stories until we get to a place of truth; and we live this process, every day, until it becomes a practice and creates nothing short of a revolution in our lives. Rising strong after a fall is how we cultivate wholeheartedness. It’s the process, Brown writes, that teaches us the most about who we are. ONE OF GREATER GOOD’S FAVORITE BOOKS OF THE YEAR “[Brené Brown’s] research and work have given us a new vocabulary, a way to talk with each other about the ideas and feelings and fears we’ve all had but haven’t quite known how to articulate. . . . Brené empowers us each to be a little more courageous.”—The Huffington Post

In spite of his humble beginnings, Brown rose to become a top leader of an interracial union.

At one time or another, shifting seasons in family, friendships, employment, and communities will bring each of us face-to-face with the feeling of being on the outside looking in. Because we are made for connection, this will often lead us down one of two roads. Either we will hop on the popular but crowded highway that asks us to do whatever it takes to get noticed, or we'll stand still, paralyzed by the fear that we're not important, loveable, or worth other people's time and attention. But what if there is another way? With an understanding voice that will speak into your own circumstances, Kristen Strong walks beside you along the less traveled but more satisfying third way--the back road way--to belonging: remaining in Christ and relaxing into the unique role God has for you. Along the way, you will learn simple, doable actions that not only will help you feel and know that you belong but will welcome others in as well.