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| Echo Brown | |
I grew up in extreme poverty, which meant any kind of normalcy was out of reach. It also meant mental illness would plague me for most of my life. Depression took root in me at six years old, in the wake of abuse. Suddenly the world looked bleak, grim. People were dangerous and not to be trusted.
Even after I left that environment, I carried those beliefs and the depression with me. Despair and shame blossomed all over my life, destroying everything they touched. The Chosen One chronicles the journey to the other side of internal darkness that I took while I was attempting the biggest challenge of my life: to escape the place from which I came in order to become a first-generation college student.
Through triumph and struggle, the protagonist, 18-year-old Echo (inspired by my experiences), learns to overcome her limitations, accept her vulnerability, reach out for support and meet challenges directly. In the process, she discovers her own power and magic, soaring to places beyond what she imagined was possible for herself.
I hope this book shows readers, especially first-generation students that may be struggling with isolation and mental illness, that some of our greatest assets and strengths can be found in the parts of ourselves that we hide, and that breaking generational chains requires more than the fortitude to stay standing. Self-compassion, gentleness and--most importantly--vulnerability are necessary tools for crossing the bridge to possibility. --Echo Brown
Echo Brown's YA novel The Chosen One is out now from Christy Ottaviano Books.