Page 3 - My FlipBook

Not I, nor anyone else can travel that road for you.
You must travel it by yourself.
It is not far. It is within reach.
Perhaps you have been on it since you were born, and did not know.
Perhaps it is everywhere—on water and land.
—Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This book exists thanks to Dan Harmon and Jan Hughes, who were my
original editors at Zest Books, and the advisory teen peer group that supported
its development along the way. The revised edition came into being under
Lerner Publishing Group, who saw the value in my updating the original. My
sincere thanks to editors Hallie Warshaw, Ashley Kuehl, and Andrea Nelson at
Lerner/Zest for recognizing the importance in evolving this book and working
diligently with me to help it meet the needs of a changing world.
A big thanks to Kate Coon, Holly Bull, Aidan Rooney, Doug Drew, Penelope
Trunk, and John C. McCain for contributing their insights culled from years
and years of guiding young people through this bewildering transition. To
Andrew Thompson for his help with some of the research. Gratitude to all
of you teachers, students, and parents who shared your personal stories of
indecision with me. May you embrace the future with gusto!
And finally, thanks to my sons, Graham and Wyeth, who followed the advice
in this book and threw themselves into uncertainty after high school to
discover themselves. It’s been a joy to watch you become the young men I
always hoped you’d be. Thank you for proving my point.