With empathy and honesty, they address these young people not with the platitudes of a politician or a celebrity, but with the pragmatic advice of people who have dealt with these same issues and come out on the other side. Each story is answered with a letter of advice from an original Freedom Writer. In Dear Freedom Writer, the next generation of Freedom Writers shares its struggles with abuse, racism, discrimination, poverty, mental health, imposed borders, LGBTQIA+ identity, and police violence.

They want to be heard they want to be seen. Their stories speak to young people who feel as if those around them do not care about their lives, their feelings, and their struggles. Together, they co-authored The Freedom Writers Diary, which launched a movement that remains incredibly relevant and impactful today. Inspired by books like Anne Frank’s diary, her students began writing their own diaries, eventually dubbing themselves the Freedom Writers. Instead of treating them as scores on a test, she understood that each of them had a unique story to tell. Over twenty years ago, the students in first-year teacher Erin Gruwell’s high school class in Long Beach, California, were labeled “unteachable”-but she saw past that. The students of today tell their stories of adversity and growth in letters to the original Freedom Writers-authors of the #1 New York Times bestseller The Freedom Writers Diary-who write supportive and powerful letters in response.

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