First—there wouldn’t be a Hope Nation without my editor and publisher, Michael Green. MG—thank you for convincing me I had time to create a book and allowing it to be THIS book. Your dedication and passion for our project have given me more hope than I deserve.
Team Hope (otherwise known as my kick-ass contributors)—thanks to each of you for allowing me to interrupt your already very busy lives and previously scheduled writing obligations. Your contributions and personal stories continue to inspire me, and I will always adore each of you for jumping right on board and digging deep to offer our readers such intimate glimpses into your pasts and present to harness hope. I’m in awe of you all, always.
Special thanks to the amazing team at Philomel and Penguin Young Readers for all the support, including Jen Loja, Emily Romero, Jennifer Dee, and especially my darlings Venessa Carson and Carmela Iaria, who remind us all that hope is indeed a decision. Same goes for my former and present posse at Penguin Random House Audio. Shout-outs to Cheryl Herman and Jodie Cohen for being so immediately enthusiastic about Hope Nation, and to Jen Rubbins, Dan Zitt, Katie Punia, Kristen Luby, and Heather Dalton for all their work in creating, marketing, and getting the word out about this amazing production that offers listeners a chance experience these rich stories by “reading it with their ears.”
There also wouldn’t be a Hope Nation without my goddaughter, Hannah Vance, and my niece Autumn Brock—it was your search for answers and hope in hard times that inspired this book; thank you both for being such fierce young women. Keep speaking your truths. And the other amazing young women in my life—Nicole Jordan, Daniela Villarreal, and Hillary Bellah. You are wonderful. Always be courageous.
Also, a lifetime of thanks to my niece Laticia Porter; my daddy, Marion Little; and my brothers and sisters: Ingrid Little-Kesler, James Little, and Patty and Larry Anderson, who wouldn’t let the other two sibs sell me to a high or low bidder. Being the youngest can be hard, y’all. Much love to my Brock family as well. And here’s to the sisters I chose for myself: Nancy Fritz Vance, Sarah Leach Burey, Laura Williams Francis, Lisa Wall Bua, and April Whatley Bedford. Love you ladies so much more than you know.
The book world has provided me with some of the very dearest friends in my life, and these pals have a hand in so much of the fun I get to experience: Ally Carter, Lizette Serrano, Dina Sherman, Gordon Korman, Elizabeth Eulberg, Carrie Ryan, Ally Condie, Sonya Sones, Sarah Mlynowski, Libba Bray, Tim Jones, Sandy London, and Varian Johnson. Thanks for always making me laugh—wishing for many more years of mischief ahead of us.
A special shout-out to all my North Texas Teen Book Festival partners-in-crime: Mandy Aguilar, Stacy Wells, Ian Pearce, Amanda Hipp, Heather Aston, Renee Newry, Amanda Trowbridge, and especially Kristin Treviño for always helping me remember that our teens come first.
For having hearts as big as our home state, my Texas posse deserves a special yee-haw, especially Nicole Caliro, Jill Bellomy, Carson Childress, Kathy Arndt, Angie Mahalik, Laila Sanguras, Missy Schliep, Monica Champagne, Victoria Tong, Stephanie Howell, Laurel Dickson, Brooke Morris, Milissa Vo, Sid Grant, Vern Edin, and Cheri Johnson, and my friends and colleagues at SHSU: Teri Lesesne, Karin Perry, Holly Weimar, Robin Moore, Elizabeth Gross, and especially Rebecca Lewis for putting a roof over my head in Huntsville. And as always, no good thing I do professionally isn’t somehow tied back to my forever mentor and friend, Sylvia Vardell.
I’ve been so lucky to have gotten to teach and work with so many amazing teens throughout my years as an educator. Special thanks to my darlings Marcus Jauregui, Jennifer Sabatini Jabara, Chase Whale, Courtney Piano Newman, Jordan Cowen Muse, Candis Ray Morris, Samantha Kline Beltran, Lauren Lason, Courtney Cheek, and the thousands of others whose lives intersected with mine throughout the years. This book is filled with the stories I wish I could have handed you when you were a teen; I promise I was thinking of you all the while it was being created.
Finally, and most importantly, though my personal hope is inspired by so many, it’s always firmly rooted in Madeleine, Olivia, and Michael, and in the legacy of my mom, Irmgard Klebe Little. All I do is in hopes of making them proud.