Teenage Authors Announce THE HIGH SCHOOL TRUTH Guidebook

NEW YORK, Aug. 3, 2015 /PRNewswire/ Thirty-four high school students have announced publication of their book, "The High School Truth" composed of first-person insights of life in the modern high school.

"The High School Truth" presents itself in short story format and holds sixty-six tips and stories from students who represent the collective nature of the American teenager attempting to survive and thrive in today's high school. The project is entirely student run, with no contributor older than eighteen years old.

With stories ranging from "Avoid Awkward Mondays," which highlights a narrative of a young man negotiating his way through a Monday morning at school following a more-than-expected weekend, to "Paychecks and Lack Thereof," which details a young woman trying to land her first job at an ice-cream shop. Kirkus Reviews said the book has "tips with plenty of credibility...the strength of this collection is the been-there testimony provided by its young voices."

Students who contributed to the book include state champion debaters, YouTube stars, and Ivy League attendees. The book also includes students who have struggled with their sexualities, battled mental illness, and helped their families through difficult times. Every geographical region of the United States is represented in the guidebook.

Martin Rather and Lila Rimalovski both organized the book. Now eighteen years old, both Rather and Rimalovski took on a national campaign in order to attempt to include as many students' perspectives as possible. Asking the question, "What do you wish you knew on your first day of high school?" the authors worked with students ranging from an Oklahoman attending school on a Choctaw reservation to a student attending an elite Northeastern boarding school.

The purpose of the book is "to prepare teens and tweens for the complexity of the modern American high school system," says Rimalovski. She adds, "no guidebook to high school has ever been written as a first-person narrative, presenting the stories of students who are making it through high school in the modern world."

The book campaign was significantly aided by a highly successful crowdfunding effort on RocketHub, where the book raised over $5000 in a thirty-day period. Small-dollar contributors helped the fundraising from thirty-three states, each of whom contributed in order to receive a copy of the book in advance.

Represented by the agency N.S. Bienstock, "The High School Truth" is also being released on Amazon in order to speed delivery to market. Rather says, "We want to make sure that we can provide a fresh narrative on life in the modern high school. It's important to all of us that we get this book out quickly, in the hopes that students can begin to learn from the first-person stories of our peers."

The collaborators include Maia Berlow, Soven Bery, Arielle Brender, Hannah Casey, Jack Cmaylo, Max Daley-Watson, Ellie Dougherty, Jackson Dellinger, Jair Froome, Adina Gitomer, Daniela Gonzalez, Isa Gueye, Kenny Hahn, Elissa Hamil, Dillon Hanson, Sam Harris, Miles Peter Hurley, Cameron Koffman, Jackson Lea, Asher Leher-Small, Bibi Lichauco, Jason Liebmann, Shivonne Logan, Hayes McManemin, Jack Olsson, Oscar Perales, Sara Platnick, Andrew Settleman, Silvia Sotolongo, Anna Sundquist, Meg Thode, and Camille Ward.

About Martin Rather and Lila Rimalovski

Lila Rimalovski and Martin Rather are both eighteen years old and will both attend college this fall. Rimalovski will attend The Gallatin School of Individualized Study at New York University and Rather will attend Rice University in Houston, Texas. The two met at the School for Ethics and Global Leadership in Washington, DC in the fall of 2013. Both plan to study a combination of public policy, education, and international relations.

Contact:
Martin Rather
646-202-3666

SOURCE The High School Truth

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