Certainly we all need hope and inspiration. It keeps us open to fresh possibilities for a bright future. Indeed, we are lost without hope. For this third volume of Stories by Teenagers, young people wrote about where they find hope and inspiration. As these stories make clear, the sources of hope are many. All are important.

"I have found my inspiration and hope for the future through my family, from my grandparents, my mother, my aunts, and other relatives telling me of my Chinese heritage. They spin me the stories of their lives, webs of sorrow and joy, good times and bad times, to be heard, felt, and remembered in my heart. I've heard stories of my ancestors from long ago. Their tales are kept alive by word of mouth and passed on through the generations." (Jennifer Kutsenda)