Dear Rachel Maddow

Letters to her hero help a teen in crisis

A year ago, former Honor student Brynn’s life fell apart—her parents divorced, her brother overdosed and died, she broke up with her girlfriend, her grades slid, and she lost her position at the school newspaper. She’s all but hit bottom when her writing teacher asks the class to send a letter to their individual heroes. For Brynn that’s news anchor Rachel Maddow. Thus, begins a (mostly) one-sided correspondence with Brynn sharing the ups and downs of a year when she starts to rebound. The story is charming, heartbreaking, and hard to put down.