Let Me Be Honest: 28 Young Artists on Surviving an Uncertain World

by Michaela Allen, P. Anneka Lynch

100 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication May 19, 2026

Reviews

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I requested this ARC because it seemed a good addition to my high school library, and I wanted to preview it before buying in. I'm glad I did! Let Me Be Honest is a mixed art compilation to let at risk youth share their lived experiences and let others explore those feelings. This book contains sketches, poems, photographs, doodles, and more. There will be clear trigger warnings because the topics they explore may be weighty but are always honest to their experiences and will certainly resonate with other teens' experiences and feeling. So this may not be a purchase for all high school libraries. However, this is a highly engaged format and will hook a lot of readers. Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for this ARC.

[Alicia Bayer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a moving and slightly devastating anthology of art and writing by Toronto youth. Essays and poems reflect honestly on poverty, race, mental illness and the dangers and despair of being a young, poor person of color in a frequently terrifying and savage world.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for review.

[Robert Caple · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant book, would love to see more like this. Young people need to be heard.

Full review here: https://robertcaple.substack.com/p/th...