What are our beliefs about what is right and wrong? How do our decisions impact those around us? Are forgiveness and redemption truly possible?

These are just a few of the questions explored in The Battle Within, a collection of writing from the students of Ida B. Wells High School in San Francisco. Inspired by the themes in Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner, these young authors crafted powerful stories, poems, and letters that get to the heart of what it means to struggle, to regret, to overcome, to love. We invite you to take a moment to step inside each one of their boxes, to read their words, and to consider their hopes:

“I hope that people see that there are always three sides to the story: your part, the other person’s part, and the truth.”

“I hope they see that everyone has a story to be heard and that some people grow up in the struggle but could make it out of it, if they have motivation.”

“I hope that whoever picks up our book knows that the teens who wrote their own personal stories are mostly minorities. I want people to see past our color and our struggle, but I don’t want anyone to feel bad for me. I just want someone to see the fight we are up against, to wake up from this fantasy world.”