If You See Them

January 1, 2024
This is a compelling call to action about a practically invisible population: underage teens living unhoused and alone. These kids can be on their own for any number of reasons, but because they elect to leave their homes instead of being removed by social agencies, they fall outside of the foster care system. Their invariably heartbreaking stories are told by author Sokolik, who grew up safe and supported in a wealthy, tight-knit family. Delivering Thanksgiving baskets to this population, she gradually came to realize the great needs and numbers of these high-school students who crash on friends' couches, join sports teams to have access to showers, and depend on free lunches as their only meals. Sokolik shares how she created the nonprofit Starting Right, Now, an organization that helps teens who can't live at home with everything from underwear and bedding to tutoring, graduating high school, college help, and beyond. Whether describing individual cases or her own daughter, her empathy and determination are evident. Brutally realistic and never preachy, Sokolik advocates strongly for these needy, overlooked children.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

December 15, 2023
Rebuilding the shattered lives of unhoused youth. Sokolik, the founder and CEO of Starting Right, Now (SRN), makes a moving debut, recounting her journey from charitable citizen to prominent advocate for the "unseen and unprotected population" of unaccompanied, unhoused youth. Coming from wealth and privilege, the author looked for ways to help those less fortunate, such as delivering Thanksgiving dinners to needy families. "I wanted to show the world that I was a good and useful person," she writes. "It was a way to protect myself from judgment." When she became aware of the large number of unhoused high school students in her Florida community, she saw an opportunity to make a lasting impact. "Each unaccompanied youth has lived a patchwork life," she writes, dealing with violence, abuse, loss of one or both parents, hunger, arrests, loneliness, and sometimes addiction. At first, Sokolik focused on a few teenagers by finding them housing, sifting through the obstacles within federal and state safety nets to get them benefits, smoothing a path to employment, and working with social workers and school counselors to ensure ongoing support. Spurred by her city's mayor, she founded SRN, which offers students mentoring, tutoring, and extensive programming to help them "figure out how to be who they are" and who they hope to become. In her detailed profiles of many of these young men and women, Sokolik highlights the challenges involved in helping them, including negativity, distrust, and various mental health issues. "People who have lived through trauma don't heal overnight," she writes. "You have to keep showing up for them, often in ways they don't expect." The author faced personal challenges, including "letting go of unrealistic expectations" and her tendency to be overbearing. Nevertheless, as she reveals, her stubborn faith and tireless activism have led to some impressive successes. A timely and truly inspiring memoir.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.