Picture this: A 14-year-old girl with a camera and a burning desire to touch the lives of others. She conducts five years of interviews and a journey of discovery into the hearts and minds of teenage girls from all over the globe.
The result: Young Sisters, a collection of handwritten testimonies, photographs, and transcripts of recorded interviews of young women.
That young woman was me. And today I’ve published these stories in book form and had them performed on stage at Talent Unlimited High School in New York City.
Young Sisters strips away the mass media facade that promotes looks, materialism and sexual promiscuity as all that young women are, and instead presents real life.
This one-of-a-kind documentary book takes a genuine look at teenage girls’ thoughts, trials, and accomplishments. It is both a celebration of budding womanhood and a lament of the loss of innocence.
Readers connect with these girls as they share their testimonies and relive the greatest struggles of their lives—in their own words and their own handwriting.
The media overwhelms our senses with images of sex and beauty that devours our culture. Ultimately, the victims are females.
The social pressure to match impossible standards of physical beauty often destroys their ability to look at themselves realistically and appreciate their attractive features and inner beauty.
I wanted to help young women recognize this influence and to celebrate being themselves. The dynamic of Young Sisters therefore entertains, inspires, and empowers young adult audiences with this timely and explosive subject.
Anna Leung is the author of Young Sisters. Her goal for the book is to uplift at least 200,000 teenage girls by 2010 and donate a portion of the proceeds from the book to programs that elevate young women’s lives.
For more information on how to preview or purchase Young Sisters, visit www.AnnaLeung.org/store. Or, to be part of Young Sister’s vision of uplifting 200,000 teenage girls, host a Young Sisters’ performance or gallery show. For more information or to invite Anna Leung to speak at your school, event, workshop or conference, email AnnaLeung1@gmail.com.
