"Hamlet might have been in his late teens or early twenties . . . Ophelia was for sure in her teens. Jesus's disciples, except for Peter, were classic teenagers, and John was squarely my age. Achilles was probably seventeen when the Trojan War started. Langston Hughes was eighteen when he wrote 'The Negro Speaks of Rivers.' Plato was twenty-eight when his teacher died." - from
Sanjay's Essay Young people have something to say. In the summer of 2025, sixteen-year-old Sanjay takes a daytrip to view the scenery of the Great Swamp Wildlife Refuge in Basking Ridge, New Jersey, in order to complete an assignment given to him by his teacher, Shyam Gohel: "Write on any series of personal concerns or social issues of your choice in your own style that are of
your age, time, and experiences." Something about the mood of the summer day and the leisurely pace of strolling through and taking in the sights and sounds of the Refuge with his teacher allowed Sanjay to write this fine essay on a number of topics young people deal with today in a more direct way than some of us in our 30s, 40s, or more ever have. With broad and thick brush strokes, Sanjay writes about gender, bullying, depression and grief, health-wellness-happiness, social media, money, sex and romance, love, self-esteem, and making the transition to adulthood.
With an Introduction & Notes by Shyam Gohel
