A letter can change everything. For Amy Nielsen, it was a two-page note to her college-aged daughter explaining why curfews mattered—a window into Nielsen's tumultuous past as a homeless teen in 1980s Florida. That letter became the seed for "Worth It," her award-winning young adult novel about finding courage when everything around you is falling apart.
Her novel, which recently earned the Florida State Book Award's bronze medal, transforms her five-year struggle through homelessness and teenage pregnancy into a powerful fictional narrative set against the economic devastation of Central Florida's citrus freezes.
The result is a book that speaks directly to teens in crisis while offering guidance to friends and adults who want to help.
Nielsen's work extends to autism advocacy As the mother of an autistic son, she challenges harmful labels and misconceptions, emphasizing that non-speaking doesn't mean low-functioning and that autism may simply be "a normal part of the human genome."
The audiobook of "Worth It," narrated by Shealey Hannigan, recently named a finalist for Best Audiobook of 2024 by Indie Inc.
photos; courtesy of a.nielsen
“THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED OR VIEWS EXPRESSED BY GUESTS DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT OR REPRESENT THOSE OF THE HOST;
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