Dear Me: A Letter to My Sixteen-Year-Old Self

In this irresistible collection, some of our most beloved and fascinating personalities write letters to their teenage selves and, in doing so, give a rare glimpse into who they are today.

Sixteen—it’s a funny age: we think we’re adults but are really still children. We think we know it all but lack life experience. If there was an age we could have used some sage words, it was then.

In Dear Me, more than sixty celebrities, writers, musicians, and actors deliver letters to their younger selves that give words of comfort, warning, humor, and advice. Often handwritten and shown alongside a photograph of the writer at around that age, these letters present intimate, moving, and witty insights into some of the figures who captivate us most, comprising a collection that readers will want to talk about and share with others. A portion of the proceeds received by the author from sales of the book will be donated to Doctors Without Borders.

These nuggets of wisdom are offered by an Academy Award-nominated actor (James Woods), a popular comedian (Aasif Mandvi), and a world-famous novelist (Jodi Picoult) to their sixteen-year-old selves. No matter how accomplished and confident they seem today, at sixteen, they were like the rest of us—often unsure, frequently confused, and usually in need of a little reassurance.

In Dear Me, 75 celebrities, writers, musicians, athletes, and actors have written letters to their younger selves that give words of comfort, warning, humor, and advice. These letters present intimate, moving, and witty insights into some of the world’s most intriguing and admired individuals. By turns funny, surprising, raw, and uplifting, this singular collection captures the universal conditions that are youth, life, and growing up.

A collection of letters written by a variety of well-known personalities to their 16-year old selves about things that they wish they had known then.

Joseph Galliano is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in the Times (London) and the Guardian (UK) as well as various magazines internationally. He lives in London. Stalkers, Future Selves, and other interested persons are invited to visit him at josephgalliano.co.uk.