Book Nook: You Got This

When 16-year old CEO Maya S. Penn was named to Oprah Winfrey's SuperSoul 100 this summer she held the distinction of being the youngest member on the list. An entrepreneur who began her company Maya's Ideas at only 8-years old, she is also an animator/film maker, artist, illustrator, philanthropist, girl’s rights activist and environmentalist. She has been featured in/on Forbes, CNN, TIME Magazine, The View, NPR, Wired, Essence, The Steve Harvey Show and more. She is the youngest female ever to do two back-to-back official TED Talks and they have tallied more than 1.2 million unique views online. 

Maya's first book, YOU GOT THIS!, was released this year. I had a chance to review this handbook for teens and young adults, which helps readers discover their passions and maximize their full potential for a creative, successful life. Inside she provides an innovative blueprint along with the tools she used to build an authentic, exciting, and connected life of her own.

It's exciting to inspire kids to be great. Maya is candid about how she felt going through the process of being an entrepreneur. She writes with a tone that will appeal to teens and young adults, and it really is neat to see what she has been able to accomplish at such a young age. The only caution I would have in a book like this is making sure that kids read it with tempered expectations - the only way to have the success Maya did was by lots of hard work and a little bit of luck. Still, it's refreshing to read such a great story from an inspiring youth.