People often express their thoughts, hopes and inspirations privately in diaries and journals that may never be read by others. Brooke Moorehead did not follow that path.
At 16, she has published her thoughts, hopes and inspirations in a book that is now available for all to read.
Titled My Wisdom Throughout a Year: Reflections From a Teenager’s Mind, the paperback contains 56 pages divided into 12 chapters, each representing one month of the year.
Moorehead, a junior at Bryant High School, addresses such subjects as world peace and the meaning of life. On the book’s back cover, she asks, “How can we solve our problems without running away from them? … Can we unite in harmony? … Will we ever truly achieve world peace?”
“It’s all written from my point of view,” Moorehead said during a book signing at Bryant High School. “It’s about problems I’ve seen and how to get through them.
“I’ve been watching about events happening in the news, about violence and
riots, about rivalries between countries.” She added that she has reflected on such events in her book.
She has also observed her friends and other students at high school, noting the problems they may have encountered.
“The best advice I can give anyone is, ‘Never give up. Don’t lose hope. Believe in yourself,’” she said.
“I’ve been told I am wise beyond my years,” she said with a smile. “I love writing.”
Moorehead said it took “about four or five months” to complete the book, which was written on her laptop computer.
“I wanted to share some happenings in my life,” she said. “I lost my grandfather recently, and that was really hard for me, but I got through it.”
While writing her book, Moorehead sought the advice of her parents, Eric and Gemma Moorehead, who both work at the University of Arkansas for Medical
Sciences. He is an administrator on the Institutional Review Board, and she works in the finance department.
Brooke’s dad has journalism experience, having written for the Arkansas Democrat before it became the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and the now-defunct Arkansas State Press. He helped in editing his daughter’s book. Her mother helped with marketing the book.
Brooke Moorehead said it took several tries before finding a publisher for her book.
“We were patient,” she said. “It worked out.”
Published by Outskirts Press, the book is available for $9.95 through Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
“I’m hoping to use the money for college,” Moorehead said, adding that she is not sure where she wants to go to college or what she wants to study. “I might major in journalism or maybe music. I love music. I play piano and sing in the choir.”
Moorehead grew up in Little Rock. She attended Mount St. Mary Academy in Little Rock before transferring to Bryant High School for her junior year.
She and her family, which includes her older brother, Eric “Brad” Moorehead, 26, have traveled throughout the United States and abroad. She has been to the Philippines, where her mother was born, and to China and Japan.
“I hope to achieve more understanding in the world,” Moorehead said. “I’ve always dreamed of world peace. … One day, it will probably happen.”