In this collection of short stories, poetry, and excerpts from novels, Hazel Rochman and Darlene Z. McCampbell explore the journey--sometimes physical, sometimes metaphorical--that every person takes at some point in their youth; a journey that leads one away from home and toward a larger understanding of the world. Most of the pieces come from works originally published for adults, and the compilers bring a keen eye for excellent writing that will appeal to young adults, as well as a clear understanding of the many facets of their theme. In their introduction, Rochman and McCampbell note the archetypical nature of journey stories, but the pieces they have included go far beyond the archetypes and will challenge readers' perceptions of what a journey can be, and the many ways in which our lives our transformed. The varied perspectives of fifteen diverse writers are encompassed in this collection. Among the writers included are Sandra Cisneros, Toni Morrison, Edward P. Jones, Francisco Jiménez, Gary Soto and Amy Tan. (Age 14 and older)

Leaving home for the first time is a rite of passage. Fifteen of the most respected authors of our time contribute their perspectives to this masterfully crafted anthology. From fear to desire, joy and hope, the mixed emotions that accompany each journey--physical and metaphysical--are conveyed in a manner that both stimulates the mind and satisfies the heart.

Everyone eventually goes on a journey.

"I remember packing a suitcase and carrying it out to the kitchen, standing very still for a few minutes, looking carefully at the familiar objects all around me. The old chrome toaster, the telephone, the pink and white Formica on the kitchen counters. The room was full of bright sunshine. Everything sparkled. My house, I thought. My life. I'm not sure how long I stood there, but later I scribbled out a short note to my parents."
What I said, exactly, I don't recall now. Something vague. Taking off, will call, love Tim."
--from On the Rainy River by Tim O'Brien

You leave home and undergo trails and rites.

"The minute I walked in and the Big Bozo introduced us, I got sick to my stomach. It was one thing to be taken out of your own bed early in the morning--it was something else to be stuck in a strange place with a girl form a whole other race."
-- from "Recitatif" by Toni Morrison

You come back form the journey transformed.

"I felt growing light, I rose up into the air and flew out the window. Higher and higher, above the alley, over the tops of tiles roofs, where I was gathered up by the wind and pushed up toward the night sky until everything below me disappeared and I was alone."
-- from Rules of the Game by Amy Tan

We leave home to find home.Here is an unusual collection of short stories, from a variety of distinguished writers from different cultures and different viewpoints, that explores the turning point in every adolescent’s life when he or she is forced to take that first step away from home, family, and the known. From personal tales of unwed mothers, arranged marriages, and divorcing parents, to stories about refugees and war resistance, Leaving Home paints a canvas of universal experience for teen-age readers, and includes stories by Tim Wynne-Jones, Sandra Cisneros, Gary Soto, and many others.