Don't Give Up

Jonathan Anthony Burkett had every reason to quit. He was told, in words and in silence, that he had no future. At fourteen he was sleeping in cars and parks, fighting seizures. When he went into brain surgery on January 30, 2006, he was not sure he wanted to wake up. A hospital worker named Marise supported him, and when he woke up, he made a decision that changed everything: he would not give up.

Don't Give Up is that decision, opened up for anyone who is holding on by a thread. Jonathan writes about the thoughts that say quit and what to do when they get loud, the one person who can be enough, faith on the days you cannot feel it, starting over without shame, and the long middle where nobody is clapping. From a boy no one expected to make it to an author, music artist and entrepreneur, his life is proof that the chapter you are in is not the whole book.

Inspired by his song "Don't Give Up," this book ends with a letter to the reader who needs it most, and a list of places to find help right now.