Donating Books to Kids with Mental Health Needs

The Short: Donate copies of debut young adult novel D.J. Rosenblum Becomes the G.O.A.T. to affiliates of the National Alliance on Mental Illness!

The Long:

In January 2020, a friend whom I loved dearly died by suicide. The aftermath wrecked me: I had experienced grief before, but never anything so fraught, confusing, or enmeshed with blame and anger. My experience of suicide loss inspired me to write my debut young adult novel, D.J. Rosenblum Becomes the G.O.A.T., about a 14-year-old queer Jewish girl who is preparing for her bat mitzvah while investigating her cousin's death. Most of all, this book is about the difficulties of dealing with youth mental health issues, including grief, depression, and—yes—suicide loss.

I'm proud to say that D.J. Rosenblum will be published by Levine Querido on August 5, 2025. My dearest hope is that this book helps others, especially young people, navigate the kinds of mental health issues that almost ruined me. To that end, I'm on a mission to donate 225 copies of D.J. Rosenblum Becomes the G.O.A.T. to local affiliates of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). I've reached out to these chapters and ensured they are equipped with in-house libraries and/or youth programs to share D.J. Rosenblum with their young members and families.

No one should experience suicide loss. No one should feel pushed to end their own life. By donating to this fundraiser, you can help me put informed, accessible books about mental health into the hands of kids who need them. This isn't just a question of hitting summer reading goals: With rising rates of youth suicide and mental illness in the United States, it's increasingly a question of life and death.

I will buy all copies of D.J. Rosenblum from Loyalty Bookstores, a queer-, Black-, and Asian-owned bookstore in my home of Washington, DC. I've determined the total amount for this fundraiser based on the estimated cost of 225 books and shipping from Loyalty. (See photo below.) Every book bought, and every donation made, will support a community pillar which goes out of its way to uplift marginalized authors and readers.

A donation of $28.56 will buy one book for a child in need.

If my friend had lived, she would have turned 28 this month—beautiful and brilliant and bursting with life. Thank you for helping me honor her memory. Thank you for helping to ensure no one will have to go through such a painful, pointless experience again.

***No raffles, sweepstakes, giveaways, or returns on investment are offered in exchange for any donations made to this GoFundMe.