'Reflections from the Pinnacle of Youth' is the first collection of writings from William Donaldson. Through short essays, stories, and poems, Donaldson explores the joy, love, melancholy, and heartache associated with a tumultuous adolescence. He topples subjects large and small; Catholicism, sexuality, familial relationships, beauty standards, gun violence, and many more. Many of his reflections transcend the mundane emotional spectrum to grasp at the inexplicable feelings that pluck at our heart and bubble up in our gut. Donaldson divides his reflections into three sections, each speaking to a different facet of growing up. The first section, Youth, explains the realization that we all have to grow up whether or not we choose to do so. Growing up, however, comes with a whole host of problems that cause Donaldson to yearn for a time without worry, a time that never filled the heart with such a destructive force as desire. The second section, Education, chronicles the part of every teenager's life that dominates their existence. School is a source of many things: anxiety, triumph, friendship, love, enlightenment, and sleep deprivation. With these ideas in mind, Donaldson's essays are both scholarly and plain-spoken, while his poetry taps into the emotions he has felt as a student. The final section, and not by coincidence the longest, Love, submerges the reader into the only emotion that truly outmatches all else. Love, however, is not so as simple as attraction and fondness for something or someone. Donaldson seeks to uncover the nuance that makes love such a magical and terrible force, one that can fill you up with fierce joy or deprive you of all hope. Each word within this collection is selected with a purpose, and Donaldson encourages the reader to seek out his/her own meaning within each reflection. His unique poetic style, coupled with a syntactically diverse prose, creates a marvelous collection that begs to be read.
About the Author: Born in 2001, William Donaldson is a lifetime resident of Silver Spring, Maryland. He attended Sligo Creek Elementary School's French Immersion Program, where he learned to speak fluent French, before getting accepted into Eastern Middle School's Humanities and Communication Magnet Program. Continuing with his focus on writing and oratory skills, Donaldson was accepted to Montgomery Blair High School's Communication Arts Program, where he learned much more about writing, videography, and oral communication. Donaldson wrote and was editor-in-chief for Montgomery Blair's print newspaper, which won the Columbia Scholastic Press Association's Gold Crown in 2018. He won Honorable Mentions for his video documentary submission about felon disenfranchisement to the C-SPAN Studentcam 2017 competition, 'Fettered Democracy.' He received a Citation of Recognition from Senator Chris Van Hollen as well as a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition from Representative Jamie Raskin for the documentary. Donaldson enjoys playing Blazer baseball, singing, being creative, and spending time with friends and family. Despite a slight allergy to cats, they are still his favorite animal to cuddle up to. He hopes to pursue a career in writing and continue learning in higher education. Donaldson plans on studying Women and Gender Studies in college, in addition to other minors. He also hopes to maintain an open mind to other creative pursuits, such as script-writing, film-making, and visual art.