My dark days made me strong. Or maybe I already was strong, and they made me prove it.

Emery Lord

In Emery Lord’s 2016 novel “When We Collided,” teenager Vivi Alexander has just moved to the small town of Verona Cove. She’s also recently been diagnosed with bipolar disorder after experiencing a manic episode. Throughout the book, she draws on this experience to help comfort Verona Cove local Jonah, whose father has just died and with whom Vivi grows close. Through Vivi’s words here, Lord reminds us that the challenges we face can draw out our strengths — even those we never knew we had.