Mallory Smith was no ordinary girl, and this is no ordinary story. DIARY OF A DYING GIRL is a poignant, true story of a young woman who refused to be defined by chronic illness. Her light and her life are shared here in her own words to encourage everyone to live life to the fullest, as she did, even as she was dying.
This collection for young adults is adapted from SALT IN MY SOUL first published by Random House Adult in 2019. DIARY OF A DYING GIRL has been expanded to include never-before-seen content focused on Mallory’s younger years as a teen. It also includes updates from Mallory’s mom about new Cystic Fibrosis treatments. It is a real, unflinching account of what it means to be truly alive.
Mallory Smith was no ordinary girl, and this is no ordinary story. At age three, Mallory was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis—a disease that attacks the internal organs and would eventually kill her. Despite living on borrowed time, Mallory pursued her passions: volleyball; writing; the environment; her boyfriend, family, and friends. Most importantly, every day she chose to embody the mantra “live happy.” Mallory also had her struggles—everything from love and sex to living with illness and just being a human on this planet. And she chronicled every bit of it, writing thousands of diary entries before her death in her twenties.
About the Author:
MALLORY SMITH was a freelance writer and editor specializing in environmental, social justice, and healthcare-related communications. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Stanford University and worked as a senior producer at Green Grid Radio, an environmental storytelling radio show and podcast. Her radio work has been featured on KCRW, National Radio Project, and State of the Human. She died at the age of twenty-five on November 15, 2017, two months after receiving a double lung transplant. Mallory’s mother, Diane, currently lives in Los Angeles and is available for interview.
UNBELIEVABLE TRUE STORY
Many of the feelings I write about are too difficult to share while I’m alive, so I’m keeping everything in my journal password-protected until the end…