LAURIE ROSENWALD is an award winning designer who launched her site and studio, rosenworld.com in 1995. She teaches a workshop called “How to Make Mistakes on Purpose,” and has been a professor of graphic design at the School of Visual Arts and Parsons School of Design. Her New York Notebook is on sale at the George Pompidou Center in Paris, and everyplace else that’s cool. Her first picture book, And To Name But Just a Few: Red, Yellow, Green, Blue, was named a Scholastic Parent & Child Best Book of 2007. She is also a painter, speaks Swedish like a native New Yorker, and appeared as “Woman” on “The Sopranos.”

These days, a lot of people are trying to tell teens what’s best for them. Here’s a look at life from artist and professional nonconformist Laurie Rosenwald, who insists that she doesn’t want to tell anyone what to do. But when you are as irreverent as she is (Is the earth really worth saving?) and as funny (Your breasts: What do they mean?) people sort of DO want to know what you think. Then again, if you think like Rosenwald, it could get you kicked out of yoga class.

In the tradition of nothing you’ve ever seen or read, All the Wrong People Have Self Esteem is for young women* who ask good questions about life and then like to laugh at the answers. Got a better approach?

*or frankly, anybody else.