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'If You Ran the World' with Soman Chainani
Soman Chainani wrapped up a three-week, 40-school national tour and sat down with Jama to talk about the Young World playbook. The New York Times bestselling author wrote a thriller about a teenager who accidentally becomes president. This conversation covers the four things every young person agrees on, what to do when you realize no one is coming to fix it for you, and how anyone, teenager or not, can answer the People in Common question: what do you want the world to look like, and how do you make that happen?
WHAT YOU WILL TAKE AWAY
Soman's school presentations have a structure: doom first, then hope.
He opens with reality. Your phone is profiling your insecurities to sell you things. AI is designed to prevent you from thinking. The political class has traded on young people's futures for decades. "The tracks are gone." The contract that said do the right things and your future is secure? Broken. And no one in power is fixing it.
But there is hope. You have the numbers. You can throw out the people who should never have been there.
The Revolting Youth platform, from the book and from the tour, comes down to four things every young person agrees on:
- A livable planet
- An economic future not crushed by debt
- No more kids getting killed at school
- Not surrendering humanity to AI
"They want a planet, they want a roof over their heads, they don't want to be shot at,and they would prefer to stay human."
One proof of concept Soman carries: Zohran Mamdani. Soman was the personal assistant to Mamdani's mother when Mamdani was 12 years old, a kid with a beautiful smile who wanted to play soccer. That kid is now Mayor of New York City. Soman tells students there is probably one like him in every room of 300. And the other 299 matter just as much. You do not have to be the kid who knows who the Secretary of State is. You have to be willing to show up for the kid who does, vote for them, and back them across all lines.
Soman chose writing over running because of the numbers game. "I almost can have more impact this way." The goal on tour was simple: get kids to open the book. He believes the rest follows.
The question he ends with is for everyone: "Think about what you want the world to look like and then how do you make that happen? For me it was writing fiction. But you might have other ways of getting there."
The old question was what do you want to be in this world.
His new question: what world do you want?
TAKE ACTION
Run for Something. Visit revoltingyouth.org and sign up through Run for Something Civics to explore running for local office: school board, city council, library board, or any seat that has been held too long by the wrong person. Any of you could get rid of them "because you have more friends."
Register to vote. Confirm your registration or register for the first time at revoltingyouth.org via Rock the Vote.
Read Young World as a playbook, not a fantasy novel. Buy the book, use the free discussion guide (link in show notes), and read it with people you want to activate.
Find a Zohran and back them. Think of one young person in your community who should run for something local. Back them. Show up. Cross the clique line.
Ask yourself Soman's question: "What do you want the world to look like?" (Not "what do you want to be in this world?") What if you ran the world...
ABOUT SOMAN CHAINANI
Soman Chainani is the New York Times bestselling author of The School for Good and Evil series, which has sold over 4.5 million copies and was adapted into a Netflix film.
He has visited more than 800 schools telling students the same thing: you have more power than you have been told. His new novel, Young World (Penguin Random House, 2026), is a "primal scream" YA political thriller about a teenager who sparks a global youth revolt, built around a real partnership with Run for Something and Rock the Vote to turn readers into candidates and voters.
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By Jama AdamsSoman Chainani wrapped up a three-week, 40-school national tour and sat down with Jama to talk about the Young World playbook. The New York Times bestselling author wrote a thriller about a teenager who accidentally becomes president. This conversation covers the four things every young person agrees on, what to do when you realize no one is coming to fix it for you, and how anyone, teenager or not, can answer the People in Common question: what do you want the world to look like, and how do you make that happen?
WHAT YOU WILL TAKE AWAY
Soman's school presentations have a structure: doom first, then hope.
He opens with reality. Your phone is profiling your insecurities to sell you things. AI is designed to prevent you from thinking. The political class has traded on young people's futures for decades. "The tracks are gone." The contract that said do the right things and your future is secure? Broken. And no one in power is fixing it.
But there is hope. You have the numbers. You can throw out the people who should never have been there.
The Revolting Youth platform, from the book and from the tour, comes down to four things every young person agrees on:
- A livable planet
- An economic future not crushed by debt
- No more kids getting killed at school
- Not surrendering humanity to AI
"They want a planet, they want a roof over their heads, they don't want to be shot at,and they would prefer to stay human."
One proof of concept Soman carries: Zohran Mamdani. Soman was the personal assistant to Mamdani's mother when Mamdani was 12 years old, a kid with a beautiful smile who wanted to play soccer. That kid is now Mayor of New York City. Soman tells students there is probably one like him in every room of 300. And the other 299 matter just as much. You do not have to be the kid who knows who the Secretary of State is. You have to be willing to show up for the kid who does, vote for them, and back them across all lines.
Soman chose writing over running because of the numbers game. "I almost can have more impact this way." The goal on tour was simple: get kids to open the book. He believes the rest follows.
The question he ends with is for everyone: "Think about what you want the world to look like and then how do you make that happen? For me it was writing fiction. But you might have other ways of getting there."
The old question was what do you want to be in this world.
His new question: what world do you want?
TAKE ACTION
Run for Something. Visit revoltingyouth.org and sign up through Run for Something Civics to explore running for local office: school board, city council, library board, or any seat that has been held too long by the wrong person. Any of you could get rid of them "because you have more friends."
Register to vote. Confirm your registration or register for the first time at revoltingyouth.org via Rock the Vote.
Read Young World as a playbook, not a fantasy novel. Buy the book, use the free discussion guide (link in show notes), and read it with people you want to activate.
Find a Zohran and back them. Think of one young person in your community who should run for something local. Back them. Show up. Cross the clique line.
Ask yourself Soman's question: "What do you want the world to look like?" (Not "what do you want to be in this world?") What if you ran the world...
ABOUT SOMAN CHAINANI
Soman Chainani is the New York Times bestselling author of The School for Good and Evil series, which has sold over 4.5 million copies and was adapted into a Netflix film.
He has visited more than 800 schools telling students the same thing: you have more power than you have been told. His new novel, Young World (Penguin Random House, 2026), is a "primal scream" YA political thriller about a teenager who sparks a global youth revolt, built around a real partnership with Run for Something and Rock the Vote to turn readers into candidates and voters.