Volume Eighteen in the Books that Matter Series
Junior year is tough: what with schoolwork, friendships, family, and extracurricular
activities. No one knows this better than Simon Spier who is trying to juggle
school, his diverse group of co-ed friends, his interesting
family, and the demands of the upcoming drama production. But Simon has more
than just all of this going on. He is being blackmailed by Martin Addison, one of the
theater students who has read Simon's personal email when he forgets to log out
at school. Martin wants to date one of Simon's friends. In exchange, he won't
tell anyone Simon's secret. Simon Spier is gay. And Martin has screenshots of Simon's personal emails to prove it. If he doesn't help Martin, soon his correspondences
with another gay student, who uses the name Blue in his emails, might become
public. And neither Simon nor Blue have come out yet.
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda is thought-provoking,
funny in parts, and poignant throughout. Simon is likable and it is easy to
feel sorry for him as events spin out of his control. Author, Becky Albertalli,
does an amazing job with her characters. Each one has a unique voice and style
that is true to teenagers.
This
young adult novel is the story of a gay teenager in Georgia, not ready to out
himself to the public. And why should he? Because as it is stated in the email
correspondence between Simon and Blue, why is that everyone isn't expected to
come out-- whether straight, gay, or bi? It is the Homo Sapiens Agenda against
Simon. And that is precisely why Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda is a book
that matters.
No comments:
Post a Comment