Becky Albertalli is known for her award-winning book Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, but before being an author, she first worked as a clinical psychologist. Becky Albertalli was born on November 17, 1982, at the Atlanta, GA, suburbs. She has started writing ever since she was in preschool, primarily about her pets. At the age of 12, she wrote and directed a play inspired by the Lurlene McDaniel novel. She studied college in Connecticut and studied abroad at St. Andrews in Scotland. After graduating from college, she went to Washington, D.C. and earned her doctorate in clinical psychology. Aside from the book Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, she also wrote the books The Upside of Unrequited, Leah on the Offbeat and the upcoming book What If It’s Us that will be released on the 9th of October this year.
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda
The story is about the sixteen-year-old high school closeted gay Simon Spier. His secret of being gay ended when his schoolmate discovered and revealed his emails with another closeted classmate by posting it online. The book Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda was first released three years ago on April 7. Becky Albertalli was awarded the William C. Morris Award from the American Library Association. The book was also featured on the National Book Award as one of the Best Young Adult novels listed by the Wall Street Journal. The book also won the German Youth Literature Prize.
Now the book Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda is now in a major motion picture; the movie entitled Love, Simon. Nick Robinson, Jennifer Garner, Josh Duhamel, and Katherine Langford were some of the cast. The movie Love, Simon was premiered at the Mardi Gras Film Festival on 27th of February this year. The movie was released in the United States on March 16 by the 20th Century Fox.
Out of all films from 1980 to present, Love, Simon ranked number 14 in the teen romance genre. The movie grossed $57,505,066 worldwide with a production budget of $17 million.
The Upside of Unrequited
Another young adult novel written by Becky Albertalli is The Upside of Unrequited. It is her second novel next to Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda. The Upside of Unrequited was released last year on April 11. The book was rated with 4/5 with the Goodreads.
Synopsis:
Seventeen-year-old Molly Peskin-Suso knows all about unrequited love—she’s lived through it twenty-six times. She crushes hard and crushes often, but always in secret. Because no matter how many times her twin sister, Cassie, tells her to woman up, Molly can’t stomach the idea of rejection. So she’s careful. Fat girls always have to be careful.
Then a cute new girl enters Cassie’s orbit, and for the first time ever, Molly’s cynical twin is a lovesick mess. Meanwhile, Molly’s totally not dying of loneliness—except for the part where she is. Luckily, Cassie’s new girlfriend comes with a cute hipster-boy sidekick. Will is funny and flirtatious and might just be the perfect crush material. Maybe more than crush material. And if Molly can win him over, she’ll get her first kiss, and she’ll get her twin back.
There’s only one problem: Molly’s coworker Reid. He’s an awkward Tolkien super fan with a season pass to the Ren Faire, and there’s absolutely no way Molly could fall for him. Right?
Leah on the Offbeat
Leah on the Offbeat is a sequel to the book Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda. This time, the story is about Simon’s best friend – Leah. The book was released on April 24 this year. The novel was rated with 4.2/5 in Goodreads.
Synopsis:
Leah Burke—girl-band drummer, master of deadpan, and Simon Spier’s best friend from the award-winning Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda—takes center stage in this novel of first love and senior-year angst.
Leah Burke is usually on the beat when it comes to drumming - but real life may pose as a challenge to her. She considers herself as an anomaly among her group of friends. As an only child to a single mom, she led a less privileged life. She has taken a liking to drawing but is self-conscious to show it. Unbeknownst to even her openly gay BFF, Simon, she is a bisexual (though her mom knows about it!).
So, with her inner turmoils haunting her, what can Leah do when her group of friend’s relationship is on the rocks? Prom, college - if you add these to the mix, you know that tensions will run high. How can Leah strike the right note to make things right?
What If It’s Us
For this book, Becky Albertalli collaborated with Adam Silvera, known for his New York Times bestselling book They Both Die at the End. What If It’s Us is scheduled for release this 9th of October 2018.
Synopsis:
An unexpected summer frolic awaits Arthur as he comes to stay in New York for the summer. Just like what he learned from Broadway, the universe delivered a show-stopping romance right on his doorsteps when he least expects it.
Ben thinks the universe needs to mind its business. If the universe had his back, he wouldn’t be on his way to the post office carrying a box of his ex-boyfriend’s things.
But when Arthur and Ben meet-cute at the post office, what exactly does the universe have in store for them?
Maybe nothing. After all, they get separated.
Maybe everything. After all, they get reunited.
But what if they can’t quite nail the first date…. or the second first date… or the third?
What if Arthur tries way too hard to make it work… yet Ben doesn’t try hard enough?
What if life isn’t like a Broadway play?
But what if it is?
When Becky Albertalli was asked how did she become an author, she answered “I’m still scratching my head and asking myself that question. In a nutshell, I used to be a clinical psychologist, but I left that job when my older son was born in 2012. When he was tiny, I decided to write the book I’d always told myself I’d write. That book turned out to be SIMON!” When she was asked of her inspiration for the book Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, she answered “This is a hard one for me, because there was no lightbulb moment with this book. I simply got to know Simon’s character in my head, and I let him tell his story.” She was also asked if the book was based on the LGBTQIAP+ teens that she worked with as a psychologist, “I did work a lot with LGBTQ teens and adults, as well as gender nonconforming children. However, Simon is not based on anyone I’ve worked with in a clinical capacity. I’m painstakingly careful to ensure that none of my characters are based on former clients. Like all practicing and formerly practicing clinical psychologists, I take therapist-client confidentiality extremely seriously.”