Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

Review from Voice of Youth Advocates:

Sixteen-year-old high school junior, Simon, is not quite ready to let his friends and family know that he is gay. He has, however, begun an anonymous email relationship with another not-yet-out gay student at his school (Blue) for whom he is beginning to have romantic feelings. When Martin sees this correspondence on Simon's computer screen, he uses the information about Simon's sexuality to blackmail him. Meanwhile, the rest of Simon's close friends are struggling with typical teen problems of their own. The story alternates between Simon and Blue's correspondence and a more traditional narrative. All drama is resolved by the book's end and everyone gets their own happy ending, particularly an officially "out" Simon. What makes this title special is its focus on the sweet, romantic feelings associated with nascent romance so often missing in LGBTQ literature. Books in this category typically focus on the problems of being gay. While Simon is the object of some bullying, this is definitely a romance novel rather than a problem novel. The epistolary portions of the text allow Simon and Blue to deal beautifully with the unfairness of having to declare one's sexuality at all, pointing out that straightness (and, for that matter, whiteness) should not just be an assumed default. The characters are well fleshed out and relatable.