Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

Prior to this month, I hadn't read very much young adult literature featuring gay characters.  I view this as an unfortunate deficit in my reading history, so I wanted to make it a priority to read a few novels like this during my month of reading about characters who are different from me.  Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli is a title that I received as a Christmas gift this year.  I had heard a lot of positive buzz surrounding this novel on various blogs, so I decided that this was the perfect time to pick it up.

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda is the coming of age story of Simon Spier, a sixteen-year-old high school student living in Georgia.  Simon is smart, funny and well-liked among his peers.  He is also gay, but hasn't told any of his friends or family yet.  At the novel's beginning, Simon has been carrying on a romantic e-mail relationship with another boy at his school for months.  They've both kept their real identities secret, and this anonymity allows them to spill their hearts out to each other; Through their e-mails, Simon and the mysterious "Blue" are able to discuss subjects that they wouldn't feel comfortable speaking about to anyone else.  Their secret relationship is put in jeopardy when a moment of carelessness on Simon's part allows another student to see the secret messages he's been writing.  This other student uses this information to blackmail Simon- he threatens to out him to the whole school unless he helps him hook up with a girl he likes (one of Simon's best friends).  From this point on, Simon must struggle with trying to balance the loyalty he feels towards his best friends with the increasingly intimate relationship he is developing with his secret boyfriend.

This book was really good, in a quiet, cute sort of way.  Reading the plot description on the inside flap of the novel made me half expect a dramatic story filled with bullying and depression.  However, Albertalli kept the mood light and funny. Simon is struggling with the decision to come out and be himself, but he is surrounded by good friends that support him and family that loves him unconditionally.  It was nice to read a novel where a gay character didn't have to deal with those closest to him turning their backs on him over his sexuality.  The novel had the turbulent emotions of a teenager dealing with stressful situations, but a rational calmness was present as well.  It all just felt normal, or at least, how the life of a teenager should be.  

Simon's narration is consistently funny and relatable.  There were certain parts that had me laughing out loud and other parts that had me physically nodding my head because I so totally understood what he meant by something.  The correspondence between Simon and Blue was similarly well-written.  I found myself falling in love with their relationship.  I sometimes feel a little awkward reading about same sex romances, but everything here was so excellently written that I was able to get completely into the story.  I think that's one of the most important reasons that more literature needs to be focused on teens of different sexualities - to normalize these relationships to straight readers.

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda was a funny read with a lot of heart.  At its core, it is a picture of a teen struggling to find himself--a story that is familiar to all of us.  This warm and smart novel is an excellent example of young adult fiction done right.