Simon and the Homosapiens Agenda written by Becky Albertalli is a book that portrays this teenage reality fabulously. Published in 2015, this young adult novel explores topics of coming of age and the challenges of expressing oneselves sexual identity. While reading Simon and the Homosapiens Agenda most people fail to notice the severity of some themes and even the learning opportunity it presents due to the relatability for many. Important themes can easily be disregarded today now that the novel has passed its peak despite the content being relatable. The struggle of coming out and feeling accepted are greatly demonstrated throughout the book. This is addressed by Author L.A. Preston when she says saying, “It’s great to see the issue of …show more content…
She later goes on to explain that seeing the support in the book is amazing. How instead of trying to push past it and forget, the main character is supported by many of the others when it comes to dealing with the harassment. This underlying theme of homophobia is really important in the novel. Being able to present such a hard hitting topic with the grace and genuine writing that Becky Albertalli was able to do is amazing. Teenagers today have to undergo many challenges and are left to overcome them, oftentimes on their own. When referring to this reality, the Parenting Team of the news channel TODAY states, “they are living in a completely different world, as compared to few decades ago” (TODAY). This can be used to relate back to the novel because the storyline follows many teenage struggles. The hardships of friendships, relationships, and even school. Simon experiences many cruel situations in the novel that can be relatable to young adults today. This theme of growing up and coming …show more content…
Some could argue that the events and topics discussed in the novel are too sensitive and dangerous for some audiences, therefore it being underappreciated. In fact, “this book, along with hundreds of others, have now been banned across Texas schools” (Ingle). State representatives find that any books with LGBTQ+ characters to be dangerous for readers. This push to manage the content of books is to protect those of certain ages and audiences from reading material too sensitive for them. Wanting to ensure comfortability while reading is very important, however, teaching these children that the harassment and unfair treatment in this novel is not okay is more beneficial. A survey was conducted with 34,000 LGBTQ youth, ages 13 to 24, across the United States. In this study they found that “75 percent of LGBTQ teens experienced symptoms of anxiety in the past year and 61 percent experienced symptoms of depression” (Ream). These mental blockings are caused due to the judgment and bullying they experience just for being themselves. Simon and the Homosapiens Agenda can be used as a learning tool to allow people to understand the hardships and what it mentally does to the person. Having someone read this will allow them to think beyond what they believed and allow room to reflect on the worlds ideals. What people fail to understand is that this book can be a lesson and