Now that Love, Simon has come out and everyone is talking about it, I thought I would put my thoughts out there about the book that inspired it all, Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda.
I recently read this book when I went on vacation. I absolutely flew through this book. Once I found a reading pace to match the story, I did not put my Kindle down until I had reached 100%.
If you had not read the book or had watched Love, Simon here is a synopsis of the book. It is about a closeted gay teen who is emailing with a boy who he really likes. The identity of this boy is hidden, and he is referred to as Blue throughout the book until we find out who Blue actually is. Someone gets a hold of these emails and starts to be blackmailed. We follow Simon's journey as he faces these obstacles.
I absolutely loved this book. Becky Albertalli definitely did a good job of representing Simon's sexuality. I also love how she addressed the topic of how being straight is the norm. I have not seen the movie but on an advertisement, there was a scene that showed multiple teens coming out to their parents as straight. I think bringing this type of humor to a tough subject is good because it normalizes the different sexualities.
I love how Albertalli also showed the struggle that closeted teens have coming out to their friends and family. This is not an easy thing to do, especially to a 17-year-old who is dealing with many difficult things and Albertalli hit the nail on the head, so to speak, with the emotions involved.
This book is also a perfect representation of mental health. The anxiety Simon feels about the emails being found by someone else is perfectly described in his actions. Especially because this book is written in the first person, we get an inside look at Simon's thoughts first hand.
Simon is going through a really tough time in his life, wanting to come out to his family and friends and also being blackmailed at the same time. Most people have anxiety from everyday things, I can only imagine what Simon is going through most of the book. Albertalli nails the anxiety aspect perfectly with her descriptions of how Simon feels throughout the book in different situations and the actions he has, such as getting very drunk one night when he is trying to avoid reality.
Overall, this book was amazing. I flew through it in one sitting. I plan on watching the movie soon and comparing it to the book. I highly recommend that everyone reads this book. It is so relevant to what is going on in today's world and even though you may not be a closeted teen, you can still relate to the emotions that Simon is feeling throughout the story.