Simon vs. The Entire Freaking Universe

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I physically can not stress enough how important Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda is and why young readers need to be exposed to it. This book is about a boy named Simon who, throughout the entire book, tries to come to grips with who he is and how he can be confident in his own skin. I won't lie and say that this book didn't emotionally strike me in my core, because it did and it struck me with an eighteen wheel truck. While reading this book, I found myself comparing Simon's experiences to my own and I was both shocked and relieved that they were so similar to mine (I wasn't blackmailed, but you get the idea). It was normalizing.

Books like this one are so incredibly important to show to adolescents. Not only could it provide a sense of normality and inclusion, but it can erase stigmas and show people who are not LGBTQ+ a glimpse of what it's like. I have heard people in my life ask why coming out is such a big deal to kids who know their family is supportive and know that they wouldn't react in a negative way. I never really knew how to phrase my response until I read it in this book. Simon even says that, "It's not even about me being gay, because I know deep down that my family would be fine with it. We're not religious. My parents are Democrats. ... I know they're not going to disown me. And I'm sure people in school would give me hell, but my friends would be fine," (Albertalli, 55). However, Simon then follows that up by saying "But I'm tired of coming out. All I ever do is come out. I try not to change, but I keep changing, in all these tiny ways. I get a girlfriend. I have a beer. And every freaking time, I have to reintroduce myself to the universe all over again," (Albertalli, 56). This quote beautifully explains how tiring and just flat out annoying the idea of coming out can be to some adolescents. We change and evolve all of the time is small ways and the people around us have to adapt, but now there's suddenly this huge thing that is supposedly super controversial and the idea of it can be daunting and kind of exhausting.

I absolutely love this book and the representation it gives LGBTQ+ adolescents. I think that topics like this shouldn't be pushed away in the classroom and should instead be encourage. You never know who a book like this could mean the world to.

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