Skip to main content

EVERY DAY by David Levithan



copyright date: August 2012
primarily marketed for: young adults (8th grade and up)

Every once in a while I read a book so amazing that I am torn between the urge to keep the wonder of its story all to myself and the desire to share its goodness with all the world.  Every Day by David Levithan is just such a book. 

Becky Anderson, an owner of Anderson’s Bookshops said this is a book everyone should read.  She is right. 

Every Day is the story of ‘A.’ 

‘A’ wakes up each morning in a different person’s body.  ‘A’ has no gender, no race, no sexual orientation.  ‘A’ takes on the unique qualities of whatever body ‘A’ is inhabiting for the day. 

Being that ‘A’ shifts from body to body, it is nearly impossible to make connections.  Any connections made have the potential to create difficulties for the owner of the body in which the connection was made.  As a result, ‘A’ seems destined for a rather lonely existence.  ‘A’ is pretty much resigned to this fate. 

Until ‘A’ meets Rhiannon.  And falls in love. 

From that point on, ‘A’ focuses almost entirely on how to make the connection last beyond a single day, beyond a single body. 

I was lucky enough to meet David Levithan when he and John Green were touring to celebrate the release of their collaboration: Will Grayson, Will Grayson.  I was even luckier to meet David Levithan again just a few weeks ago at the Anderson’s Bookshops Young Adult Literature Conference.  There, he spoke about the thinking behind Every Day.

Levithan said he was working to answer to questions through writing this story:
1)   What would it be like to have no physical manifestation of gender or race, to have no inherent religion or sexual orientation?  What would it be like to purely be a self?
2)   Can love conquer all?  Is it possible to love someone who is constantly changing.

The thing that most amazed me about Every Day is that Levithan indeed answers these questions.  As I neared the end of the story, I was worried that he wouldn’t reach a resolution.  It seemed there weren’t enough pages left to reach a meaningful end. 

And then he does it.  He uncovers answers.  And they feel, well—they feel right.  This is one of the most satisfying endings ever.  Although I would not call it a feel-good ending, it is certainly an uplifting story.  It is a story about what it means to be a human.  It is a story about love.
Labels:

Comments

  1. Linda BOctober 23, 2012 at 8:03 AM

    I must read this. I love his other books, and there is much talk about this one. How great that you got to meet him, too, Christy. Thanks for sharing about Every Day.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousOctober 23, 2012 at 11:15 AM

    I can't wait to read this. It sounds just incredible. Thanks for sharing this!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Deb DayOctober 23, 2012 at 11:22 AM

    I bought this book and won another copy, but still haven't been able to read it. This book is making the rounds of my students through word of mouth. I won't have to book talk it---I just want to read it.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Beth Stephens LMC DirectorDecember 20, 2012 at 7:14 PM

    What a great reveiw! I couldn't decide how I felt about 'A'. What a different type of storyline for the age old question; Can love conquer all? I want to know if there is a book 2...seems like the door is open at the end...did he ever say? Great pick for a powerful story!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

TAKE WHAT YOU CAN CARRY by Kevin C. Pyle

copyright date: March 2012 primarily marketed for: young adults (12 and up) Despite the fact that the teacher in me sees so many lesson possibilities in Kevin C. Pyle’s graphic novel Take What You Can Carry , you should read it simply for the grace of its stories.   The artwork is as striking as the stories it tells.   Using artwork in two different colors and styles, Pyle tells the stories of two teenage boys living years and miles apart.   And yet, he communicates the universality in their experiences.   One boy is a Japanese American forced to move into an internment camp during WWII.   His family struggles to maintain their dignity and sense of peace under unbearable conditions. The other is a rebellious boy with an attitude whose reckless behavior causes him to wind up in trouble with the law.   To make amends, he finds himself completing community service hours in the most unlikely place.   I found my...
1 comment
Read more

THE SEA IN WINTER by Christine Day

  release date: January 5, 2021 primarily marketed for: Middle grades The Sea in Winter  by Christine Day is a gift to its readers. It is a book of quiet strength with much to offer.  Maisie is a ballet dancer who feels most herself when she is at the dance studio. However, at the start of this story, Maisie is coping with a serious knee injury that prevents her from dancing long-term. She misses her friends from dance and struggles to maintain those connections when she is no longer part of the dancing life they shared.  When her mom and stepdad plan a road trip to the Olympic Peninsula to visit sites of familial and cultural significance, Maisie stubbornly overworks her healing knee. She is determined to heal and return to the studio  faster than expected. Although her knee is the only focus of Maisie's wellness journey, it turns out there is more to healing than physical fitness.  Maisie is a quietly compelling character, but I was surprised to find myse...
Post a Comment
Read more

THE GREATEST SUPERPOWER by Alex Sanchez

copyright date: January 1, 2021 primarily marketed for: middle grades The Greatest Superpower  by Alex Sanchez is a gem. I was in a bit of a reading slump until I picked up this book, thanks to NetGalley .  This middle grades book is about comic book loving Jorge who is navigating his parents' divorce and his first crush on a girl. Jorge's parents not only announce they are getting divorced, but his father also reveals to Jorge and his twin brother Cesar that she is transgender and wishes to live as her true self.  Although this announcement is a confusing surprise to Jorge, his love for his father ultimately trumps all. Cesar, however, is angry at their dad and works to prevent Jorge from sharing the truth with his friends.  In the midst of the changes in Jorge's family life, he and his friends are trying to invent a new superhero for a comic book contest. When Jorge blurts out the idea of the superpower to gender-shift, his friends jump on board.  Conversatio...
Post a Comment
Read more