Book Review: Every Day

Every Day by David Levithan is a literary work that should not be underestimated. Levithan does an excellent job of opening the eyes of teens to a world unbeknownst to them. He is not afraid to step out of the social norms, thus creating a unique concept of equality, humanity, and love. He steps into the realm of LBGTQ through his book Boy Meets Boy which is about a gay-friendly town and a boy who is trying to win the love of another boy. He received the Best Fiction Award for Teens(Top 10) from the YALSA in 2013, Abraham Lincoln Award nominee(2014), as well as being a Lambda Award nominee (2013). He is also the publisher/director of Scholastic.

David Levithan was born in 1972 in Short Hills, New Jersey. His first book Boy Meets Boy was published in September 2003. On his website in the “about me” section, Levithan feels that he could talk more about himself through his books and that’s exactly what he does. He has written a total of 18 books so far and showing no signs of stopping. He has collaborated with many well known authors, one of them is John Green for their book Will Grayson, Will Grayson. He is currently writing a book called Hold Me Closer: The Tiny Cooper Story which is set for release in March 2015.

A, the main character of the book, is 16 years old. A wakes up every day as someone different, not being limited by gender, race, or even language though the area geographically and age are pretty close. Never knowing the warmth and comfort of a family, A has been alone this whole time. A used to be afraid to go to sleep as a child knowing that nobody from that day would be there the next. No matter how much A wanted to stay, it wasn’t possible. One day, A wakes up as a teenage boy named Justin. Not wanting to interfere in Justin’s daily life, A chooses to go through it like a normal day for Justin, but when “he” encounters Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon, things begin to change. By digging through Justin’s memories, he sees that Justin isn’t the best boyfriend out there, but Rhiannon is just absolutely perfect. Rhiannon is pushing A’s limits. Love at first sight you could call it, but how is love possible for someone who is a different person each day?

Readers will get the most from this book if they are open minded and can adjust well to varying situations. This book shares so many different perspectives of women and men. With that being said, you must pay attention or else you will get lost from the very beginning. The general audience for this book is supposed to be adults, but this book has been proved to sway more towards teens. Some schools have even made this a summer reading assignment. Barnes & Nobles list the age range is 14-17 years for this book while others say it can go to even as young as 12. Every Day is perfectly executed that David Levithan is able to gain such a wide range for his audience. He is really active in the LGBTQ community with his books.

This book will have its readers thrown into another perspective of life. The need to read what happens the next day has readers gripping their seats. While reading, you are immersed in lives of many people. What is it like to be a woman? What is it like to be a man? What about a drug addict or maybe a twin? These questions are addressed throughout the book and that’s only a few of them. Levithan shows a new side of love and how it can play out. It does not always have to be how it is in the movies, it’s not always as cliché, it can be something completely different, but the feelings are the same.

“The moment you fall in love feels like it has centuries behind it, generations-all of them rearranging themselves so that this precise, remarkable intersection could happen. In your heart, in your bones, no matter how silly you know it is, you feel that everything has been leading to this, all the secret arrows were pointing here, the universe and time itself crafted this long ago, and you are just now realizing it, you are just now arriving at the place you were always meant to be,”(Levithan, Pg 23).