Becky Albertalli

About Becky Albertalli

Becky Albertalli was born on November 17, 1982, in Atlanta, Georgia. She earned a bachelor's degree from Wesleyan University and a doctorate in clinical psychology from George Washington University. She worked as a clinical psychologist specializing in LGBTQ+ youth before her first novel was published, and her training as a mental health professional is evident in the emotional precision with which she writes about adolescent identity and self-acceptance. She publicly came out as bisexual in 2020 in an essay for Medium, and has spoken about how the pressure of being known as a gay author without being publicly out was uniquely complicated.

Her debut novel, Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, was published in 2015 by Balzer + Bray and quickly became one of the most celebrated LGBTQ+ young adult novels of its generation. The book follows sixteen-year-old Simon Spier, who is gay and not yet out, as he navigates an anonymous email correspondence with a boy who may be a classmate. The novel won the William C. Morris YA Debut Award in 2016, given annually to the best debut novel published for young adults. In 2018, it was adapted into the film Love, Simon, one of the first major studio productions centered on a gay teen romance. The spinoff novel Leah on the Offbeat (2018) followed Simon's bisexual best friend, and the universe was further expanded in the film's sequel series Love, Victor on Hulu.

Her Most Challenged Works

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda has been challenged in school libraries and classrooms for its LGBTQ+ content—particularly for featuring a gay protagonist and depicting a same-sex romance as ordinary and joyful, rather than tragic or cautionary. Leah on the Offbeat has been similarly challenged. Challengers have argued that the books are inappropriate for classroom use because they present LGBTQ+ identities in an affirming and normalized light. Albertalli and her supporters have countered that LGBTQ+ students deserve stories in which they see themselves, and that the books' joy is precisely the point—offering queer readers the kind of romantic story that straight readers have always had access to.

Collaboration with Adam Silvera

Albertalli co-wrote What If It's Us (2018) and its sequel Here's to Us (2022) with fellow author Adam Silvera. The novels follow two boys who meet briefly in New York City and grapple with whether their connection was fated or coincidental. Both books debuted on the New York Times bestseller list.