A short life of the author
David Levithan (born 7 September 1972) is an American young adult novelist and editor at Scholastic Press whose work has been instrumental in normalising queer representation in literature for young readers. His debut novel, Boy Meets Boy (2003), presented a gay high school romance without apology, without tragedy, and without the coming-out anguish that had defined virtually all previous YA fiction with gay protagonists. The novel did not argue that gay teenagers deserved happiness — it simply depicted it, and in doing so, it changed the landscape of YA literature.
Career at Scholastic
Levithan’s influence on children’s and young adult publishing extends well beyond his own novels. As an editor at Scholastic Press, he has edited hundreds of books, including Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games, and has been instrumental in shaping the editorial direction of one of the world’s largest children’s publishers. He edits the PUSH imprint, which publishes edgy, diverse young adult fiction, and his editorial taste has helped bring numerous debut authors to prominence.
Boy Meets Boy (2003)
Levithan’s debut is set in a small New Jersey town where the homecoming queen is a drag queen, the football quarterback is also the cheerleading captain, and the protagonist, Paul, falls in love with a boy named Noah at a bookstore. The novel’s radical move is its refusal to treat gayness as a problem. Paul’s parents are supportive. His friends are accepting. The conflicts are romantic rather than identity-based: Paul has to choose between Noah and his ex-boyfriend Kyle.
The novel was criticised by some readers for being “unrealistic” — no gay teenager, the argument went, had it that easy. Levithan’s response was that realistic fiction about the difficulties of being gay already existed in abundance; what was missing was aspirational fiction that showed young queer readers the world as it could be.
Every Day (2012)
Levithan’s most commercially successful novel is based on a brilliant premise: the protagonist, known only as A, wakes up every day in a different body — male, female, thin, fat, Black, white, rich, poor. A falls in love with a girl named Rhiannon and must find a way to sustain the relationship despite occupying a different person’s body every twenty-four hours.
The novel is simultaneously a love story, a thought experiment about identity (what remains of a person when body, gender, and circumstance change daily?), and a meditation on empathy. It was adapted into a 2018 film. A companion novel, Another Day (2015), retells the story from Rhiannon’s perspective.
Collaborations
Levithan is an enthusiastic and prolific collaborator. Will Grayson, Will Grayson (2010), co-written with John Green, alternates between two teenagers who share a name — one straight, one gay — whose lives converge around a school musical performed by a flamboyant, irrepressible character named Tiny Cooper. The novel was a New York Times bestseller.
Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist (2006), co-written with Rachel Cohn, follows two teenagers through one night of music and romance in New York City. It was adapted into a 2008 film starring Michael Cera and Kat Dennings. The sequel, Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares (2010), also with Cohn, was adapted into a Netflix series.
Two Boys Kissing (2013)
Levithan’s most ambitious and most emotionally powerful novel is narrated collectively by a chorus of gay men who died of AIDS in the 1980s and 1990s. They watch and comment on the stories of seven contemporary gay teenagers, including two boys attempting to break the world record for the longest kiss. The chorus narration — tender, grieving, protective, and fiercely proud — is Levithan’s most formally inventive device and his most moving achievement. The book was a National Book Award finalist.
The Lover’s Dictionary (2011)
A departure from YA, this adult novel tells the story of a relationship through dictionary entries — from “aberrant” to “zenith” — each word the occasion for a memory, a reflection, or a confession. The form is ingenious and the emotional effect cumulative.
Critical Standing
Levithan’s importance to YA literature is both literary and political. He expanded the emotional range of queer YA fiction from trauma and survival to joy, ordinariness, and romantic comedy. His editorial work at Scholastic has shaped an entire generation of diverse children’s literature. His experimental impulses — the body-swapping of Every Day, the dictionary structure of The Lover’s Dictionary, the choral narration of Two Boys Kissing — distinguish him from the more formulaic end of YA publishing.
Collecting Levithan
Boy Meets Boy (2003, Knopf) in first edition brings $30–$75. Every Day (2012, Knopf) is widely available. Will Grayson, Will Grayson (2010, Dutton) is common. First editions of collaborative works are affordable. Levithan is active at book events and signed copies are available.