Neal Shusterman

I wanted to tell you a little about our event with Neal Shusterman while it was still on my mind. He was wonderful and we were so glad to host him. I think we were all a little starstruck. Unwind, if you haven't read it, is one of those books that stays with you. It is shocking and provocative and very well written. His books are all original, well written, and thoughtful - and full of adventure. His storytelling is a gift. He writes both realistic fiction (The Schwa Was Here), dystopia (Unwind), and action/adventure (The Skinjacker Trilogy).


First I'll give you a little background about Neal: he grew up in Brooklyn and, within a year of graduating from UC Irvine , he had his first book deal, and was hired to write a movie script. In the years since, Neal has made his mark as a successful novelist, screenwriter, and television writer. His books have received many awards , he has written for the "Goosebumps" and “Animorphs” TV series, and is currently adapting his novel Everlost for Universal Studios. And is in talks about making Unwind a movie too.

Neal is both charming and engaging, talking about his books and the inspiration behind them. Why he is not interested in writing books about subjects already broached, why he wants his books to be thought-provoking and uplifting, that you come away with more information that you started, that you see things in a a different way. He read from Everlost and Everfound, talked about making a juke box a god, and about the potential movies.

If you get a chance to hear him talk, GO. He's fascinating. And his books are really good :)