Sarah Dessen Through Reader-Response

Sarah Dessen is a well-known, popular young adult author. To date she has written ten young adult novels and a few short stories geared more towards an older audience. Dessen's stories about love, hardship, grief and friendship have captivated young adults throughout the country. By using the reader response perspective, an adolescent reader can relate and connect to Sarah Dessen's novels.

Sarah Dessen was introduced to the world of English at an early age. She had been writing, "for as long as she [I] could remember" (Dessen). Both of her parents were English professors at the University of North Carolina, where she would later attend. Three years after graduating from UNC with a bachelor's degree in English, Dessen sold her first book, That Summer in 1996. Dessen admired that an author was able to "say just what she [I] was feeling" (Dessen), and was animate in doing the same for her readers with her work.

Out of Dessen's novels, The Truth About Forever, Along for the Ride, and Someone Like You, The Truth About Forever was most relatable through "text to self". The main character, Macy, has lost a father due to a heart attack, finds herself struggling to compete with her super-smart scrutinizing co-workers, while finding peace ironically in a chaotic new catering night job. The first association to the story was the introduction of a loss of a parent. This small but important detail to the story can immediately connect a reader who has been through the displeasure of loosing a loved one. "My dad died, and I was there." Macy is struggling with the grueling fact that if only she were to get up when her father asked her to go running, that maybe she would have been able to save his life. Although this is not typically what happens in one's life, but in rare cases may, readers who have been through similar guilt and adversity can relate to the main character's feelings. This first association to the novel draws a reader in and triggers the reader to continue with the novel. A second association can be with Macy's dissatisfaction of her desk job at the local library and her unfriendly relationship with co-workers. "If you were supposed to love it, they wouldn't call it work. Right?" Macy's mother tries to reassure her that what she is experiencing at work is normal and that there is no need for complaints. Many readers can relate to this situation. It's not uncommon for someone to dislike his or her job or co-workers. This further demonstrates a reader's capability of connecting to a novel though the reader response perspective. A third connection to the novel can be made through the emotional relationship between Macy and Wes. Macy and Wes share a commonality, they both have lost a parent. Macy though heart attack, Wes through cancer. In the novel they share an understanding of the pain and struggle each of them undergoes.