Sarah Dessen

Sarah Dessen (born June 6, 1970) is an American novelist known for her contributions to young adult fiction. Her first book, That Summer, was published in 1996, and has since published more than a dozen other novels and novellas. In 2017, Dessen won the Margaret Edwards Award for some of her work, and two of her books were adapted into the 2003 film How to Deal. Early life, education and personal life Dessen was born in Evanston, Illinois, on June 6, 1970, to Alan and Cynthia Dessen, who were both professors at the University of North Carolina, teaching Shakespearean literature and classics. In ... Sarah Dessen (born June 6, 1970) is an American novelist known for her contributions to young adult fiction. Her first book, That Summer, was published in 1996, and has since published more than a dozen other novels and novellas. In 2017, Dessen won the Margaret Edwards Award for some of her work, and two of her books were adapted into the 2003 film How to Deal. Early life, education and personal life Dessen was born in Evanston, Illinois, on June 6, 1970, to Alan and Cynthia Dessen, who were both professors at the University of North Carolina, teaching Shakespearean literature and classics. In her adolescence, Dessen has described herself as shy and introverted. In a piece penned for Seventeen, Dessen described a relationship with an older individual during her teenage years and her continual understanding of that experience over time. Dessen attended Greensboro College in Greensboro, North Carolina, but dropped out before the end of the first semester. Upon moving back home she enrolled at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, to take classes in creative writing, resulting in her graduating with highest honors in 1993. Today Dessen lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, with her husband Jay and daughter Sasha Clementine. See more