Shaun David Hutchinson (born May 1, 1978)[1] is an American author of young adult texts. His novels often "combine speculative elements with LGBT characters and themes."[2]
Personal life
Hutchinson was born May 1, 1978, in West Palm Beach, Florida, and grew up in Jupiter, Florida.[1] He has three brothers and one half-sister.[1] In his memoir, Brave Face, Hutchinson explains that, throughout his adolescence, "he struggled to understand his sexuality, his depression, and the suicide attempt that led to a search for self-acceptance."[2] He has ADHD and now identifies as queer.[2]
Most of Hutchinson's novels include elements of speculative fiction. In an interview with The Horn Book, Hutchinson explained why he chooses this genre, saying it "gives [him] the space to explore human emotions in a richer way than [he] could do in straightforward contemporary fiction" because the genre "is frequently about looking toward the future, and though the future often seems bleak, ... it's also filled with hope and wonder — a necessary counterbalance to the realities of life."[3]
We Are the Ants was published January 19, 2016, by Simon Pulse[4] with a 24-page companion story, "What We Pretend to Be", published on the publisher's website, Riveted, later that year.[5]
The book was generally well received by critics, including starred reviews from Booklist,[6]Kirkus Reviews,[7]School Library Journal,[8]Publishers Weekly,[9] and Shelf Awareness.[10]Kirkus called the book "[b]itterly funny, with a ray of hope amid bleakness". Shelf Awareness echoed the sentiment, calling the novel "bracingly smart and unusual".[10] As if explaining the book's unusualness, School Library Journal compared the storyline and writing style to Nick Burd's The Vast Fields of Ordinary and Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five.[8]Booklist further explained, "Hutchinson's excellent novel of ideas invites readers to wonder about their place in a world that often seems uncaring and meaningless. The novel is never didactic; on the contrary, it is unfailingly dramatic and crackling with characters who become real upon the page".[6]
The Lambda Literary Foundation and Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) also praised the book for its thematic contents. VOYA said the novel tells "a very complex story about serious subjects". Lambda Literary expanded on the idea, saying it "is a book about more than love and loss; it's about struggling to find motivation and not taking the people in your life for granted".[11] Both complimented Hutchinson's writing. Lambda Literary called the book "a beautiful, masterfully told story by someone who is at the top of his craft",[11] and VOYA noted, "The voices of each character are strong and unique".
In 2017, We Are the Ants was included in the American Library Association's Rainbow List top 10[12] and was selected as one of the best 63 novels for young adults published in the previous twelve months.[13]Time included the novel on their continuously updating "100 Best YA Books of All Time" list.[14]
In 2022, We Are the Ants was listed among 52 books banned by the Alpine School District following the implementation of Utah law H.B. 374, "Sensitive Materials In Schools",[15] 42% of which "feature LBGTQ+ characters and or themes".[16][15] Many of the books were removed because they were considered to contain pornographic material according to the new law, which defines porn using the following criteria:
"The average person" would find that the material, on the whole, "appeals to prurient interest in sex"[17]
The material "is patently offensive in the description or depiction of nudity, sexual conduct, sexual excitement, sadomasochistic abuse, or excretion"[17]
The material, on the whole, "does not have serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value".[17]
The book was generally well received by critics, including starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews,[18]Publishers Weekly,[19] and Shelf Awareness.[20]Kirkus called the book "[a]n earthy, existential coming-of-age gem,"[18] while Booklistcalled it "wrenching and thought provoking."[21] Commenting on the book's plot and structure, Shelf Awareness said it is "delightfully constructed,"[20] and School Library Journal said it is "smartly written."[22]Publishers Weekly highlighted how "Hutchinson uses a science fiction overlay to explore important topics."[19]
Below is an incomplete list of awards and honors Hutchinson's books have received.
Eight of Hutchinson's books are Junior Library Guild selections: We Are the Ants (2016),[25]At the Edge of the Universe (2017),[26]The Apocalypse of Elena Mendoza (2018),[27]Brave Face (2019),[28]The Past and Other Things That Should Stay Buried (2019),[29]The State of Us (2020),[30]A Complicated Love Story Set in Space (2021),[31] and Before We Disappear (2022).[32]
The Chicago Public Library has included two of Hutchinson's books on their year-end lists of the best books for teens: The Apocalypse of Elena Mendoza (2018),[27]Brave Face (2019).[28]
In 2017, Time magazine added We Are the Ants to their continuously updating "100 Best YA Books of All Time" list.[14]
