Neal Shusterman | |
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Shusterman at the 2013 Texas Book Festival
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Born | Neal Shusterman November 12, 1962 Brooklyn, New York, USA |
Occupation | Novelist |
Nationality | American |
Notable awards | National Book Award for Young People's Literature |
Website | |
storyman |
Neal Shusterman (born November 12, 1962) is an American writer of young-adult fiction. He won the National Book Award for Young People's Literature for Challenger Deep.
Shusterman was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. Even from a young age, Shusterman was an avid reader. At age 8, Shusterman sent a letter to E. B. White, informing him that he believed Charlotte's Web needed a sequel. White replied, stating that he thought the book was fine as it was, requiring no sequel, but encouraged Shusterman to continue writing. At age 16, Shusterman and his family moved to Mexico City. He finished high school there at the American School Foundation and quotes, "Having an international experience changed my life, giving me a fresh perspective on the world, and a sense of confidence I might not have otherwise." He attended the University of California, Irvine, where he double-majored in psychology and theater, and he was also on the varsity swim team. During his years there, he wrote a popular humor column for the school paper.
After college, Shusterman worked as an assistant at Irvin Arthur Associates, a talent agency in Los Angeles, where Lloyd Segan became his agent. Within a year, Shusterman had his first book deal, and a screenwriting job. He currently lives in Southern California with his four children.
Shusterman has received numerous honors for his books, including the National Book Award in 2015 for his novel Challenger Deep, the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award, and the 2008 California Young Reader Medal for The Schwa Was Here. He served as a judge for the PEN/Phyllis Naylor Working Writer Fellowship in 2012. His novels Downsiders and Full Tilt have each won over 20 awards. Unwind has won more than 30 awards, and is now in development with Constantin Films as a feature film series. His novel “Scythe” is in development with Universal as a feature film.