Socorro Independent School District students got a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to explore the futuristic worlds of the young adult novels “DRY” and “Game Changer” with the author of both books, Neal Shusterman, during his visit to El Dorado and Eastlake high schools on Jan. 17.
SISD’s Gifted and Talented program and Library Services hosted the New York Times bestselling author, who spoke to more than 200 students from the El Dorado and Eastlake feeder patterns about his writing process and the life events that inspired his stories.
“I hope the students will come away with a connection to literature to understand that literature and books are not just dusty things on shelves,” Shusterman said. “That there are people behind them who have created them for them so that it comes to life and makes them want to read and maybe want to write themselves.”
El Dorado librarian Lucy Johnson said Shusterman was well known to many of the district’s high school students who read his book “DRY,” which he co-wrote with his son, Jarrod Shusterman. “DRY” is a dystopian novel about a teen’s journey to survive a major California drought that turns catastrophic.
Johnson said the book’s topic allowed students to make real-life connections between science and literature.
"This is a great opportunity for our kids," Johnson said. "We want to give them experiences beyond academics that supplement and provide a little bit more to what they're learning in the classroom, and they can make further connections."
Shusterman has written more than 35 novels and has been the recipient of the National Book Award for Young People's Literature and the Michel Printz Honor Award. His book “Game Changer” is in discussions for a Netflix series and “DRY” is in development with Paramount Pictures for a film adaptation.
During his presentations, Shusterman also talked about his own experience of writing his first short story in ninth grade. He shared how he entered the story into a contest and was disappointed that he didn't win. Feeling defeated, his English teacher refused to let him stop writing. Like his teacher, Shusterman encouraged students to believe in themselves and follow their dreams.
“I’m sure you can all point to teachers in your life who have had a profound influence over you,” Shusterman said. “And my ninth grade English teacher was one of them. She challenged me, she encouraged me, and she made me believe in myself. And from that moment on I just kept on writing.”
Among the many students Shusterman inspired was Melanie Roman-Naziff, a junior at El Dorado. Roman-Naziff plans to major in biomedical sciences and journalism in college. She said she aspired to be like the reporter in “DRY” who exposes the severity of the drought to the rest of world. “I want to be that type of person,” said Roman-Naziff, who was one of dozens of students who wore red t-shirts with an illustration of a fiery black water drop that adorned the book’s cover. “I want to be able to write those articles, and I want to be the one to (show) what's going on in the world, so we all understand and try to help each other out.”