YA A to Z: Matthew Quick

Quick! Help me think of a YA author for the Letter Q. Haha, see what I did there. And that’s why I don’t write humor people.

Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock has been an important part of The #SVYALit Project, particularly when it comes to the discussion of male survivors. If you haven’t read it yet, you should immediately rectify that situation. But before we talk books, let me tell you a little bit about Matthew Quick.

According to his webpage bio, where I also borrowed this picture, “Matthew Quick is the New York Times bestselling author of several novels, including THE SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK, which was made into an Oscar-winning film. His work has been translated into thirty languages and has received a PEN/Hemingway Award Honorable Mention, among other accolades. He lives with his wife, novelist/pianist Alicia Bessette, on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.”

If you read the longer bio you will learn that before quitting to pursue writing, Quick was a high school teacher. He also coached soccer and basketball. So obviously part of the reason that he writes such authentic YA literature is because he has spent some time in the trenches, and he obviously has some skills.

It seems remiss to discuss Matthew Quick without mentioning the movie Silver Linings Playbook, the Academy Award winning film based on his novel starring Jennifer Lawrence. This was his first novel, published in 2008.

His three YA novels include Sorta Like a Rockstar, Boy 21, and Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock.

About Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock:

Leonard Peacock is turning 18.
And he wants to say goodbye.

Not to his former best friend, whose torments have driven him to consider committing something tragic and horrific.

Nor to his mum who’s moved out and left him to fend form himself. But to his four friends.
A Humphrey-Bogart-obsessed neighbour
A teenage violin virtuoso
A pastor’s daughter
A teacher

Most of the time, Leonard believes he’s weird and sad but these friends have made him think that maybe he’s not.

He wants to thank them, and bid them farewell.” (Publisher’s Description)

“I feel like I’m broken—like I don’t fit together anymore. Like there’s no more room for me in the world or something. Like I’ve overstayed my welcome here on Earth, and everyone’s trying to give me hints about that constantly. Like I should just check out.”
― Matthew Quick, Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock

Join the conversation!  Share a post about your favorite author OR tweet us your favorite author with the tag #YAAtoZ. While we’re sharing our favorite authors, we would love to hear about yours. We all might find some new authors we haven’t heard of before. And the more authors we share, the more comprehensive and diverse the list becomes. On Twitter, we’re @TLT16 and I’m@CiteSomething. 

#YAAtoZ Schedule: Week 1 4: A ; 5: B ; 6: C ; 7: D  Week 2 10: E ; 11: F ; 12: G, H, I ; 13: J, K ; 14: L  Week 3 17: M ; 18: N, O ; 19: P, Q ; 20: R, S ; 21: T  Week 4 24: U ; 25: V, W ; 26: X ; 27: Y ; 28: Z

Filed under: YA A to Z