Simon's Diary

The central character in this novel is a thoughtful eleven year old child who wants to be both a boy and a girl. His given name is Simon, but at times he prefers to think of himself as Simone. As he attempts to understand himself, and find a spiritual home in a confusing world, he turns to a science teacher for help. Around the story that unfolds in the diary, we see the events of Simon’s life from a number of other points of view in addition to his own. The setting is a small coal mining community in West Virginia that is deeply divided over the issue of mountain top removal. We not only hear the inner thoughts of the various characters, but we learn of the diversity of texts … books, stories, newspaper clippings, scientific theories, songs, poems, etc … that mold their thoughts and guide their behavior.