Allyson Braithwaite Condie is an author of
young adult
A young adult is generally a person in the years following adolescence. Definitions and opinions on what qualifies as a young adult vary, with works such as Erik Erikson's stages of human development significantly influencing the definition of ...
and
middle grade fiction.
["Ally Condie – Summary Bibliography"]
ISFDB
The Internet Speculative Fiction Database (ISFDB) is a database of bibliographic information on genres considered speculative fiction, including science fiction and related genres such as fantasy, alternate history, and horror fiction. The ISFDB ...
. Retrieved 2014-08-22. Her novel ''
Matched'' was a #1 ''New York Times'' and international bestseller, and spent over a year on the ''New York Times'' Bestseller List. The sequels (''
Crossed'' and ''
Reached
''Reached'' is a 2012 young adult dystopian novel by Allyson Braithwaite Condie and is the final novel in the ''Matched Trilogy,'' preceded by '' Matched'' and '' Crossed''. The novel was published on November 13, 2012, by Dutton Juvenile and wa ...
'') are also ''New York Times'' bestsellers.
''Matched'' was chosen as one of YALSA's 2011 Teens' Top Ten and named as one of Publishers Weekly's Best Children's Books of 2010. All three books are available in 30+ languages.
Condie is also the author of the ''New York Times'' bestseller ''
Atlantia'' (a standalone novel published in 2014) and ''Summerlost'' (a middle grade novel published in 2016). ''Summerlost'' was a finalist for the 2017
Edgar Award
The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America, based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards honor the bes ...
for Best Juvenile Mystery.
She is the founder and director of the
WriteOut Foundation, a non-profit 501 (3) (c) foundation that runs writing camps for rural teens. She is also a member of the
Yallwest Board, which is a non-profit California-based organization aimed at making books accessible to local children. Condie is also on the board of
Go Jane Give, a non-profit Utah-based organization that organizes donations to refugees.
Personal life
Condie was born in
Cedar City, Utah
Cedar City is the largest city in Iron County, Utah, United States. It is located south of Salt Lake City, and north of Las Vegas on Interstate 15. It is the home of Southern Utah University, the Utah Shakespeare Festival, the Utah Summer Gam ...
.
[ At the age of four, she told a series of original stories about a unicorn to her babysitter, who wrote them down for Condie.] Once she could write, Condie kept a regular journal, as well as a poetry journal. Condie did not have much time for creative writing in high school, college, or her years as a high school English teacher. In high school, Condie ran cross country and track, and has maintained a love for distance running even today. Condie partially credits her interest in YA writing to her positive experience working with high schoolers, despite not writing much during her own time in high school. She wanted to become the kind of author she would have felt comfortable recommending her students read. Writing for adolescents came naturally to Condie because of her experience as a high school teacher, cross country and track coach, as a sorority mom, and especially since she herself enjoys reading YA literature.
She attended Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...
and has an undergraduate degree in English Teaching. She taught high school English in Utah and in upstate New York. With the arrival of their first child, Condie quit teaching to raise a family. During this time away from school and work, she picked up writing again.[Kim van Dijk (August 2012) “Trouble in Dystopia: Translating Matched, Crossed, and Reached by Ally Condie.” MA Thesis, Utrecht University Repository.] Condie began publishing YA literature with Deseret Book Company
Deseret Book () is an American publishing company headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, that also operates a chain of bookstores throughout the western United States. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Deseret Management Corporation (DMC), the ...
, a small, Utah-based publisher. She published her first book in 2006, ''Yearbook,'' which was subsequently followed by the remaining two books in the ''Yearbook'' trilogy: ''First Day'' (2007) and ''Reunion'' (2008). The trilogy was followed by two stand-alone novels: ''Freshman for President'' (2008) and ''Being Sixteen'' (2010).
In 2017, she lived with her husband and four children in Pleasant Grove, Utah
Pleasant Grove, originally named Battle Creek, is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States known as "Utah's City of Trees". It is part of the Provo–Orem Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 37,726 at the 2020 Census.
Histor ...
. Also in 2017, Condie graduated from Vermont College of Fine Arts
Vermont College of Fine Arts (VCFA) is a private graduate-level art school in Montpelier, Vermont. It offers Master's degrees in low-residency and residential programs. Its faculty includes Pulitzer Prize finalists, National Book Award winners, ...
with a Master's in Fine Arts Degree. Condie is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...
(LDS Church).
[Famous Mormons entry on Condie](_blank)
/ref> The Utah landscape and Christian themes from her upbringing continue to influence her writing.
''Matched'' trilogy
The YA novel '' Matched'' was published by Dutton Penguin
E. P. Dutton was an American book publishing company. It was founded as a book retailer in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1852 by Edward Payson Dutton. Since 1986, it has been an imprint of Penguin Group.
Creator
Edward Payson Dutton (January 4, ...
in November 2010 and reached number three on the Children's Chapter Books bestseller list in January. Condie took the manuscript for ''Matched'' to Penguin Random House, after being advised so from her director at Deseret Book, where it reached an international audience. The second book, '' Crossed'', was published in November 2011, and ''Reached
''Reached'' is a 2012 young adult dystopian novel by Allyson Braithwaite Condie and is the final novel in the ''Matched Trilogy,'' preceded by '' Matched'' and '' Crossed''. The novel was published on November 13, 2012, by Dutton Juvenile and wa ...
'', published November 2012, completed the trilogy. The trilogy falls into the category of dystopian YA, which has increased in popularity for the modern YA audience.[Beckett, Steven (2019).]
Katniss Shrugged: The Problematic Legacy of Ayn Rand in Contemporary American Young Adult Dystopian Literature
" Doctoral Thesis, Durham University.
''Summerlost''
Condie's standalone novel, ''Summerlost,'' marked a transition for the novelist from YA to middle grade writing. Speaking on "Summerlost," (Dutton Children's Books, 2016) Condie mentions that the characters and the location of her novel were inspired by her own childhood in Cedar City, Utah. The fictional "Iron Creek" is inspired by "Coal Creek" in Cedar City.
Works
Matched trilogy
* '' Matched'' (Dutton Penguin
E. P. Dutton was an American book publishing company. It was founded as a book retailer in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1852 by Edward Payson Dutton. Since 1986, it has been an imprint of Penguin Group.
Creator
Edward Payson Dutton (January 4, ...
, 2010)
* '' Crossed'' (Dutton, 2011)
* ''Reached
''Reached'' is a 2012 young adult dystopian novel by Allyson Braithwaite Condie and is the final novel in the ''Matched Trilogy,'' preceded by '' Matched'' and '' Crossed''. The novel was published on November 13, 2012, by Dutton Juvenile and wa ...
'' (Dutton, 2012)
Yearbook trilogy
* ''Yearbook'' (Deseret Book
Deseret Book () is an American publishing company headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, that also operates a chain of bookstores throughout the western United States. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Deseret Management Corporation (DMC), the ...
, 2006)
* ''First Day'' (Deseret, 2007)
* ''Reunion'' (Deseret, 2008)
The Darkdeep trilogy
This trilogy is written with Brendan Reichs
* ''The Darkdeep'' (2018)
* ''The Beast'' (2019)
* ''The Torchbearers'' (2020)
Standalone fiction
* ''Freshman for President'' (Deseret/Shadow Mountain, 2008),
* ''Being Sixteen'' (Deseret, 2010),
* '' Atlantia'' (Dutton Penguin, 2014)
* ''Summerlost'' (Dutton Penguin, 2016)
*''The Last Voyage of Poe Blythe'' (2019)
Anthologies
* ''The Moms' Club Diaries: notes from a world of playdates, pacifiers, and poignant moments'', compiled by Allyson Braithwaite Condie and Lindsay Hepworth (Provo, UT
Provo ( ) is the fourth-largest city in Utah, United States. It is south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. Provo is the largest city and county seat of Utah County and is home to Brigham Young University (BYU).
Provo lies between ...
: Spring Creek, 2008),
Future Works
At least two new novels from Ally Condie are planned: "The Only Girl in Town", with publication scheduled for 2023, and an untitled YA novel.
See also
*List of dystopian literature
This is a list of notable works of dystopian literature. A dystopia is an unpleasant (typically repressive) society, often propagandized as being utopian. ''The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction'' states that dystopian works depict a negative view o ...
References
External links
*
*
*
The WriteOut Foundation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Condie, Ally
21st-century American novelists
American science fiction writers
American writers of young adult literature
American women novelists
Brigham Young University alumni
Writers from Salt Lake City
Writers of young adult science fiction
Living people
Women science fiction and fantasy writers
21st-century American women writers
Women writers of young adult literature
Novelists from Utah
1978 births
Latter Day Saints from Utah
Harold B. Lee Library-related 21st century articles