Sarah dessen author biography outlines

1. Early Life and Education
2. Early Career
3. Controversies and Criticism
4. Awards and Recognition
5. Writing Style and Themes

Early Life and Education

Sarah Dessen, an American writer, was born on June 6, 1970, in Evanston, Illinois, to parents Alan and Cynthia Dessen, both former professors in Shakespearean literature and classics at the University of North Carolina. Dessen described her adolescent years as shy and reserved. At 15, she met a 21-year-old man, but the relationship ended shortly after. In a piece for Seventeen, Dessen reflected, "For years afterward I took all the blame for what had happened between T. and me. After all, I was the bad girl. I was doing drugs, I was lying to my mother. You can't just hang out with guys and not expect them to have ideas, I told myself. You should have known better. But maybe he should have."

Dessen began her college studies at Greensboro College