Dear Evan Hansen

Dear Evan Hansen

• Genre: Fiction; young adult
• Originally Published: 2018
• Reading Level/Interest: Lexile HL590L; grades 9-12
• Structure/Length: 24 chapters, epilogue; approx. 368 pages; approx. 8 hours, 8 minutes on audio
• Protagonist/Central Conflict: Evan Hansen is finally given the chance to belong, but the only problem is that it’s based on a big lie—that he is the secret best friend of a peer who died. Even though Evan knows what he’s doing is wrong, he feels like he’s helping people, so he keeps the lie going until everything is in danger of falling apart.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Divorce; anxiety; depression; drug abuse; suicide; neglect; abusive homelife; alienation; bullying

Val Emmich, Author

• Bio: Born in 1979; American writer, singer-songwriter, and actor; played soccer in high school; diagnosed with Lyme disease at 15 and had to give up strenuous activity; learned to play guitar after his diagnosis; played in several bands, including Awake Asleep and Ben Trovato; graduated from Rutgers in 2001 with a degree in American Studies; began acting in 1997 to pay for college; debut novel The Reminders published in 2017; adapted the Broadway musical Dear Evan Hansen written by himself, Steven Levenson, Benj Pasek, and Justin Paul into a YA novel
• Other Works: The Reminders (2017)
• Awards: The Broadway Musical won Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Book, Best Score, Best Actor, Best Featured Actress, and Best Orchestrations (2017)       

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Unit:

• No One Is Alone
• Found Family
• Being Your Authentic Self

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Unit, students will:

• Develop a deeper understanding of the social and emotional impacts of social media, both positive and negative, that affect the characters in the novel.
• Study paired texts and other brief resources to make connections via the text’s themes of No One Is Alone, Found Family, and Being Your Authentic Self.
• Plan, design, and carry out activities that increase empathy and kindness in the school community, incorporating the goals of The Connor Project.