Nicola Yoon is a critically acclaimed Jamaican-American author and a National Book Award finalist. Her most notable novels, ‘Everything, Everything,’ and ‘The Sun Is Also A Star’ have garnered positive reviews across multiple channels and have been praised by numerous publications as works of pristine caliber. Over the years, Nicola has written stories that have impacted many people on an intricate level. She says that her life and family inspire her to create stories others relate to.
Nicola Yoon was inspired to write a story that would become a New York Times bestseller after her daughter’s birth. A few years after her debut novel, Nicola wrote another story drawing inspiration from her life, published under the title, ‘The Sun Is Also A Star’ in 2016.
Life Facts
- Nicola Yoon was born in Jamaica on October 1, 1972, and lived there for 11 years before emigrating to the United States of America.
- Before becoming a writer, Nicola loved science and math; this prompted her to study electrical engineering.
- Nicola Yoon has one child, a daughter, and she inspired her debut novel ‘Everything, Everything.’
- Like Daniel Bae, the primary character in ‘The Sun Is Also A Star,’ Nicola Yoon’s husband, David Yoon, is a Korean-American.
Interesting Facts
- Nicola worked as a programmer for 20 years in many investment management firms.
- She graduated from Cornell University with a degree in Electrical engineering.
- Nicola also went to Emerson College, where she completed the Master of Creative Writing program.
- ‘Everything, Everything’ spent almost a year on the New York Times bestselling list after its publication.
Famous Books
- ‘One of Our Kind: A Novel’ is a thrilling adult story that follows the life of Jasmyn Williams, a young pregnant activist. When Jasmyn moves to a new town called Liberty, she is shocked to learn that no one cares about the events occurring in society, like police shootings and the Black Lives Matter, BLM, movement. Realizing the residents are more concerned about spa treatments, Jasmyn fears she will not find anyone to relate with. As she progresses into her pregnancy, she learns of a secret that puts her and her family in danger.
- ‘The Sun Is Also A Star’ is a young adult fiction novel that follows the lives of Natasha Kingsley, a seventeen-year-old Jamaican girl, and Daniel Bae, a second-generation Korean-American boy. After the police arrest Natasha’s father, Samuel Kingsley, for a DUI, immigration services learn they are illegally in the country, and they receive an order of deportation. Determined to fight her fate, Natasha heads to the USCIS office to ask for help. She eventually runs into a young boy called Daniel, and the sparks of love light up.
- ‘Everything, Everything’ is Nicola Yoon’s debut novel. It tells the story of eighteen-year-old Madeline Whittier, also called Maddy, a half-Japanese, half-African American girl suffering from Severe Combined Immunodeficiency, SCID. Allergic to the outside world, Maddy does leave her house as she stays in a sterile environment. However, her life changes when a new family with a son named Olly moves in.
Biography
From an electrical engineer and programmer to a romance and young adult fiction author, Nicola Yoon has made a remarkable transition that is nothing short of inspiring. Her desire to write stories of inclusivity has led to the creation of two acclaimed novels.
Early Life and Education
Nicola Yoon was born on October 1, 1972, in Jamaica. She spent her first 11 years in Jamaica but eventually moved to Brooklyn, New York. After completing high school, Nicola gained admission into Cornell University to study electrical engineering. While in school, she took a creative writing class and fell in love with literature. After completing her undergraduate program, she went to Emerson College to take a creative writing program.
Career
After graduating from university, Nicola Yoon worked as a financial data programmer for multiple investment management firms. She met her husband and had a daughter. A few months after her daughter’s birth, Nicola started writing a novel, ‘Everything, Everything,’ as she worried about everything in her daughter’s life.
Her husband, David Yoon, a graphics designer, helped illustrate the novel, and in September 2015, three years after writing began, Nicola published the book. It became the number one New York Times bestseller for young adult hardcover books. Two years later, a film of the same name hit the screens.
In 2016, Nicola released a second novel based on her experience of being caught between two cultures. ‘The Sun Is Also A Star,’ follows the lives of two teenagers from different cultures, Natasha Kingsley and Daniel Bae, and shows the budding romance that erupted from their circumstances. ‘The Sun Is Also A Star’ received positive reviews, and Warner Brothers and MGM announced they acquired film rights to the novel in December 2016.
Family and Personal Life
Nicola Yoon is married to novelist David Yoon and has a daughter with him. She and her family live in Los Angeles, California. As an avid reader, Nicola noticed little representation of black women in literature; this motivated her to join the We Need Diverse Books organization, a movement dedicated to creating more inclusivity in literature.
Nicola also stated she wrote Natasha’s character to expand the portrayal of black women in pop culture; this is evident with Natasha’s love for maths, science, and 90s rock bands.
Influence in Literature
Literature by Nicola Yoon
Explore literature by Nicola Yoon below, created by the team at Book Analysis.