Erna Sassen
Erna Sassen (b. 1961) studied at the Theaterschool in Amsterdam and began her career as a radio producer and actor, including in musicals and as a nurse in a popular Dutch TV series about a hospital, making her debut as a YA author in 2004.
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She received a lot of praise for Dit is geen dagboek (This Is Not a Diary, 2010), the tragicomic account of a grieving teenager whose mother has committed suicide. This was followed by the YA novels Kom niet dichterbij (Don’t Come Any Closer, 2014) and the stylistically outstanding Er is geen vorm waarin ik pas (Don’t Tell Me What I Am, 2016). Sassen has been commended for her sense of humour, her honest tone and the clever psychological portrayal of her characters. Untitled (2021) is a book about growing up between two cultures and having to choose between family and friends.
More Erna Sassen
Untitled
For as long as 15-year-old Joshua can remember, Zivan has been his best friend. But then she moves to Iraq, where her father marries her off to her cousin. Joshua has no further contact with her. This book reads like a cry of despair, in which all his pain, anguish and frustration resound.
This Is Not a Diary
'This Is Not a Diary' is an intense novel about the inner emotional life of 16-year-old Boudewijn, whose mother has thrown herself in front of a train. The book is hard and raw, but also loving and sometimes humorous. Boudewijn develops as a person: he finally manages to let go of his anger and to feel his grief. The book has a hopeful ending. Although it’s not a self-help book, many young people and adults may gain something from it. It offers comfort
An Indian Like You and Me
In the world of books, there have been many calls for more attention to be paid to diversity. Erna Sassen’s book is a laudable response. This original story about the loner Boaz, who is so proud when the new girl, Aïsha, comes to sit by him at school, shows that a friend is a friend, and appearances don’t matter.
Don’t Tell Me What I Am
A schoolgirl suffering from a burnout tries to understand and process her traumatic experience. A fragmentary book full of conversations, memories and song lyrics, about a teenager’s search for herself.