“How easy is murder when one calls it by a different name? How much easier is it for the conscience to condone “reaping” than “killing”—and when one knows that death isn’t the end, does it stop the killing hand for fear of retribution, or does it simply make it easier to kill, because, if life continues, how can murder be murder at all?”

American writer of young adult fiction

Neal Shusterman is an American writer of young adult fiction. He won the 2015 National Book Award for Young People's Literature for Challenger Deep, and his novel Scythe received a 2017 Michael L. Printz Honor. His work is best known in the young adult field, where he writes fiction that has earned major recognition. Challenger Deep and Scythe are among his best-known books, and his writing often reaches readers through stories that balance imagination with serious themes.