News release
Local author Eliana Levi has released her second novel, “A Nobody College Student,” whose 22-year-old neurodivergent protagonist was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder when she was 3 years old.
The protagonist has high-functioning autism, and has to overcome academic as well as financial challenges, according to a news release from Levi. The protagonist struggles with moving states in search of a good career, and struggles with the notion of disappointing family and leaving family behind.
In addition to moving states in pursuit of a good career, the protagonist grapples with the grief associated with losing her friend from high school, Nessa Cohen, who dies due to self-medicating using drugs, the release said.
The friend uses drugs to cope with trauma caused by being forced to attend a boarding school, also known as a mental health institution, when she was in high school, the release said.
Levi has done a large amount of research about the effects these boarding schools have on children, the release said, adding, “Although ‘A Nobody College Student is fictional and Nessa Cohen is not a real person, the mental health institutions located in the state of Utah exist and the experiences that have been traumatic for children coming out of these places, is truly heartbreaking.”
The 464-page book is available for purchase online, as is Levi’s debut novel, “The Disappointment Child.”
