Utopia

Celebrating a Decade of Success with New Gold Release of Matched

In what some may call dystopian times, stories with that theme seem more popular than ever. Ally Condie joins us today with a commemorative 2020 Gold edition of MATCHED – a #1 New York Times and international bestselling story, first published a decade ago.

Set in a flawed utopia, citizens in MATCHED are ruled by the Society who dictate what they eat, where they work, who they love, and even when they die. But what happens when a young girl starts questioning the rules? When she tries to decide between the rules and her heart?

We discuss how Ally Condie’s first book started a bidding war, and what it takes to write young adult fiction. How this dystopian world came to life; how it became a trilogy. And how Ally is coping with our own strange times.

About Ally Condie

In addition to writing MATCHED, which spent a year on the New York Times bestseller list, Ally Condie is the author of two sequels, as well as the novel Summerlost, an Edgar Award finalist. She also co-authored the Darkdeep middle grade series. And The Last Voyage of Poe Blythe — also set in the world of MATCHED but with different characters.

A former English teacher,  Ally has an MFA from the Vermont College of Fine Arts, and is the founder and director  of the WriteOut Foundation. She lives and writes in Utah.