Where to Start Reading Dana Schwartz
For most readers, the best starting point is Anatomy: A Love Story, the book that launched her to the top of the New York Times bestseller list. It showcases the peak of her writing style: atmospheric, slightly macabre, historically rich, and driven by fierce, ambitious young characters. If you prefer contemporary stories or want to see her early humor roots, you can start with her YA travel novel And We're Off or her choose-your-own-adventure style memoir Choose Your Own Disaster.
The Anatomy Duology
This is Dana Schwartz's signature historical gothic romance series. You must read these books in order, as the second book is a direct continuation of the mystery, character development, and scientific intrigue of the first.
- Anatomy: A Love Story (2022): Set in 1817 Edinburgh, this gothic tale follows Hazel Sinnett, a young woman who wants to become a surgeon, and Jack Currer, a resurrection man (grave robber) who secures bodies for medical study. When the two cross paths, they uncover dark secrets buried deep in the heart of the city's medical establishment.
- Immortality: A Love Story (2023): The sequel picks up with Hazel arrested and then saved by a mysterious invitation to become the personal physician to Princess Charlotte. Moving the setting from Edinburgh to the royal court of London, this book introduces secret societies, alchemical conspiracies, and the heavy price of eternal life.
Standalone Young Adult Fiction
Before her gothic breakout, Schwartz wrote contemporary YA fiction that highlights her character-driven, humorous, and artistic side.
- And We're Off (2017): Her debut novel follows Nora Holmes, a talented teenage artist who gets the trip of a lifetime to Europe, only for her overprotective mother to join her at the last second. It is a heartfelt story about mother-daughter dynamics, creative ambition, and self-discovery.
Non-Fiction, Memoirs, and Satirical Humor
Dana Schwartz first gained widespread attention through viral internet satire, particularly her parody Twitter account @GuyInYourMFA. Her non-fiction works reflect this background, blending sharp wit with personal reflections.
- Choose Your Own Disaster (2018): A raw, funny, and deeply personal memoir written in the style of a choose-your-own-adventure book. It explores the messy transitions of early adulthood, career struggles, relationship mishaps, and struggles with mental health and eating disorders.
- The White Man's Guide to White Male Writers of the Western Canon (2019): Illustrated by New Yorker cartoonist Jason Adam Katzenstein, this handbook is a satirical examination of the literary establishment, drawing on the tropes she originally skewered online.
Marvel Comics & The Deadpool Connection
In addition to traditional prose, Schwartz has dipped her toes into writing comic books for Marvel, specifically the mercenary Deadpool.
- Deadpool Annual (2019) #1: As part of Marvel's "Acts of Evil" event, Schwartz wrote this standalone story where Deadpool is hired by an eight-year-old child to fight his nightmares, leading to a showdown with the villain Nightmare.
- Collected Editions: While Skottie Young wrote the main run of the 2018 Deadpool comic series, Dana Schwartz's annual is collected in Deadpool, Vol. 3: Weasel Goes to Hell (2019). Volumes 1 (Mercin' Hard for the Money) and 2 (Good Night) do not contain her work but represent the reading sequence of that specific run.
Anthology Contributions
If you are looking to read every piece of Schwartz's bibliography, she has contributed short pieces to two major young adult anthologies:
- How I Resist: Activism and Hope for a New Generation (2018): An essay and advice collection edited by Maureen Johnson, in which Schwartz joins other authors to write about finding your voice and taking action.
- It's a Whole Spiel: Love, Latkes, and Other Jewish Stories (2019): A collection of stories detailing the modern Jewish teen experience. Schwartz contributed the short story titled "El Al 328".