Description:
Speaking for Ourselves presents autobiographical sketches of 87 people who write books for young adults. For young adult readers who haunt library shelves for another Cormier or S.E. Hinton novel; for teachers who want to share the message with students that real people write books, often stemming from events in their lives; for librarians who enjoy sharing tidbits about authors with young readers; here is a delightful and valuable resource. These authors share the love of reading. Many knew as young people that they wanted to be writers and several even published while still in high school. Many are or have been teachers at one
Speaking for Ourselves presents autobiographical sketches of 87 people who write books for young adults. For young adult readers who haunt library shelves for another Cormier or S.E. Hinton novel; for teachers who want to share the message with students that real people write books, often stemming from events in their lives; for librarians who enjoy sharing tidbits about authors with young readers; here is a delightful and valuable resource. These authors share the love of reading. Many knew as young people that they wanted to be writers and several even published while still in high school. Many are or have been teachers at one time. Many credited their parents for both their love of books and their ultimate success in writing. Many said that they could think of nothing they'd rather do than write. Lynn Hall says it best as she closes her sketch, “I lived happily ever after.” In his introduction, Gallo notes these similarities as well as highlighting differences. He also details the process by which he selected the authors concurring with more than 40 past and present officers of the Assembly on Literature for Adolescents. Mary Stoltz's personal and poignant reflections express her feelings of promise and her feelings of cynicism about people, the world, and the times in which we live. Writing styles of the autobiographical sketches seem to speak loudly for their styles as fiction writers: the folksy ones, the stuffy ones, and the inspired ones. Paula Danziger chose a telegraphic style, a factual approach in order to satisfy the 500-word limit, maintain her privacy, and let her books speak for themselves. Julian Thompson begins with lies. Robbie Branscum (the only author who didn't include a photo) captures her essence in seven lines. Sandy Asher describes the internal world of the writer contrasting a writer's work with that of other people's jobs. “If an actor doesn't show up for a performance, if a firefighter quits in mid-fire, people notice. But if a writer doesn't write or quits midway, or writes a book that's never published, the world goes on blissfully unaware.” “I am read with far greater passion, intelligence and commitment by young people than by adults,” writes Alan Garner. “An autobiography is supposed to tell where you've been, what you've done, and what you've been through in your life,” Stolz concludes. “To my surprise I think I've accomplished that.”
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Manufacturer: National Council of Teachers
Release date: 1 May 1990
ISBN-10 : 0814146252 |
ISBN-13: 9780814146255
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