Lois Lowry
Lois Lowry | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 20, 1937 Oahu,[1] Hawaii, U.S. |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Genre | Children's literature |
| Website | |
| www.loislowry.com | |
Lois Lowry (born Lois Ann Hammersburg[2] on March 20, 1937) is an author of children's literature who has been awarded the Newbery Medal twice: first for Number the Stars in 1990, and again in 1994 for The Giver, a widely-known and controversial work.
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Literary Works
In 1979, Lowry began her "Anastasia" series of books with Anastasia Krupnik, the story of a precocious and quirky 10-year-old girl (based, in part, upon Lowry's own daughters) who wants to be a writer. Lowry would go on to write seven sequels to this book including Anastasia Has the Answers in 1986 and Anastasia at This Address in 1991, [3]; and five further books about Anastasia's brother Sam.
In 1980, Lowry published her most autobiographical work, Autumn Street. The main character is a girl named Elizabeth, whose father is away at war. Elizabeth befriends her grandmother's African American cook Tatie and her grandson Charles. In the course of the story, Elizabeth encounters racism, her beloved grandfather's debilitating stroke, and the murder of Charles. In the end, with the love of her family, Elizabeth comes to terms with the fear and grief of the adult world. Elizabeth's story closely parallels Lowry's actual childhood in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. "Charles" was actually a girl named Gloria who was murdered during Lois's childhood. Gloria was the granddaughter of Fleta Jordan, who was a cook for Lois's grandfather, and Fleta was the real "Tatie." The real "Autumn Street" was (and is) called College Street in Carlisle. [4]
Lowry would go on to write several more books in the next three decades, two of which would win the prestigious Newbery Medal, Number the Stars in 1989 and The Giver in 1993. Many of Lowry's works deal with somber topics, but Lowry manages to mix the comic and the tragic skillfully in her stories in a way that makes them enticing to readers both young and old. Following her characters as they cope with hard times, often with humor, helps her readers face the same issues. Lowry said the following of her own writing, "My books have varied in content and style. Yet it seems that all of them deal, essentially, with the same general theme: the importance of human connections... I try, through writing, to convey my passionate awareness that we live intertwined on this planet and that our future depends upon our caring more, and doing more, for one another." [5]
Some of Lowry's works have been controversial because she has chosen to tackle difficult subject matter. In particular her 1993 book, The Giver, has concerned some parent groups. This novel for young readers presents a dystopian view of a future society where history is hidden, where people are conditioned not to see colors, and where those who do not fit within the society's narrow definition of acceptability are "released." The protagonist discovers being "released" is synonymous with being put to death. Many have deemed this material to be inappropriate for children, and as a result The Giver has been banned in some schools. Nevertheless, Lowry won a Newbery Medal for this book in 1994. She continues the controversial themes of The Giver in her books Gathering Blue and Messenger. [6]
Bibliography
- 1977 A Summer to Die
- 1978 Find a Stranger, Say Goodbye
- 1980 Autumn Street
- 1983 Taking Care of Terrific
- 1984 Us and Uncle Fraud
- 1987 Rabble Starkey
- 1989 Number the Stars, winner of the 1990 Newbery Medal
- 1997 Stay! Keeper's Story
- 2003 Silent Boy
- 2006 Gossamer
The Giver Trilogy
- 1993 The Giver, winner of the 1994 Newbery Medal
- 2000 Gathering Blue
- 2004 Messenger
The Anastasia Series
- 1979 Anastasia Krupnik ISBN 0-440-40852-0
- 1981 Anastasia Again!
- 1982 Anastasia At Your Service
- 1984 Anastasia, Ask Your Analyst
- 1985 Anastasia on Her Own
- 1986 Anastasia Has the Answers
- 1987 Anastasia's Chosen Career
- 1991 Anastasia at This Address
- 1995 Anastasia Absolutely
The Sam Series
- 1988 All About Sam
- 1992 Attaboy Sam!
- 1996 See You Around, Sam!
- 1999 Zooman Sam
The Tates Series
- 1983 The One Hundredth Thing About Caroline
- 1985 Switcharound
- 1990 Your Move, J.P.!
The Gooney Bird Series
- 2002 Gooney Bird Greene
- 2006 Gooney Bird and the Room Mother
- 2007 Gooney the Fabulous
Autobiographical
- 1998 Looking Back
Footnotes
- ^ "Lois Lowry Biography". Lois Lowry. Retrieved 2007-05-27.
- ^ http://library.thinkquest.org/J001564/timeline.html
- ^ http://www.pabook.libraries.psu.edu/LitMap/bios/Lowry_Lois.html
- ^ http://www.pabook.libraries.psu.edu/LitMap/bios/Lowry_Lois.html
- ^ http://www.loislowry.com/bio.html
- ^ http://www.pabook.libraries.psu.edu/LitMap/bios/Lowry_Lois.html
External links
- Lowry's website
- Complete list of books by Lowry
- Interview with Writer Unboxed, April 20, 2007