Judy Blume is without a doubt one of the most read and beloved Young Adult novelists, however, many regard her story as one of surprising success. Born on February 12, 1938, Blume grew up in New Jersey (which would later serve as the setting for many of her books). She has stated in interviews that she loved storytelling but never have childhood dreams of being an author. Instead, she pursued a Bachelor of the Arts in Education from New York University, graduating in 1960. However, by that time Blume was already married and expecting her first child. As a result, she never taught and instead began life as a homemaker and stay at home mother. It was there that her knack for storytelling grew and matured until she published her first full work - a picture book - in 1969: The One in the Middle Is the Green Kangaroo. …show more content…
In her first Young Adult novel, Iggie’s House, revolves around a young, white girl befriended her new neighbors - the first Black children in a previously un-integrated neighborhood. While Iggie’s House was revolutionary for its frank discussion of race and prejudice within a book meant for children, the next book Blume published would be the one to make her a household name. Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret was published in 1970 and focused on a twelve-year-old girl’s journey to navigate the equally treacherous waters of religion and puberty. The reaction was immediate: readers of all ages were writing Blume to thank her for addressing issues they had struggled with while others furiously worked to have the title banned from schools and libraries. When asked about it, Blume said that she simply wrote Margaret based on experiences she remembered from her own youth and did not realize it was controversial until protests told her
In 1975 the “interesting” books for students of the Island Tree School District were nearly thrown under the bed forever. The Island Tree School District was presented with a complaint from the group Parents of New York United that posed a concern regarding the content of library materials. This community was concerned that public school libraries in the district were exceedingly “permissive” with the books they provided for students. The list of books that the Parents of New York United were wary of were: “Slaughter-House Five,” by Kurt Vonnegut; “The Fixer,” by Bernard Malamud; “The Naked Ape,” by Desmond Morris; “Down These Mean Streets,” by Piri Thomas; “Best Short Stories of Negro Writers,” edited by Langston Hughes; “A Hero Ain't Nothin' but a Sandwich,” by Alice Childress; “Soul on Ice,” by Eldridge Cleaver; “A Reader for Writers,” edited by Jerome Archer, and “Go Ask Alice,” by an anonymous author(New York Times, 1982). The Island Tree School Board complied with the Parents of New York United's concern and took these books off school shelves in early 1976.
Edna St. Vincent Millay grew up in a small town in Maine. She was always encouraged by her mother to pursue her writing and musical talents. She finished college and moved to New York City where she lived a fast-paced life pursuing acting and play writing. Her liveliness, independence, and sexuality inspired her writing styles and gave her poetry a freshness that no others had. She is famous for writing sonnets like “What lips my lips have kissed, and where, and why.”
“She saw a dust-bearing bee sink into the sanctum of a bloom; the thousand sister-calyxes arch to meet the love embrace and the ecstatic shiver of the tree from root to tiniest branch creaming in every blossom and frothing with delight,” (11). The novel, Their Eyes Were Watching, God by Zora Neale Hurston, tells a story of a woman, Janie Crawford’s quest to find her true identity that takes her on a journey and back in which she finally comes to learn who she is. These lessons of love and life that Janie comes to attain about herself are endowed from the relationships she has with Logan Killicks, Joe Starks, and Tea Cake.
Zora Neale Hurston was an American novelist, anthropologist, folklorist, and short story writer and is closely associated with the Harlem Renaissance. Hurston grew up in one of America’s first all-black communities. Growing up in this unique community gave her a sense of independence, freedom and boldness that many African-Americans, especially females, did not have during this time. Growing up in that community distinguished her from other writers of her time, and it is clearly reflected in her work. Hurston wrote many short stories, plays, essays and four published novels. Of all of the works she published and accomplishments she had, she is best known for her 1937 novel Their Eyes Were Watching God. This novel tells the story of Janie Crawford a young African-American girl growing up in
Dorothy West worked hard to achieve her goal of becoming a writer. West wrote her first story when she was 7 years old. West started school at the age of four. She was put in the second grade at Farragut School in Boston. West attended the Boston’s Girls’ latin school at age 10. It was one of the best school at the time. Not to mention, Boston’s Girl’s Latin school was a school that chose their students carefully. West graduated in the year n 1923. West also got a diploma for that school.
High school students in many American schools first read this book in an English class, which has been a staple for many schools. A required reading assignment exposes many more people to the book. Even though the book is considered to be a children’s book by many, it is still enjoyed by people of all ages.
Watching God is a narrative about Janie’s quest to free herself from repression and explore
Zora Neale Hurston was a genius whose writing career went unnoticed while she was living. Hurston was an American folklorist, novelist and anthropologist. She wrote four novels , more than 50 published short stories, plays, and essays. During the time she was active, Hurston was taken for granted and her work was criticized over the top. Although she didn’t see it while she was alive, her works of writing became famous and international. After Hurston’s death, her career was not only recognized but influential to writers in present day. “Their Eyes Were Watching God” is one of Hurston’s most famous novels and has various editions to it. Her personal life in quite a few ways was reflected through the main character “Janie Crawford”, which makes the novel so much more intriguing. Hurston better known as “The Genius of the South” created a legacy that will never be erased.
Russell, Karen. “St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves”. Comp. John Schilb and John Clifford. Making Literature Matter. Print.
Ann Rinaldi has written many books for young teenagers, she is an Award winning author who writes stories of American history and makes them become real to the readers. She has written many other books such as A Break with Charity, A Ride into Morning, and Cast two Shadows, etc. She was born in New York City on August 27, 1934. In 1979, at the age of 45, she finished her first book.
Oprah Winfrey lied on the opposite end of Zora Neale Hurston’s spectrum when she produced her atrocious rendition of Hurston’s stellar novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God. She modified characters and symbols, altered the theme and relationships, and utterly desolated the significance of the title, making it almost unrecognizable to someone who has read the book. Winfrey totally eviscerated Hurston’s unsurpassed novel, extrapolating what she thought important without going in depth in to the true meaning of the story. Oprah took Hurston’s writing and morphed it into her own abominable movie.
Some of Blume’s most popular books include Are you there God? It’s me Margaret; Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing; Forever; Wifey; Deenie; Blubber; and Then Again, Maybe I Won’t.
‘’The woman thing’’ by Audre Lorde reflects more on her life as a woman, this poem relates to the writers work and also has the theme of feminism attached it. The writers role in this poem is to help the women in discovering their womanhood just as the title say’s ‘’the woman thing.’’ The poem is free verse and doesn’t have a rhyme to it and has twenty-five lines.
Fetterley, Judith. The Resisting Reader: A Feminist Approach to American Literature. Bloomington and London: Indiana University Press, xi-xxiv. Print.
Neuman, Shirley. "'Just A Backlash': Margaret Atwood, Feminism, And "The Handmaid's Tale.." University Of Toronto Quarterly 75.3 (2006): 857-868. Academic Search Elite. Web. 24 Apr. 2014.