GARY PAULSEN
Born May 17, 1939 in Minneapolis, MN to Oscar and Eunice Paulsen, Gary Paulsen is a master storyteller who has written more than 175 books, 200 articles and short stories, and several plays. He is known as one of America's most popular writers among young people and for his award winning survival stories.
Gary Paulsen did not have the best childhood growing up. His father served in the Army during World War II which sent him away from home for long periods at a time, and his mother away working in the ammunitions factory. They left him alone and unsupervised many times. His parents were known to drink too much, and be abusive to him. Paulsen was shy and not good at sports. He was a lonely child who moved all the time which was a hindrance to him for making friends. He was bullied all the time and was not the best dedicated student. When life would get intolerable he would run away or be sent away to live with his relatives who gave him the closest thing to a normal family life.
There was not much money, so Paulsen began working at an early age. He would set pins in a bowling alley or sell newspapers in hospitals or bars. He worked in all kinds of weather conditions and on one freezing cold night in Minnesota, he walked by the local library and saw
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its lights on and went in to get warm. To his surprise the librarian gave him a book to read. She would soon give him another and another until he soon had his own library card. He was hooked. He would retreat to the family basement with a book and stay for hours. This was his safe haven from his parents constant arguments and their abusiveness towards him. It was at this time, Paulsen began to develop his passion for reading.
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...s to survive as well. You get that respect of your surroundings and learn to use anything you can to get you by. Paulsen has a way to make you feel part of the book. He is a very intense writer who brings your inner thoughts and feelings alive. Paulsen has a desire to tap deeply into the human spirit and to encourage readers to observe and care about the world around them. Nothing can be more American than that.
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WORKS CITED
Trelease, Jim. “Gary Paulsen-Author Profile”. 18 June 2013. http://www.trelease-on-reading.com/paulsen.html Mitchell, C.E. “Gary Paulsen”. 2004 Random House Inc. http://www.randomhouse.com/features/garypaulsen/about.html Johnson, Jan; Katz, Terrie; Makler, Lynn; Mitgang, Gina; Vandergrift, Kay. “Gary Paulsen”. Tuesday, 25th 2014.
http://comminfo.rutgers.edu/professional-development/childlit/paulsen.html
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