Autobiographies-The Stories Behind the Stories

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Compiled by Carol Fazioli -- School Library Journal, 11/01/2003

When Lois Lowry spoke at the Doylestown (PA) Public Library this past spring, she told her audience that after years of being asked the same question over and over again, she now simply tailors her talks around it. That question is, of course, the age-old one that many readers long to ask their favorite author: where do you get your ideas? Lowry also described her "toolbox," the building blocks she uses to form her novels. In particular, she mentioned how she draws upon incidents from her past, including her older sister's early death, to create stories.

Like Lowry, all of the authors featured here found inspiration for their writing in their life experiences, making their stories not only autobiographies but also studies of their craft. Jerry Spinelli recalls a youth spent on playing fields alongside his friends with a sweet nostalgia only an adult can conceive, yet a young reader can still appreciate. Picture-book creator Mem Fox offers a hilarious tale about car trouble on an African animal preserve, while detailing her first attempts at writing professionally and demonstrating how difficult it often is to find just the right words for a story. A few authors, such as Esther Hautzig, who was a deportee to Siberia during World War II, have had life-altering experiences that merited entire books on just one episode. Others, like Stephen King, chose to focus on the process while describing all of the pleasure, hard work, and frustration of writing professionally. Finally, a few titles, like Gary Paulsen's The Beet Fields and the short-story collections When I Was Your Age, Volumes I & II, are not factual at all. Rather, these fictional accounts of personal histories serve as unique glimpses into the authors' pasts.

Readers enjoy learning about why authors choose particular subjects and how they began their careers. The books listed here allow middle and high school students who are curious about the ways of writers to discover aspects of writers' lives while also receiving some realistic and practical advice about how to turn a love of reading and writing into something more than just a hobby.–Carol Fazioli

BERENSTAIN, Stan & Jan Berenstain. Down a Sunny Dirt Road. Random. 2002.
Gr 5-8 –In alternating chapters, the creators of the beloved Berenstain Bears recount their childhoods in Pennsylvania and their meeting at The Philadelphia Museum School of Industrial Art. Details on their passion for art and the inspirations for their books are relayed with warmth and humor. Black-and-white photos and original illustrations complement the text. Fans of the Bears should enjoy learning about their origins as well as the struggles authors and illustrators experience while nurturing their books into print.

BYARS, Betsy. The Moon and I. Morrow. 1996.
Gr 4-7 –Byars recounts her passion for storytelling within the context of creating an original story about Moon, a blacksnake she encounters on her property. Funny and self-deprecating, she speaks to aspiring writers about story ideas and work habits while describing her childhood and first attempts at becoming an author. Children who know and love Byars's fiction will appreciate this personal look at the inspiration for many of her tales while others will be drawn into the narrative of a writer who finds story ideas in everyday occurrences.

CLEARY, Beverly. A Girl from Yamhill: A Memoir. 1988.
CLEARY, Beverly. My Own Two Feet: A Memoir. 1995. ea vol: Morrow.
Gr 5 Up –In these two volumes, Cleary, with characteristic simplicity, details her life from early childhood on a farm to the publication of Henry Huggins, her first novel. Writing candidly about her prickly relationship with her mother, recognizable struggles with school and boys, and her fight for independence and a college degree, she re-creates the story of her life with insight and humor. Although Cleary's memoirs reveal little about her writing, readers will learn that her early life in Depression-era Portland, OR, provided characters and a setting for many of her books, while her strict upbringing gave her the discipline to put these memories into print.

CRUTCHER, Chris. King of the Mild Frontier: An Ill-Advised Autobiography. Greenwillow. 2003.
Gr 8 Up –Crutcher relives various humorous, and often painful, episodes from his rural Idaho childhood and adolescence, revealing the origins of some of his fictional characters as well as his own character traits. Although his family seemed solid and normal enough to outsiders, he often clashed with his overbearing father, while striving to help and protect his alcoholic mother. He shows how his experience as an athlete, teacher, and family therapist is expressed in the fiction that strikes such a resonant chord with teenage readers.

DAHL, Roald. Boy: Tales of Childhood. 1984.
DAHL, Roald. Going Solo. 1986. ea vol: Farrar.
Gr 7 Up –Readers familiar with the author's fiction will recognize the origins of many of his characters in these two memoirs. Dahl paints a vivid picture of British boarding school life replete with canings and quirky teachers. Upon completing school, he chose a job with Shell Oil in East Africa in search of exotic locales and new faces. This position, as well as his service in the Royal Air Force in World War II, yielded many exciting and hair-raising anecdotes. Dahl does not delve into his writing, but provides a glimpse into his personal life and the large family he lovingly recalls. Audio for Boy available from Harper Children's Audiobooks.

EHRLICH, Amy, ed. When I Was Your Age Volume I. 1996.
EHRLICH, Amy, ed. When I Was Your Age Volume II. 1999. ea vol: Candlewick.
Gr 5 Up –Readers will discover new aspects of their favorite children's and young adult authors in this collection of short stories based on actual incidents. In each book, 10 different writers, including Jane Yolen, Joseph Bruchac, and Nicholasa Mohr, offer emotional and often funny fictional vignettes that, while not strictly autobiographical, reveal something about each person's life. Francesca Lia Block writes about finding an imaginary friend who helped her sort through her feelings by writing, while Katherine Paterson recalls how her older sister, in a backhanded manner, showed how much she really loved her. At the end of each story, the writer comments on inspiration and discusses becoming an author.

FLEISCHMAN, Sid. The Abracadabra Kid. Greenwillow. 1996.
Gr 5-8 –With the flamboyance characteristic of many of his novels, Fleischman recounts his life and work. Obsessed with magic as a child, he managed to parlay it into something of a career, until Navy service provided him with the opportunity to focus on his writing. He traces his ups and downs as a screenwriter and novelist, and includes tips for aspiring writers. With wit and self-effacement, he instructs writers on where to look for material and how best to present it to an audience. Audio available from Recorded Books.

FRITZ, Jean. Homesick: My Own Story. 1982.
FRITZ, Jean. China Homecoming. 1985. ea vol: Putnam.
Gr 5-9 –Fritz uses a bit of storytelling to relay her life as the daughter of a YMCA administrator in China in the mid 1920s. Born and raised there, she still felt fiercely devoted to America. When she was 12, the threat of civil war forced her family to leave. While sailing to America, she realized she was homesick for her Chinese friends and the customs she often took for granted. The book closes with her transition to life in America, now proud to have lived for so long among the Chinese. In China Homecoming, which is intended for a slightly older audience, Fritz travels back to China and reconnects with her past. A sense of wisdom imbues these stories of life as a member of two cultures.

HAUTZIG, Esther. The Endless Steppe. HarperTrophy. 1987.
Gr 5-8 –Hautzig's recollection of her years in Siberia as a Jewish deportee from Poland during World War II is both haunting and spellbinding. After her close-knit family was forced to leave their beloved city of Vilna, they endured several years of near starvation in the steppes of northern Russia. The family learned to survived, and somehow Esther even grew to like her existence, absorbing as much education as she could while forging her own identity. She crafts an uplifting story about the strength of both the human spirit and family bonds. Audio available from Recorded Books.

KERR, M. E. ME ME ME ME ME: Not a Novel. HarperCollins. 1983.
Gr 7 Up –Kerr selects adventures from her life, such as helping a high school friend elope and attempting to pledge a sorority in college, to illustrate her own life story as well as the origins of some of her novels. With a keen sense of drama, she orchestrates the chapters to unfold like separate short stories. In an addendum to each chapter, Kerr fills readers in on what became of the people in the chapter, as well as how she utilized them for her own fiction. The author is also blunt about her somewhat troubled relationship with her family, but pokes fun at their foibles with wit and irony.

LEWIN, Ted. I Was a Teenage Professional Wrestler. Orchard. 1993.
Gr 6-9 –Lewin used wrestling to put himself through art school, and shares his memories in this offbeat and amusing narrative. He and his two brothers, with the support of their parents, traveled around the United States as professional wrestlers in the 1950s and '60s, enjoying encounters with other wrestlers who often assumed larger-than-life personas in the ring to entertain the crowds. Black-and-white photos, watercolor illustrations, and sketches inspired by life in the wrestling community add appeal to this quirky and unique account.

LOBEL, Anita. No Pretty Pictures: A Child of War. Greenwillow. 1998.
Gr 6 Up –Lobel uses a deceptively calm tone to trace the course of her life beginning at age five, when she and her brother escaped into the Polish countryside to evade the Nazis. Captured five years later, they experienced the wretched conditions of the Auschwitz and Ravensbruck concentration camps. Miraculously, she and her brother were reunited in Sweden with their family after recovering from tuberculosis. Upon immigrating to America, Lobel embraced her new homeland, determined to forge a career in art. She notes in the prologue that she had resisted writing about her struggle. Fortunately for readers, she decided to relay the remarkable story of a terrified child who blossoms into a confident, talented woman.

LOWRY, Lois. Looking Back: A Book of Memories. Houghton. 1998.
Gr 5-8 –Black-and-white family photos and excerpts from her novels introduce brief one- or two-page chapters and reveal as much about Lowry's life as the text. The author intertwines the fiction and pictures with personal insights about her joys and sorrows in an intimate, musing tone, as though she had stumbled upon a scrapbook of her life and decided to make notes about certain aspects and events. Tied to real-life events and emotions, her Newbery Award-winning writing is given a new perspective.

NIXON, Joan Lowery. The Making of a Writer. Delacorte. 2002.
Gr 5-8 –Passionate about writing from an early age, Nixon uses the anecdotes of her happy California childhood and adolescence to relate her journey to becoming an author. Each chapter focuses on certain incidents in her life, amid a large and creative family, that fostered her love for both reading and writing. The book concludes with her list of 10 writing tips. Readers will find her common sense ideas and suggestions for developing as a writer as appealing as her mysteries.

PECK, Richard. Anonymously Yours. Morrow. 1995.
Gr 6 Up –An Illinois native, Peck recalls both fondness for his Midwestern upbringing as well as his wanderlust, which eventually led him to England to study for a year during college. The former teacher has never lost focus on his audience and offers pertinent thoughts and feelings from the numerous letters he has received from readers. Peck writes candidly about situations facing teenagers, such as suicide, and describes how these problems make their way into his fiction. His fans will relish learning about how he is as much an admirer of them as he is a champion of their issues and struggles.

SPINELLI, Jerry. Knots in My Yo-Yo String: The Autobiography of a Kid. Knopf. 1998.
Gr 5-8 –Spinelli's warm tale of his 1950s Norristown, PA, childhood is full of the types of people and events that pepper his fiction. He recounts his sports fanaticism, first loves, friends, and family with great humor and honesty. By the time he begins to discuss his own attempts at writing, readers will feel as if they know the author personally and have shared his experiences. They will appreciate learning about his novels' origins, and enjoy his fond remembrance of youth and adolescence.

UCHIDA, Yoshiko. The Invisible Thread. Morrow. 1995.
Gr 5-8 –The author of a substantial collection of folklore and fiction, Uchida traces her life from a happy, secure childhood to imprisonment in two internment camps during World War II. Her Japanese-American family never lost its resolve to endure the camps and re-create the close-knit life they knew before the war. Uchida tells her story without bitterness or anger, and relays the joy she felt upon achieving her dream of becoming a teacher and author. She discovered that although she was thoroughly American, her Japanese ancestry shaped her character, as well as her writing.

ZINDEL, Paul. The Pigman and Me. Bantam. 1993.
Gr 7 Up –Zindel relates the year that his troubled mother found a somewhat permanent home for the family, and he met his real-life Pigman. The father of the downstairs neighbor, Nonno Frankie was the rare adult who actually listened to and empathized with him as he navigated early adolescence, discovering both school bullies and a knack for creative writing. Zindel writes with a certain detachment as well as heartbreaking perception about the joys and struggles of teenage life. Audio available from Recorded Books.

ANGELOU, Maya. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Random. 1969.
Gr 10 Up –In this classic coming-of-age tale, Angelou traces her childhood and adolescence in the rural South and California, living off and on with parents who were full of life, if not wholly committed to responsibility. Experiencing the horror of rape at age eight, Angelou relied on the tender love of her grandmother to ease her transition into her teenage years, which followed universal patterns of school, friends, and crushes. Angelou's experience as an African-American female, however, imbues the book with a profound insight into racism and sexism.

BLUME, Judy. Letters to Judy: What Your Kids Wish They Could Tell You. Putnam. 1986.
Adult/High School –This 20-year-old book is as topical now as when it was first published. Ostensibly written for parents, Blume's collection of fan letters and commentary will be of interest to readers who feel she understands their lives and problems. Self-esteem, puberty, sexuality, abuse, and divorce are all covered, as the author discusses how both she and her own children handled many of the same issues. Teens will enjoy reading about how an author who seems so in touch with adolescent life traveled down many of the same bumpy roads herself.

FOX, Mem. Dear Mem Fox, I Have Read All Your Books, Even the Pathetic Ones: And Other Incidents in the Life of a Children's Book Author. Harcourt. 1992.
Adult/High School –The flamboyant teacher, storyteller, actress, and author entertains and enlightens readers while recalling a life lived on three continents–Africa, Europe, and Australia. Her open-minded Australian parents took the family to Africa to work as missionaries, and supported Fox when she went to England to study acting. She speaks passionately about several political issues, including the apartheid she witnessed firsthand in Africa, and the sexism that stung her as she was finally promoted as a professor. Her forays into writing are dissected with humor while she offers her own methods and advice for aspiring writers.

GANTOS, Jack. Hole in My Life. Farrar. 2002.
Gr 9 Up –Gantos crafts a compelling tale of his chaotic life. Early on he and his family moved frequently as his father searched for employment. As a teenager, he took off on his own, intent on finding inspiration for his writing. At the age of 20, however, he ended up in prison for conspiracy to distribute drugs he helped smuggle into the United States. While in prison, he realized that his early life had already provided him with enough material to write fiction. Accessible and riveting, his story speaks to a young adult audience. Audio available from Listening Library/Books on Tape.

KING, Stephen. On Writing. Scribner. 2000.
Adult/High School –Although King notes that this book focuses only on his writing and not his personal life, he does reveal many intimate details and insights while discussing the process and mechanics of writing. In a conversational and very funny tone, he relates how certain incidents in his somewhat erratic childhood make their way into the stories that became a creative outlet for him at an early age. He spends the remainder of the book offering realistic advice about how best to engage in the craft. King uses his own experiences, including his horrific auto accident in 1999, to not only illustrate the grunt work of writing and editing, but also to remind aspiring writers about the sheer joy of the job.

LINDBERGH, Reeve. Under a Wing. S & S. 1998.
Adult/High School –The daughter of Charles Lindbergh and Anne Morrow Lindbergh eloquently portrays how her parents shaped the lives of their children. Distant and overpowering, they belonged to the world in which they were celebrated, and sometimes reviled, but were still caregivers and role models. Although the Lindberghs lived in the public eye, they remained committed to functioning as a family.

MYERS, Walter Dean. Bad Boy. HarperCollins. 2001.
Gr 9 Up –Myers's frank memoir depicts both the early security he felt with his adoptive family in Harlem, and his confusing teen years when the academically and athletically gifted young man was prone to violent outbursts. Readers will relate to his struggle to find his place in the world as he discovered the racial divide in America that affected his choice of friends, jobs, and future plans. Although he often neglected school, Myers loved to read, and he recalls many of the books that sustained him through difficult times. Audio available from Recorded Books.

PAULSEN, Gary. The Beet Fields: Memories of a Sixteenth Summer. Delacorte. 2000.
Gr 9 Up –One of Paulsen's many autobiographical novels, this one is a moving account of a boy's transition into manhood. The unnamed protagonist, desperate to escape his alcoholic mother, runs away to work in the beet fields of North Dakota. After a police officer discovers he matches the description of a missing teen, the young man escapes from jail and joins a traveling carnival. Each adventure shapes the character of the protagonist as he learns to care for himself and to feel compassion for those he encounters. Paulsen expresses the frustration and naïveté of a teenager longing to shed his innocence.

SPIEGELMAN, Art. Maus: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History. 1986.
SPIEGELMAN, Art. Maus II: And Here My Troubles Began. 1991. ea vol: Pantheon.
Gr 9 Up –These Pulitzer Prize-winning books use the seemingly innocent art form of the comic strip to underscore the horror and depravity of the Jewish Holocaust as well as examine Spiegelman's tenuous relationship with his father, a survivor of the Auschwitz and Dachau concentration camps. To great effect, the artist symbolically uses cats to characterize the Nazis who imprison and annihilate the Jewish "mice." A powerful companion to any World War II curriculum.