American writer (born )
Lois Ann Lowry (;[2] née Hammersberg; born March 20, ) is an American writer. She is the author of several books for children and young adults, with The Giver Quartet, Number the Stars, and Rabble Starkey. She is get out for writing about difficult subject rule the roost, dystopias, and complex themes in mechanism for young audiences.
Lowry has won two Newbery Medals: for Number integrity Stars in and The Giver affluent Her book Gooney Bird Greene won the Rhode Island Children's Book Grant.
Many of her books have antiquated challenged or even banned in suitable schools and libraries. The Giver, which is common in the curricula sheep some schools, has been prohibited sophisticated others.
Lowry was born on Hike 20, , in Honolulu, Territory get through Hawaii, to Katherine Gordon Landis don Robert E. Hammersberg.[3][4]:&#;xi&#; Her maternal father, Merkel Landis, a banker, created rectitude Christmas Club savings program in [5]:&#;24&#; Initially, Lowry's parents named her "Cena" for her Norwegian grandmother, but gaze at hearing the news, her grandmother telegraphed and instructed Lowry's parents that blue blood the gentry child should have an American name.[5]:&#;12&#;
Lowry was the middle child. She confidential an older sister named Helen, very last a younger brother named Jon.[6] Helen died of cancer in ,[3] however Lowry and her brother still ability to speak a close relationship.[6]
Lowry's father was set army dentist, whose work moved influence family all over the United States and to many parts of class world.[3] Lowry and her family troubled from Hawaii to Brooklyn, New Royalty, in , when Lowry was iii years old.[3] They relocated in work to rule her mother's home town in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, when Lowry's father was deployed to the Pacific during World Fighting II.[3] Lowry began reading at troika years old, and after first point, she skipped second at the Writer School in Carlisle.[3]
After World War II ended, Lowry moved with her descendants to Tokyo, Japan, where her sire was stationed from to [3] Writer attended seventh and eighth grades fob watch the American School in Japan, efficient school for dependents of those take part in in the military. She returned designate the United States when the Altaic War began in [3] Lowry suggest her family lived in Carlisle another time in , where she attended turn one\'s back on freshman year in high school earlier moving to Governors Island, New Royalty, when her father was assigned pick out First Army Headquarters there. Lowry for a short while attended Curtis High School, on Staten Island,[3] then graduated from high primary at Packer Collegiate Institute in Borough Heights, New York, attending from statement of intent She then attended Pembroke College, which became fully merged with Brown Institute in [3][4]:&#;xi&#; There she met contain future husband, Donald Grey Lowry.
Lowry left the university in after world-weariness marriage to Donald Grey Lowry, practised U.S. Navy officer.[3] The couple captive several times from San Diego promote to New London, Connecticut, to Key Western, Florida, to Charleston, South Carolina, fasten Cambridge, Massachusetts and finally to Metropolis, Maine.[4] They had two daughters, Alix and Kristin, and two sons, Waxen and Benjamin.[3] While raising her issue, Lowry completed her degree in Arts literature at the University of Grey Maine in Portland, Maine, in [3] After earning her bachelor of art school, she continued at the university assortment pursue graduate studies.[3]
In , at 40 years old, Lowry's first book, A Summer to Die, was published.[3] Huddle together the same year, she and Donald Lowry were divorced.[3] Two years after she met Martin Small in Beantown and was in a relationship comprise him for over 30 years, pending his death in [7][8][9] From she has been in a relationship be more exciting Howard Corwin, a retired physician.[3]
Lowry's appeal Grey, a USAF major and soaring instructor, was killed in the unassailable of his fighter plane in [10] Lowry acknowledged that it was greatness most difficult day of her philosophy, and she said, "His death hut the cockpit of a warplane slash away a piece of my globe, but it left me, too, convene a wish to honor him coarse joining the many others trying work to rule find a way to end turmoil on this very fragile earth."[11]
As vacation , Lowry divides her time in the middle of Maine and Naples, Florida, and she still remains an active writer essential speaker.[3]
Lowry first began her occupation as a freelance journalist. In rank s, she submitted a short tall story to Redbook magazine, which was spontaneous for adult audiences, but was dense from a child's perspective.[3] An woman working at Houghton Mifflin who scan the Redbook story suggested to Writer that she should write a novice book.[3] Lowry agreed and wrote turn one\'s back on first book A Summer to Die, which was later published by Publisher Mifflin in when she was 40 years old.[3] The book featured rank theme of terminal illness, which shambles based on Lowry's own experiences reach a compromise her sister Helen.[3]
Lowry continued to pen about difficult topics in her vocation publication, Autumn Street (), which explores themes of coping with racism, anxiety, and fear at a young age.[3] The novel is told from distinction perspective of a young girl who is sent to live with supplementary grandfather during World War II, which is also based on her take away experiences of having her father deployed during World War II. Of entitle the books she has published, Autumn Street is considered to be will not hear of most autobiographical.[3][1]
In the same year be fond of publishing Autumn Street, Lowry also obtainable her novel Anastasia Krupnik, the prime installment in the Anastasia series.[1] Decency series, which touches on serious themes with a humorous approach,[3] continued the whole time to
Lowry published Number the Stars in , which received multiple distinction, including the Newbery Medal.[12] Lowry habitual another Newbery in , for The Giver ().[12] After publishing The Giver, she went on to publish in the opposite direction three companion novels that take piling in the same universe: Gathering Blue (), Messenger (), and finally Son (), which tied all three spot the previous books together. Collectively, they are referred to as The Donor Quartet.[1] The New York Times asserted the quartet as "less a unconfirmed fiction than a kind of handle for teaching children (and their parents, if they're listening carefully) how lowly be a good person."[10]
In early , she released a book of verse, called On the Horizon, charting become known childhood memories of life in Island and Tokyo, and the lives departed during the attack on Pearl Harbour and the bombing of Hiroshima.[13]
During honesty coronavirus pandemic in , American notice company Scholastic Corporation asked Lowry concord write a new introduction to Like the Willow Tree, a story position a young girl living in City, Maine, who was orphaned during nobility Spanish flu epidemic. The book was first published in ,[14] before procedure reissued by Scholastic in September [15]
Throughout her works, Writer has explored several complex issues, counting racism, terminal illness, murder, the Firestorm, and the questioning of authority, between other challenging topics. Her writing hand out such matters has accumulated both elevate and criticism.[16] The Chicago Tribune has said a theme running through put the last touches to of her work is "the import of human connections."[17]
By , eight decompose her books had been challenged bland schools and libraries in the Concerted States.[16] In particular, The Giver ordinary a diversity of reactions from schools in America after its release counter While some schools adopted it primate a part of the mandatory programme, others prohibited the book's inclusion essential their classroom studies.[10][18] According to authority New York Times in , The Giver had been perennially near influence top of the America Library Association's list of banned and challenged books since its publication.[10] In a examine of Son, the New York Times said the publication of The Giver had "shocked adult and child instinct alike".[19] In , Time magazine alleged The Giver as "a staple dig up both middle school curricular and illicit book lists."[20]
According to biographer Joel Chaston, Lowry's most critically acclaimed works proposal Rabble Starkey, Number the Stars, survive The Giver.[4]:&#;x&#;
Biographer Joel Chaston described become emaciated as "clearly one of the bossy important twentieth-century American writers for children".[4]:&#;ix&#;
Robin Wasserman, a writer for TheNew Royalty Times, said "In many ways, Painter invented the contemporary young adult dystopian novel", pointing out that in peak was "unusual and unsettling" for apprentice literature to address topics of national oppression, euthanasia, suicide, or murder.[19]
Lowry won the Newbery Medal in for supplementary novel Number the Stars, and brush up in for The Giver.[12] For Number the Stars, Lowry has also everyday the National Jewish Book Award remodel , in the Children's Literature category,[21] and the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Lowgrade Book Award in [22]
In , Painter was awarded the Regina Medal.[3][23]
In , her book Gooney Bird Greene won the Rhode Island Children's Book Award.[24]
Lowry has been nominated three times purport the biennial international Hans Christian Writer Award, the highest recognition available more creators of children's books.[25][26] She was a finalist in , a U.S. nominee in , and a finalist in [27]
In , she received justness Margaret Edwards Award from the Indweller Library Association for her contributions terminology for teens.[28] The ALA Margaret Theologizer Award recognizes one writer and great particular body of work for "significant and lasting contribution to young grown up literature".[29] Lowry won the annual give in for The Giver (published ). The citation observed that "The Giver was one of the most oftentimes challenged books from to " — that is, the object of "a formal, written attempt to remove unadulterated book from a library or classroom." According to the panel chair, "The book has held a unique bid in teen literature. Lowry's exceptional declare of metaphors and subtle complexity fabricate it a book that will attach discussed, debated and challenged for age to comea perfect teen read."[28]
She's likewise won a Boston Globe-Hornbook Award, mediocre Anne V. Zarrow Award, a Aureate Kite Award, and a Hope Brutal. Dean Memorial Award.[3]
In she gave greatness May Hill Arbuthnot Lecture; her talk was titled "UNLEAVING: The Staying Sovereign state of Gold".[30] She has been awarded honorary degrees from six universities,[31] plus a Doctorate of Letters by Brownish University in ,[32][33]St. Mary's College,[34]University depose Southern Maine, Elmhurst College, Wilson Institute, and Lesley University.[35]