 |
Chris Crutcher |
|
|
Chris Crutcher |
| Chris Crutcher was born in Dayton, Ohio in 1946. Born in Dayton,
Ohio, and was raised in an Air Force family in Cascade, Idaho a small logging
town of 950 people. He did not perform particularly well in high school
because, he says, he had a very bright brother who was class valedictorian.
In fact, he read only one book during his four years in high school,
To
Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. He attended Eastern Washington State
College and earned a bachelor's degree in psychology/sociology. This ultimately
led him to a teaching job in Oakland, California and directorship of a
K-12 alternative school for inner-city kids. After 10 years he moved to
Spokane, Wash., where he now resides, to work as a child and family therapist.
Crutcher began writing at age 35. He has won the ALAN award and six of his books have been ALA award winners. In January 2000, he was award the Margaret A. Edwards award. This award is sponsored by School Library Journal and is awarded for lifetime contribution in writing for teens. He tries to write books that are relevant and realistic to teens. This has caused many of his books to be challenged or censored all together. In November 1998, Crutcher received the Intellectual Freedom Award from the National Council of Teachers of English for his efforts in defending young adult literature against censorship challenges. "My mission is to write truths as I see them, reflect the world as it appears to me, rather than as others would have it. There are significant amounts of people who think kids should not be exposed in print to what they are exposed to in their lives." On his choice of subjects, Crutcher says: "What I believe I have gained, and what I hope my writing reflects, from working these past twenty years with people in difficult situations is a sense of the connection between all human beings - the ghastly as well as the glorious, an awareness of the damage we do as a socity creating unreal expectations for ourselves, and a different perspective on the true nature of courage. For me, those things are worth exploring and writing about." To learn more about Chris Crutcher, go to these sites: CCPL Chris Crutcher
|
| Athletic Shorts
Chinese Handcuffs The Crazy Horse Electric Game Ironman Running Loose Staying Fat for Sarah Burns Stotan! |
WBAIS Home | Library Home | Catalog | Online | Search