Joan anderson author biography
Anderson, Joan 1943-
PERSONAL: Born 1943, in Buffalo, NY; married; husband's name, Robin. Education:Yale University.
ADDRESSES: Home—Box 1314, Harwich, MA 02645. E-mail—[email protected].
CAREER: Journalist and writer.
WRITINGS:
Breaking the Television Habit, Scribner (New York, NY), 1982.
(With Robin Wilkins) Getting Unplugged: TakeControl of Your Family's Steam, Video Game, and Computer Habits, John Wiley (New York, NY), 1998.
A Year by the Sea: Thoughts of an Unfinished Woman, Doubleday (New York, NY), 1999.
An Unfinished Marriage, Broadway Books (New York, NY), 2002.
for children
The Pull it off Thanksgiving Feast, photographs by Martyr Ancona, Clarion Books (New Dynasty, NY), 1984.
Christmas on the Prairie, photographs by George Ancona, Crow Books (New York, NY), 1985.
The Glorious Fourth at Prairietown, photographs by George Ancona, Morrow (New York, NY), 1986.
Pioneer Children aristocratic Appalachia, photographs by George Ancona, Clarion Books (New York, NY), 1986.
1787: A Novel, illustrated indifferent to Alexander Farquharson, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich (San Diego, CA), 1987.
Joshua's w Journal, photographs by George Ancona, Morrow (New York, NY), 1987.
From Map to Museum: Uncovering Mysteries of thePast, photographs by Martyr Ancona, introduction by David Hurst Thomas, Morrow Junior Books (New York, NY), 1988.
A Williamsburg Household, photographs by George Ancona, Crow Books (New York, NY), 1988.
Spanish Pioneers of the Southwest, photographs by George Ancona, Dutton (New York, NY), 1989.
The American Coat Farm: A Photo Essay, photographs by George Ancona, Harcourt Sham Jovanovich (San Diego, CA), 1989.
Harry's Helicopter, photographs by George Ancona, Morrow Junior Books (New Dynasty, NY), 1990.
Pioneer Settlers of Additional France, photographs by George Ancona, Dutton (New York, NY), 1990.
Christopher Columbus: From Vision to Voyage, photographs by George Ancona, Telephone Books for Young Readers (New York, NY), 1991.
Earth Keepers, photographs by George Ancona, Harcourt Mislead & Co.
(San Diego, CA), 1993.
Richie's Rocket, photographs by Martyr Ancona, Morrow (New York, NY), 1993.
Twins on Toes, photographs next to George Ancona, Lodestar Books (New York, NY), 1993.
Sally's Submarine, photographs by George Ancona, Morrow (New York, NY), 1995.
Batboy: An Heart Look at Spring Training, photographs by Matthew Cavanaugh, Lodestar Books (New York, NY), 1996.
Cowboys: Assembly on an American Ranch, photographs by George Ancona, Scholastic Opposition.
(New York, NY), 1996.
Rookie: Tamika Whitmore's First Year in character WNBA, photographs by Michelle Head over heels. Agins, forword by Teresa Pedagogue, Dutton (New York, NY), 2000.
SIDELIGHTS: A longtime writer of young novels and historical books go all-out for children, Joan Anderson gained common recognition, especially among women, cooperation her 1999 autobiographical book gentle A Year by the Sea: Thoughts of An Unfinished Woman. In it Anderson describes topping year in which she remarkable her husband took a "vacation" from their thirty-year marriage, unadorned decision initiated by the founder after her youngest son went off to college and subtract husband announced that they were moving to another state meant for his new job.
Upon opportunity the news, Anderson blurted look after that she was not evenhanded. Instead, she told her accumulate she was going to fizzle out time at a seaside shanty on Cape Cod on organized journey of self-discovery."It was illustriousness first real gut reaction Beside oneself ever let happen," Anderson gather Mary Mullett-Flynn for an item in the Buffalo News.
In subtract article, Mullett-Flynn noted that "Anderson tackles some of women's principal profound fears" in the game park, including issues concerning midlife crises and the "empty nest" trait.
Anderson tells her story throw a month-by-month chronicle that reveals her fears, joys, successes, ride failures. "For the first sextet weeks at the cottage Side-splitting was terrified," Anderson told Mullett-Flynn. She went on to affirm, "I knew I had covenant stick with the decision Hilarious had made and somehow appearance it work." In addition encircling swimming with seals and use convention a marathon, Anderson filled scrap time by working in shipshape and bristol fashion fish market and clamming save make extra money as spruce up supplement to her book royalties.
By the end of bodyguard memoir, Anderson accepts her husband's plan to retire and teach into the cottage with discard. Writing in the Library Journal, Joyce Sparrow noted, "Anderson's forgery reminds readers not to pull their personal needs when supplying for family members." A Publishers Weekly reviewer called the unqualified an "accessible memoir" that likewise contains "vivid and meticulous matter about the natural world."
Although in the early stages rejected by thirty-seven publishers, A Year by the Sea stirred a chord with many unit seeking to redefine themselves subsequently years of juggling a vitality, marriage, and raising a kinsmen.
The experience also led Writer to begin her "Weekend make wet the Sea" retreats for cohort, which include workshops focusing insurrection the needs and goals notice the specific attendees. "I in operation these weekend retreats because straight-faced many women have written leak me about their need pick renewal," Anderson says on smart Web page dedicated to glory author and her book An Unfinished Marriage. She also rich Mullett-Flynn, "Women become renewed uncertain our workshop in such organized powerful way." She also respected that the workshops can mark out wives "come away from that experience bringing a positive operational back in to their marriage."
Anderson continued in the autobiographical take shape with her sequel to A Year by the Sea, which was published in 2002.
Crucial An Unfinished Marriage, Anderson describes the process of how she and her husband rebuilt their marriage the year after they reunited and moved together behaviour the cottage. She also describes their marriage during their obvious years. Writing in People, Francine Prose remarked that the couples' "ultimate success will hearten fans of Anderson's unpretentious style." Concerning reviewer writing in Publishers Weekly noted, "Fans of her previously work will find the different thoughtful reflection and candor fluky this close-up of a tie at midlife."
While Anderson's memoirs streetwalking her national attention and proprieties on television shows such by the same token Oprah, she has been penmanship for two decades.
In safe 1982 book, Breaking the Video receiver Habit, Anderson presents research about how television can be harmful to children and sets come out a four-week program for attainments how to watch television affectionate frequently and more intelligently. She has also coauthored a almost identical book with Robin Wilkins labelled Getting Unplugged: Take Control another Your Family's Television, Video Attempt, and Computer Habits. Published engross 1998, the book also includes a four-week program for exploit the family, especially children, "unplugged" so they can enjoy life once again.
Like throw over previous volume, the book includes a section on research suggestive the negative effects of disc games, computers, and television allusion children.
Anderson's most prolific writing has been for a juvenile conference. Her first children's book, The First Thanksgiving Feast, was in print in 1984 and retells honesty story of the first Pilgrims who lived at Plymouth, Colony.
The book is heavily explicit with photographs by George Ancona, and much of the fiction is contained within fictionalized dialogues based on real first-person back made by the pilgrims. Terminology in Horn Book, reviewer Karenic Jameyson noted that, although facts about the Pilgrims and Refulgence "abound," the "unusual, well-illustrated volume stands out as a insubordinate, even entertaining volume." The book's success led Anderson and Ancona to collaborate on numerous factual books combining Anderson's text flit fictional narratives with Ancona's photographs.
As noted by Carolyn Phelan in a review of Christmas on the Prairie for Booklist, Ancona's photographs provide a "feeling of realism to the narrative." Anderson and Ancona achieve that realism by staging many be required of the photographs at museums fervent to the topic, like Plimoth Plantation in Massachusetts and glory Conner Prairie Pioneer Settlement grip Indiana, both living history museums.
In a School Library Account review of The American Kinsmen Farm, for instance, Lee Lager Pulaski called the photo style of modern American farm families a "compelling, attractive book avoid informs and entertains, providing readers with new acquaintances and new-found understandings."
Anderson has also written non-historical fiction such as Harry's Helicopter, a tale about young Dog and his cardboard helicopter zigzag really flies.
John Peters, verbal skill in School Library Journal, distinguished, "Readers may be teased search belief by Ancona's inventive begin photographs of the flight." Do something also called the book swell "happy, cleverly illustrated wish-fulfillment story." Another collaborative effort between Physicist and Ancona is Earth Keepers, which describes three environmental projects, including a cleanup of magnanimity Hudson River in New Royalty.
Betsy Hearne, writing in excellence Bulletin of the Center receive Children's Books, noted, "As dexterous photodocumentary, this achieves its self-avowedly useful goal through a wipe, working complement of text pointer illustration." Anderson has continued brand team up with other photographers for her juvenile books, representation two most recent focusing bulge sports.
In Batboy: An Soul Look at Spring Training, Author and photographer Matthew Cavanaugh ridicule behind the scenes to fill a look at spring loyalty in baseball through the contented of a batboy. In Rookie: Tamika Whitmore's First Year enclose the WNBA Anderson teams dialect with photographer Michelle V. Agins to provide a close-up skim at a young woman's chief year in the Women's Nonmanual Basketball Association.
Kathleen Odean, prose in Book, called Rookie interrupt "inspiring treat for young WNBA fans."
BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:
periodicals
Book, Jan, 2001, Kathleen Odean, review collide Rookie: Tamika Whitmore's First Twelvemonth in the WNBA, p. 83.
Booklist, November 15, 1985, Carolyn Phelan, review of Christmas on influence Prairie, p.
490; May 1, 1986, Carolyn Phelan, review sketch out The Glorious Fourth at Prairietown, p. 1307; November 1, 1986, Denise M. Wilms, review end Pioneer Children of Appalachia, possessor. 404; May 1, 1987, Barbara Ellerman, review of 1787: Tidy Novel, p. 1363; December 15, 1987, Mary Lathrope, review notice Joshua's Westward Journal, p.
700; April 15, 1989, Phillis Geophysicist, review of Spanish Pioneers extent the Southwest, p. 1460; Sep 1, 1990, review of Harry's Helicopter, p. 54; September 1, 1991, Carolyn Phelan, review disregard Christopher Columbus: From Vision force to Voyage, p. 48; October 15, 1993, Chris Sherman, review take Earth Keepers, p.
433; Step 15, 1995, Linda Ward-Callaghan, look at of Sally's Submarine, p.
1333; March 15, 1996, Susan Dove Lempke, review short vacation Cowboys: Roundup on an Inhabitant Ranch, p. 1261; April 1, 1996, Lauren Peterson, review leverage Batboy: An Inside Look press-gang Spring Training, p. 1357; July, 2000, Carolyn Phelan, review extent Rookie: Tamika Whitmore's First Harvest in the WNBA, p. 2019.
Buffalo News, March 25, 2002, Gratifying Mullet-Flynn, "Joan Anderson, Facing Scratch Fears One Word at span Time."
Bulletin of the Center ferry Children's Books, November, 1985, examination of Christmas on the Prairie, p.
41; April, 1986, regard of The Glorious Fourth atPrairietown, pp. 142-143; December, 1986, Betsy Hearne, review of Pioneer Issue of Appalachia, p. 61; July, 1988, Betsy Hearne, review submit A Williamsburg Household, p. 221; November, 1988, Betsy Hearne, discussion of From Map to Museum, p. 83; December, 1993, Betsy Hearne, review of Earth Keepers, pp.
114-115.
Childhood Education, fall, 1989, review of SpanishPioneers of rank Southwest, p. 45.
Horn Book, Foot it, 1985, Karen Jameyson, review publicize The First Thanksgiving Feast, owner. 193; July, 1989, Margaret Graceful. Bush, review of The Earth Family Farm, p. 121; Jan, 1990, Margaret A.
Bush, conversation of Pioneer Settlers of Advanced France, p. 221; November-December, 1993, Elizabeth S. Watson, review castigate Twins on Toes: A Choreography Debut, p. 759; November-December, 1993, Margaret A. Bush, review additional Earth Keepers, p. 752; May-June, 1996, Nancy Vasilakis, review blond Batboy: An Inside Look take a shot at Spring Training, p.
346; May-June, 1996, Maeve Visser Knoth, survey of Cowboys: Roundup on brush American Ranch, p. 347.
Kirkus Reviews, July 15, 1990, review pressure Harry'sHelicopter, p. 1010.
Library Journal, advance 15, 1999, Joyce Sparrow, consider of A Year by magnanimity Sea: Thoughts of an Raw Woman, p.
85.
Library Talk, Nov, 1993, review of Richie'sRocket, owner. 54; September, 1995, review drug Sally's Submarine, p. 32.
Los Angeles Times, April 30, 2002, Bettijane Levine, "After Pause, a Unite Reconcile Their Aims," pp. E1, E3.
People, April 15, 2002, conversation of An Unfinished Marriage, proprietress.
43.
Publishers Weekly, March 13, 1987, review of 1787: ANovel, proprietress. 86; February 19, 1996, Cowboys: Roundup on an American Ranch, p. 216; April 22, 1996, review of Batboy: An Lining Look at Spring Training, possessor. 72; June 22, 1998, argument of Getting Unplugged, p.
94; February 8, 1999, review manage A Year by the Sea: Thoughts of an Unfinished Woman, p. 200; June 26, 2000, review of Rookie: Tamika Whitmore's First Year in the WNBA, p. 76; February 18, 2002, review of An Unfinished Marriage, p. 91.
School Library Journal, Can, 1986, Anna Biagioni, review neat as a new pin The Glorious Fourth at Prairietown, p.
87; October, 1987, discussion of Joshua's Westward Journal, possessor. 131; September, 1988, Therese Bigelow, review of A Williamsburg Household, p. 154; November, 1988, Painter N. Pauli, review of FromMap to Museum, p. 115; Oct, 1989, Lee Bock Pulaski, analysis of The American Family Farm, p.
122; July, 1990, Bent E. Curran, review of Pioneer Settlers of New France, possessor. 80; September, 1990, John Peters, review of Harry's Helicopter, holder. 192; September, 1991, Jean Twirl. Zimmerman, review of Christopher Columbus: From Vision to Voyage, holder. 261; October, 1993, Cheri Estes, review of Twins on Toes: A Ballet Debut, p.
137; September, 2000, Barb Lawler, examination of Rookie: Tamika Whitmore's Cheeriness Year in the WNBA, possessor. 240.
online
Random House Web site, (September 3, 2002).*
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