Private work, public responsibility

“The grand surprise has really been the fact that being an author, which to me had always implied being a private person, actually requires you to be a public person as well, and those are two separate entities to me.” – Lois Lowry

Lowry, born on this date in 1937, has authored some 40 books, mostly for young adults, and won Newbery Medals for Number the Stars and The Giver (also a critically acclaimed move).   She has been a two-time finalist (the latest this past year) for the international Hans Christian Andersen Award, the highest recognition available to creators of children's books.

A native of Hawaii, she is a much sought-after speaker and panelist and is well known for her support of international causes, particularly those related to children’s issues.   “I believe without a single shadow of a doubt that it is necessary for young people to learn to make choices. Learning to make right choices is the only way they will survive in an increasingly frightening world,” she said.

Her lifetime body of work has been recognized by the American Library Association with its prestigious Margaret Edwards Award for "significant and lasting contributions to young adult literature."               

                                    
 “I have been fortunate,” she said.  “I have done so many things and enjoyed so many things and had such a great life, not to imply that it is ending, but that there aren't many things that I feel I have left undone.”

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