Katherine Paterson Biography

“The old idea was that you should have to live an exciting life to write interesting books,” Katherine Paterson says. “I believe that you must have a rich imaginative life. You don't have to attack dragons to write books. You simply have to live the life you've been given wholly.” Katherine's "deeply lived" life has taken her across the world. Her early childhood was spent in China, where her father was a missionary. Throughout World War II, she and her family were told to evacuate. They moved to North Carolina, where Katherine's unusual clothing and British accent made her an outcast. As a result, she developed an avid reading habit and a vivid fantasy life. Many of Katherine's books deal with extremely difficult topics. When she writes about sad or frightening topics, children frequently ask her how she feels. Katherine responds, "It rips me up." I'll be in agony if something terrible happens to my characters.” “If it's so painful for you, why are you doing it?” a sixth-grader once asked. Katherine responded, "I'm not sure why, but I think the books I've loved the most are the ones that make me experience the full range of life." They make me laugh, cry, and be concerned. They terrify me. Between the covers of such a book is encapsulated everything that a person would normally experience in a lifetime. That's the kind of book you enjoy.” “Our youngest child was throwing up when we moved from Maryland to Virginia because she was so upset. 'I never had any practise moving,' she explained. That's what books are good for. They provide you with opportunities to practise doing difficult things in life. In a way, they prepare you for things that you will have to face or that someone you know and care about will have to face. They help you understand how it feels, but not exactly.It is the removal that provides you with deep pleasure rather than massive pain.” Not all of her books' sad or painful parts reach all children. One of the wonders of books is that they give the reader exactly what she expects when she reads them.” However, children frequently tell Katherine, "I didn't get it the first time, but when I read it again... " Katherine is overjoyed. “Wow, what a compliment!”

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