Joyce Carol Oates
Hot on the success of her first young adult novel Big Mouth and Ugly Girl, Joyce released Freaky Green Eyes. All this writing may be a result of spending a lot of time alone, she noted. She does however, have two cats, but they generally ignore her. Joyce has always been interested in literary forms and genres. She considers children's books a culture of its own, but she really wasn't aware of how they have changed from when she was a child-"there is no subject that cannot be dealt with in a young adult book these days." She feels that adult fiction is also a genre in itself. Each deals with human sophistication and situations. However, for children the work is more visual and for adult it is more monolithic-her adult books deal with irony, which you don't find in children's literature. She did make a lovely observation about the importance of reading-"children get read to by adults and then they read to themselves and once again they read to their children." (If that were only true in all households, then there would indeed be full literacy and a firmly instilled love of reading.)
In her continuing comments about the differences between young adult and adult literature, Joyce noted that in looking at young adult literature as a genre, the form tends to be shorter, although, the Harry Potter series proves that this is not necessarily true and that kids do have long attention spans. Adult novels are more expository especially in setting scenes and backgrounds. That does not seem to be allowed much in young adult fiction. Descriptions of people are kept a lot shorter. Dialog, plot and character are developed quickly.
Joyce is engaged by themes of ethics-how do issues of morality get handled-how does one rise above the level of the "tribe" For example, in the case of the Unabomber, should the brother have revealed what he thought or suspected? She asked her writing class what they thought, and it was split between the blood tie and ones duty to society. Joyce firmly believes that the higher authority (community/society) were the most important.
A lot of her novels are part of her own experiences of denial. It was not surprising when her husband read her latest novel that he felt that young adults would bring more to it than adults. In Freaky Green Eyes, the protagonist finally realizes what is and has happened between her parents and how her father is possibly guilty of murder. While Francesca "Franky" Pierson, begins to accept and face the need for change in her life, young readers will see that it is plausible for young people to change their thinking and opinions and that they can bring about change, Joyce can see it with her freshman students. She tires to bring her stories to a positive and strongly plausible conclusion and never has a book end as dark or chaotic. While this is her second novel for young adults, a recent collection of short stories Small Avalanches and Other Stories as well as other collections where she has appeared reveals that she has been writing for young adults for some time. She has also tried her hand a a couple of picture books including Come meet Muffin and Where is Little Reynard?
For more information visit Joyce at her website www.joycecaroloates.com
Contributor: Marilyn Courtot
Reviews
Big Mouth & Ugly Girl Joyce Carol Oates
Loner Ursula Riggs has built an impenetrable persona for herself--warrior woman, alias Ugly Girl. Classmate Matt Donaghy has a big mouth, solely intended for entertaining his friends--until it gets him falsely accused of wanting to blow up his high school. When Ursula drags herself out of her shell to defend Matt, a friendship develops, with Matt writing numerous e-mails to her, always deleting the ones that reveal his truest feelings. In her first novel for young adults, prominent author Joyce Carol Oates raises provocative questions about the damage done to innocent, show-off kids who make inappropriate jokes. After Columbine, it's easy to believe the community's overreactions that threaten to ruin Matt, but it's more difficult to imagine anyone trusting his notoriously unreliable accusers. Though the cast of peers is weak, Matt and Ursula's relationship is compelling and genuine. The characterization of their distraught, and not always supportive, parents is equally revealing and poignant. The most memorable character, however, is Ursula herself. Ugly Girl, who doesn't cry, judge, or ever give in, finds it increasingly hard to remain alone. Readers will be fully involved in Matt and Ursula's unlikely friendship and in the larger issues arising from community fear. 2002, Harper Tempest/HarperCollins, $16.99, Ages 12 up. Reviewer: Betty Hicks (Children's Literature)
Best Books:
Best Books for Young Adults, 2003; American Library Association-YALSA; United States
The Best Children's Books of the Year, 2003; Bank Street College of Education; United States
Capitol Choices, 2002; The Capitol Choices Committee; United States
The Children's Literature Choice List, 2002; Children's Literature; United States
Editors' Choice: Books for Youth, 2002; American Library Association-Booklist; United States
Middle and Junior High School Library Catalog, Supplement to the Eighth Edition, 2003; H.W. Wilson; United States
Publishers Weekly Book Review Stars, April 22, 2002; Cahners; United States
Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers, 2003; American Library Association-YALSA; United States
School Library Journal Book Review Stars, May 2002 ; Cahners; United States
School Library Journal: Best Books, 2002; Cahners; United States
Senior High School Library Catalog, Sixteenth Edition, 2003 Supplement, 2003; H.W. Wilson; United States Awards, Honors, Prizes:
Los Angeles Times Book Prize Finalist 2002 Young Adult Fiction United States
State and Provincial Reading Lists:
Tayshas High School Reading List, 2003-2004; Nominee; Texas
ISBN: 0-06-623756-4
ISBN: 0-06-623758-0
Come Meet Muffin
Joyce Carol Oates
Illustrated by Mark Graham
Muffin the kitten has been adopted by the Smith family. He likes to sit at the table and eat watermelon and rye crackers with the children. Muffin enjoys running and playing with the other kittens in the clan, but most of all, he loves Christabel, the little orange and white cat with dark markings. She likes Muffin, but sometimes she hurts his feelings by ignoring him. One snowy morning, Muffin discovers two fawns in the yard. He realizes they have been separated from their mother, so he sets out on a mission to return the lost babies to their home. His journey is made perilous by frozen brooks and slippery hills, but he eventually locates the doe and reunites her with her little ones. His successful return earns him a hero's welcome, which includes dinner with the Smiths and, most importantly, a kiss from Christabel! This beautifully illustrated book tells a story of love, loyalty and courage in a style that is both simple and charming. 1998, The Ontario Review/The Ecco Press, $18.00, Ages 4 to 8. Reviewer: Tammy Cullers (Children's Literature)
ISBN: 0-8800-1556-X
Foxfire: Confessions of a Girl Gang
Joyce Carol Oates
In this imaginative and emotionally intense novel, Oates tells the story of a group of high school students who find the means to take their lives into their own hands, challenging the stultifying conventions of small-town life in upstate New York during the 1950s by forming an all-girl gang. The novel is told from the point of view of Madeline "Maddy-Monkey" Wirtz, who was one of the original members of the gang, designated as its "official chronicler" in the heady years of its first triumphs; and who, by fortunate accident, is dismissed from the gang before its spiral into disaster and subsequent disgrace. The telling of the story is for Maddy an act of revision, an attempt to tell the gang's true history so that "distortions and misunderstandings and outright lies could be refuted." The novel is dominated by the exhilarating and charismatic character of Margaret Ann "Legs" Sadofsky, who leads the girls on their first experiments in freedom and self-assertion. The episodes begin in justifiable if alarming acts of retribution--the humiliation of a cruel and sexually twisted teacher, the beating of Maddy's similarly cruel and twisted uncle, the public facing down of a leader of a boys' gang. The gang establishes a set of private rituals and insists on complete secrecy, but their success and the aura of confidence that their first triumphs inspire in them draw other members to them and begin to lead them to ever more daring and dangerous escapades. That the plot of the novel is in this sense a roadmap to disaster is acknowledged by the narrator early on. We as readers are drawn into an sequence of events of escalating intensity and moral significance. This is a gripping novel whose strongest theme may be the power of allegiance in the face of institutionalized violence. Highly recommended. Category: Fiction. KLIATT Codes: SA*--Exceptional book, recommended for senior high school students, advanced students, and adults. 1993, Plume/Penguin USA, 328p. 21cm. 94-3897., $10.95, Ages 15 to adult. Reviewer: R. Bruce Schauble (KLIATT Review, November 1994 (Vol. 28, No. 6))
Best Books:
Recommended Literature: Kindergarten through Grade Twelve, 2002; California Department of Education; California
ISBN: 0-4522-7231-9
Freaky Green Eyes
Joyce Carol Oates
Francesca, or Franky as she prefers to be called, is living a charmed life. At least that is how it appears to those on the outside. Her father is a famous ex-football player/TV sports announcer. Her mother is beautiful. Her older brother is in college. Her younger sister is smart and sweet. They are rich and live in a beautiful home. However, things are often not what they appear. Franky has an alter ego she calls Freaky Green Eyes. This alter ego came into being one night when she was almost raped at a party. Freaky Green Eyes is the entity that sees her life as it truly is, not as she wishes it were. Franky's mom and dad fight. Her mother often wears scarves to cover the bruises inflicted upon her by her husband. Franky has vague memories of being physically abused as a child. Franky's younger sister is scared of her father, and the whole household walks quietly when he is home. Reid Pierson is Franky's dad, and what he says goes. So when Franky's mom begins to paint and go to art shows, he is not pleased. She actually ends up moving out of the house, and Franky and the younger sister, Samantha, both blame the mother. When their mom disappears, they believe the lies of their father. Their mother is hiding, or she ran away. However, Franky knows deep inside, and Freaky Green Eyes makes her listen to her inner voice. When Franky finds her mother's journal, all is finally exposed. This is a very powerful and moving novel. The reader will be entranced by the voice of Franky and Freaky. Even though the reader will suspect and then know how the story will end, the ending is still emotional and hard. The action and characters are very believable, and the story, although a quick read, is told in an interesting way and is full of depth. The suspense grows with each page, and there will be no way the reader can stop until the book is completed. Fiction, Highly Recommended. Grades High school. 2003, HarperTempest, 341p., $17.89. Ages 14 to 18. Reviewer: Monica Irwin (Heart of Texas Reviews (Vol. 16, No. 3))
Best Books:
Publishers Weekly Book Review Stars, September 15, 2003; Cahners; United States
ISBN: 0-06-623759-9
ISBN: 0-06-623757-2
Heat and Other Stories
Joyce Carol Oates
Readers of Oates will have this volume of her short stories as another reason to be fans. Newcomers to this masterful storyteller will be left clamoring for more. This volume is divided into three sections; each section contains stories with a common element. In Part I the stories deals with relationships between couples, husband/wife, mother/daughter, lovers, and even divorce. Part II contains stories with a rural or small-town setting (with one exception) and each has death as a major theme. Part III deals with family relationships, some of which are very out of the ordinary. Oates' strengths lie in her characterizations and settings. She has the ability to make the reader believe he or she intimately knows the people in these stories and the space they inhabit. In the title story, the reader can actually feel the heat waves as they come off the dry earth. This book should be in every short story collection. KLIATT Codes: SA*--Exceptional book, recommended for senior high school students, advanced students, and adults. 1991, Plume/Penguin USA, $12.00. Ages 15 to adult. Reviewer: Shelley A. Glantz (KLIATT Review, November 1992 (Vol. 26, No. 7))
ISBN: 0-452-26646-7
Necessary Noise: Stories About Our Families as They Really Are
Edited by Michael Cart
Illustrations by Charlotte Noruzi
This latest collection of ten original short stories gathered by the editor of Love and Sex (Simon & Schuster, 2001/VOYA June 2001) and Tomorrowland: 10 Stories About the Future (Scholastic, 1999/VOYA December 1999) is a fully satisfying blend of humor and heartache, examining that most inescapable of human contrivances: family. Families and family-like relationships of all breeds are represented here, including extended-family eccentrics, sadistic siblings, estranged fathers, and brother-friends. Joan Bauer's Hardware opens with the promising, "They tried to drag Aunt Phil from the street," later qualifying, "But she was angry and she had a hammer." "Visit" by Walter Dean Myers describes the bittersweet reunion of a father with his son, now on death row. Three of the selections by authors Nikki Grimes, Joyce Carol Oates, and Sonya Sones are composed in free verse. Oates's "A Family Illness" is a grief-stricken conversation between a mother and her teenage son, who is afflicted with mental illness; and Sones's "Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde" is an appealing tale of the older sister all readers love to hate. "Snowbound," Lois Lowry's story of a family trapped indoors together, is certain to help all readers appreciate the escape of the outside world. This strong collection, with a variety of writing styles and voices, captures the push-pull relationships of young adults with the families that bind them. It is a great book to recommend to readers looking for a new favorite author, with its sampling of excellent writing, or for short-story fans who prefer a quick read with a lasting flavor. VOYA CODES: 4Q 4P J S (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Broad general YA appeal; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2003, Joanna Cotler Books/HarperCollins, 256p, $15.99. PLB $16.89, Ages 12 to 18. Reviewer: Diane Masla (VOYA, June 2003 (Vol. 26, No. 2))
Best Books:
The Children's Literature Choice List, 2004; Children's Literature; United States
School Library Journal Book Review Stars, June 2003; Cahners; United States
Senior High School Library Catalog, Sixteenth Edition, 2003 Supplement, 2003; H.W. Wilson; United States
ISBN: ??
Small Avalanches and Other Stories
Joyce Carol Oates
BThis collection of twelve stories explores the lives of diverse females, examining how our everyday choices shape our world in a larger, more complex way than we can ever anticipate. Each story features a young, female protagonist whose relationships with others reveal something about herself. In "Small Avalanches," a girl is pursued by a man who insists on giving her a ride home. When she refuses and walks away from the road, he follows, attempting to coerce her. She triumphs over his ploy, physically and emotionally, when she outruns him and leaves him lying in the dirt calling for help due to an ailing heart. "Bad Girls" tells the story of three sisters, their naïve mother, and their stepfather-to-be. Icy, Orchid, and Crystal differ considerably in temperament but share a resentment toward Isaak Drumm, the man their mother is dating. Their attempts to rid the family of Isaak become disconcerting, however, when Icy accuses him of assault. Orchid, the narrator, must reconcile her desire to believe her sister with her recognition of the results of a dangerous lie. "Life After High School" focuses on Sunny, a happy-go-lucky young woman who believes her rejection of a quirky male results in his suicide. Due to the mature nature of the content of the stories as well as the complexity of the writing, the book is most likely to find resonance with advanced readers interested in the lives of girls and young women. Thoughtful, engaging, and well written, the collection would be a wonderful text to share with readers who are trying to make sense of life in a world in which consequences sometimes seem random. 2003, HarperTempest, $16.99, Ages 15 up. Reviewer: Wendy Glenn, Ph.D. (Children's Literature)
Best Books:
Senior High School Library Catalog, Sixteenth Edition, 2003 Supplement, 2003 ; H.W. Wilson; United States
ISBN: 0-06-001217-X
ISBN: 0-06-001218-8
The Rise of Life on Earth
Joyce Carol Oates
This short but intense novel tells the story of Kathleen Hennessey, a young woman physically abused by her father. After her father's imprisonment for beating Kathleen and allegedly killing her sister, Kathleen is hospitalized and then placed in a foster home. She becomes a nurse's aide and has a sexual relationship with a young doctor on staff at the hospital. Using her skill as a storyteller, Oates slowly makes the reader aware of Kathleen's guilt in the murder of her sister, foster family, and several patients. Her language is extremely graphic, including the sexual encounters and Kathleen's self-inflicted abortion. This book should be read by mature readers, and is probably more appropriate for a college or public library adult collection. KLIATT Codes: A--Recommended for advanced students and adults. 1991, New Directions, $8.95, Ages 17 to adult. Reviewer: Shelley A. Glantz (KLIATT Review, November 1992 (Vol. 26, No. 7))
ISBN: 0-8112-1213-0
We Were the Mulvaneys
Joyce Carol Oates
This is the story of a family in rural New York and how their apparently happy lives disintegrate. The Mulvaneys are a robust crew consisting of Dad (Mike Sr.), Mom (Corinne), Mike Jr,, Patrick, Marianne and Judd. Life on their farm is full of routine chores, many pets and activities, and lots of love for one another. One day in February, 1976, everything changes. Marianne is raped at a dance. It takes several days for her to even admit it happened. That's the beginning of the ride down the roller coaster; the trip lasts about 20 years. The rape has dire consequences for everyone. Oates has written a well-crafted story. The reader becomes part of this large, lively family and cares about them. We follow the various members as they grow up and deal with this tragedy. The saddest aspect of the story is how they all allow a single event to disrupt and even control their lives. KLIATT Codes: SA--Recommended for senior high school students, advanced students, and adults. 1996, Plume, Penguin USA. 454p. 23cm. 96-17267, $13.95, Ages 16 to adult. Reviewer: Robin S. Holab-Abelman (KLIATT Review, November 1997 (Vol. 31, No. 6))
ISBN: 0-452-27720-5
Where is Little Reynard?
Joyce Carol Oates
Illustrated by Mark Graham
The mother cat in this tale had seven kittens and the runt of the litter was Little Reynard. Lily did not mind she loved all of the kittens but Reynard was her favorite. He was the bunt of teasing by his larger brothers and sisters, but he had Lily to look out for him and make sure that he got enough food to eat and a special place to sleep. Intrigued by a fox that he saw out the window because they were the same orange color as he, Little Reynard ventured out into the snow to play with the fox cubs. They had a great time, but back at home here was considerable consternation as Lily, mama cat and the other kittens looked for Little Reynard. Upon his return home he is welcomed as a prodigal son; and with his new found confidence he began to play with his brothers and sisters. Somehow, the story just doesn't quite hang together. The illustrations however are pure delight. The kittens, the outdoor scenes and pictures of Lily are a pleasure to look at. They really make this picture book. 2003, HarperCollins, Ages 4 to 8, $15.99. Reviewer: Marilyn Courtot
ISBN: 0-06-029559-7
ISBN: 0-06-029583-X
Added 04/25/04
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