A LITTLE CONVO WITH KIRBY LARSON

I love it when a great author brings hidden history to light.  Kirby Larson has done that with The Friendship Doll!

The relationship between the US and Japan has had its share of animosity. But back in 1927, an amazing American, Dr. Sydney Gulick, came up with a plan for creating goodwill. He facilitated the giving of more than 12,000 dolls to the children of Japan.  The Japanese loved the dolls and wanted to give back.  So they sent 58 stunning handcrafted dolls with intriguing accessories. These dolls began their lives in the US with a ceremony and a national tour! Then each state received at least one doll. 

I could go on about this but Bill Gordon has done it so much better at his Friendship Doll website.  What a history this is! I see why Kirby Larson could barely wait to write a fictional account of one of those dolls and her life in the US. A few months ago, Augusta Scattergood reviewed The Friendship Doll for me here.  And today, I'm honored to share a little dialogue with the author!

 

Kirby,  one of the features of the book is that that the doll, Miss Kanagawa, communicates with the girls in the story.  Can you talk about how these dolls speak to you, personally?

I was never a doll kid, though I did own a Midge back in the day. Growing up, I would rather read or play Man From U.N.C.L.E. with the neighbor kids. But when I was researching Hattie Big Sky, I came across this intriguing photo taken in 1928 of a little farm girl with a stunning and nearly life-size Japanese doll. I had to find out about these dolls and when I "met" Washington state's Friendship Doll, Miss Tokushima, I felt as if she was about ready to tell me something.I fell under her spell and, though it took many years, I knew I would write a book about the Friendship Dolls.

Kirby with Miss. Kantoshu, the ambassador doll who lives in the Rosie Whyel Doll Museum in Bellvue, WA.

Ms. Kanagawa's travels in the United States take her to 4 distinct locations - New York, Chicago, Kentucky, and Oklahoma. One thing that struck me as so authentic and natural in these stories was the use of language which seemed to grow right out of the landscape.  How did you choose the locations and familiarize yourself with the settings, characters, and dialogue in your story? Oh, do you have a few days?! After a big-time false start, I decided to set the story during the Great Depression. It impacted our entire nation and I wanted to try to capture that. In addition, the Friendship Dolls toured the entire country, visiting towns large and small and I wanted this story to reflect that,too. I will do ANYTHING to learn what I can about other places and times, from reading old newspapers to reading diaries and journals to scouring eBay for old letters, postcards and photos. I also collect old atlases, books of folk proverbs and spend many hours in our local university's archives. All for the sake of story!

Got a research story to share?  Some obscure detail you tracked down or some accomplishment you’re particularly proud of? I think I am proudest of bringing to light a bit of little known history, especially because the doll exchanges between the US and Japan were about building friendships, something I think we can never hear enough about.

What is your approach to researching, plotting, and writing historical books in general?  (brief pause for maniacal laughter) I am a terrible plotter. I fully embrace the Karen Cushman model of plotting which involves getting to know your character as fully and deeply by putting them into pickles to see what happens. I do as much primary research as I can, and I try to tell my stories as honestly as possible. That's my approach to writing historical fiction. 

Ah, a kindred non-plotting spirit - I love it!  So, if you could be an ambassador doll from the US  where would you like to go? And why? Love this question! I would go to Lebanon because it is a beautiful country with such incredible people and yet so much sorrow and mistrust.

Kirby, I know 13 of the original Japanese friendship dolls are missing and that you're hoping your story helps to rediscover them. It's still early of course, but by any chance has someone come forward with one yet?  Not yet! But I am a relentless optimist.

Awesome! I have a feeling it will happen and I can't wait to hear about it. Thanks so much for stopping by.  I loved having you here.

Kirby is the award winning author of Hattie Big Sky (Newbery Honor), The Fences Between Us, Nubs, and Two Bobbies. My thanks to Provato Marketing for making my visit with her possible.  Please visit www.provatoevents.com

CLAUDETTE COLVIN: TWICE TOWARD JUSTICE

Just in time for non-fiction Monday, Augusta Scattergood drops by with a review for a book that has thrilled the children's book world.

Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice
By Phillip Hoose (Farrar Straus Giroux, 2009)

I don't read as much non-fiction for kids as I used to. Or as I'd like to. As a school librarian, working with teachers and students who thrived on good books, I appreciated it when a writer published terrific informational books kids loved to read and students and their teachers were also able to use for research. And although I’m no longer a working librarian, it’s hard to give up the mindset: I’m always thinking about how a “true” book might be used in the classroom and whether the author’s research stands up to scrutiny.

Phillip Hoose's Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice passed all my tests, including the readability factor. I devoured it in one sitting.

I grew up in the South of the 60s. I knew a bit about the Montgomery, Alabama bus boycott, but like many other events of the time, much was left out of the story I’d been told. Yes, Rosa Parks, sometimes known as the godmother of the Civil Rights movement, is the name most associated with starting the boycott. But what this new book shows readers is that more than one person had a hand in this history-changing event. Many people, both black and white, stood up to the injustices they witnessed. And a young girl, much less well-known than most of the names associated with the Montgomery boycott, also refused to give up her seat on the bus.

Phillip Hoose learned about Claudette Colvin while researching an earlier book, We Were There, Too!: Young People in U.S. History. He tracked her down and eventually convinced her to grant him fourteen interviews. Much of the book is told in her words, her own personal history of the time.

The sidebars alone might constitute an entire lesson plan for teachers. A facsimile of a handwritten list attributed to NAACP secretary Rosa Parks shows contributions made by churches to Colvin’s case. A photograph of the “Rex Theatre for Colored People,” accompanied by a ticket bought for a mere 15¢ in the mid 1950s, illustrates Claudette’s text about the Jim Crow laws that were so pervasive in downtown Montgomery when she was growing up. Newspapers, photographs, descriptions of the town and the players in the boycott— so much detail, so many fascinating facts to pour over. This book is a gem.

Deservedly, Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice has been bestowed with awards and high praise. A Newbery Honor, a National Book Award, too many “best” lists to mention.

In 2005, Colvin returned to her high school in Montgomery to speak to students. She tells them

“I made a personal statement, too… Mine was the first cry for justice, and a loud one. I made it so that our own adult leaders couldn’t just be nice anymore. Back then, as a teenager, I kept thinking, Why don’t the adults around here just say something?... I knew then and I know now that, when it comes to justice, there is no easy way to get it… You have to take a stand and say, ‘This is not right.’

And I did.”

Phillip Hoose’s book illuminates a troubled time in our country’s history by detailing the impact of one significant event, the Montgomery Bus protest of 1955 and 1956.With this book, through the eyes of its leaders and a few ordinary people, young readers have a fresh perspective, new insights and information to interpret the Civil Rights movement.

I'm so grateful to Augusta for reviewing this for us. BTW - there's a gripping excerpt at the MacMillan website.

BOOK TRAILER: Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice

On Monday Augusta Scattergood will be my guest here, sharing her review of the National Book Award and Newbery Honor winning,Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice (by Phillip Hoose).

Meanwhile you can meet both Phillip Hoose and Claudette Colvin herself in this engaging video.


And since (unless you live in Hawaii) there is snow in your state, you may as well enjoy another video while you are at it. This is Phillip Hoose accepting the National Book Award with Claudette Colvin at his side. I really love that this was not one of those fluttery OMG acceptances. I love the quiet dignity of their walk to the lectern. I love that this man sought out history and shared a little known history maker with us. I think I have a new literary hero. Not because of the award but because of the respect that oozes from Phillip Hoose's pores.

Phillip Hoose and Claudette Colvin, 2009 National Book Awards Dinner from National Book Foundation on Vimeo.