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M.E. KERR
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From: Mercado, Nancy <NMercado>
Date: Thu, 6 Jun 2002 11:05:58 -0400
I just HAVE to step up to the plate and talk about M.E. Kerr.
Some time last year I stumbled upon a signed copy of Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack in a small used bookstore in Nebraska. After finishing it I had that feeling of striking gold. (It was the same feeling when, as a teen, I
"discovered" Paul Zindel.) This book was unlike any I had read before...and it truly changed the way I think about writing forever. There is something so unconventional about her style. Ms. Kerr only puts in the very essential....everything else is left out...and you don't miss it at all.
In Dinky, she so successfully captures that feeling of being so suffocated by misinformed and oblivious parents. Everything I read after Dinky felt a bit dull in comparison. Her characters are unlike any other. Dinky Hocker, oh my goodness! She is one of those living, breathing characters you never forget.
"THE MEEK SHALL INHERIT THE SHAFT!"
It doesn't get any better. Kerr's characters are not stock characters with pasty or flimsy dimensions. They are flesh and blood, ever changing... and often times unlikable (P. John Night is my most favorite un?vorite character!) I would love to know a bit more about how this book was received when it was first published. To me it felt revolutionary. (I wondered if it was a tough to get it published at that time??) Anyway, shortly after Dinky, I read Gentlehands and felt the same appreciation and affection. I was constantly surprised by each sentence and action. Just when I thought that things were going to take a certain turn, they didn't and I was dee-lighted. M.E. Kerr leaves things in such an open ended way....and that is the greatest gift and honor to her readers. Slap Your Sides has been the one about which I felt the most conflicted. I loved the topic and I loved how well it showed the different emotions that arise in people during wartime. I thought it was an interesting exploration of how patriotism can sometimes lead to hatred and other strong feelings. I loved the Bud character because he was such a martyr in a way...and yet he caused so much pain and suffering for his family. I was, however, left feeling a bit disappointed by the ending...and also I would have loved to delve more into the character of Darie Daniel...who, to my mind, was the most compelling character. That said...after this and EVERY book, I always remain so grateful for the beautiful writing and for Kerr's trademark open ended exploration...the kind of exploration guaranteed to really crank people's minds open!
Happy that we are discussing this amazing writer,
Nancy Mercado Editor Dial Books for Young Readers
Received on Thu 06 Jun 2002 10:05:58 AM CDT
Date: Thu, 6 Jun 2002 11:05:58 -0400
I just HAVE to step up to the plate and talk about M.E. Kerr.
Some time last year I stumbled upon a signed copy of Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack in a small used bookstore in Nebraska. After finishing it I had that feeling of striking gold. (It was the same feeling when, as a teen, I
"discovered" Paul Zindel.) This book was unlike any I had read before...and it truly changed the way I think about writing forever. There is something so unconventional about her style. Ms. Kerr only puts in the very essential....everything else is left out...and you don't miss it at all.
In Dinky, she so successfully captures that feeling of being so suffocated by misinformed and oblivious parents. Everything I read after Dinky felt a bit dull in comparison. Her characters are unlike any other. Dinky Hocker, oh my goodness! She is one of those living, breathing characters you never forget.
"THE MEEK SHALL INHERIT THE SHAFT!"
It doesn't get any better. Kerr's characters are not stock characters with pasty or flimsy dimensions. They are flesh and blood, ever changing... and often times unlikable (P. John Night is my most favorite un?vorite character!) I would love to know a bit more about how this book was received when it was first published. To me it felt revolutionary. (I wondered if it was a tough to get it published at that time??) Anyway, shortly after Dinky, I read Gentlehands and felt the same appreciation and affection. I was constantly surprised by each sentence and action. Just when I thought that things were going to take a certain turn, they didn't and I was dee-lighted. M.E. Kerr leaves things in such an open ended way....and that is the greatest gift and honor to her readers. Slap Your Sides has been the one about which I felt the most conflicted. I loved the topic and I loved how well it showed the different emotions that arise in people during wartime. I thought it was an interesting exploration of how patriotism can sometimes lead to hatred and other strong feelings. I loved the Bud character because he was such a martyr in a way...and yet he caused so much pain and suffering for his family. I was, however, left feeling a bit disappointed by the ending...and also I would have loved to delve more into the character of Darie Daniel...who, to my mind, was the most compelling character. That said...after this and EVERY book, I always remain so grateful for the beautiful writing and for Kerr's trademark open ended exploration...the kind of exploration guaranteed to really crank people's minds open!
Happy that we are discussing this amazing writer,
Nancy Mercado Editor Dial Books for Young Readers
Received on Thu 06 Jun 2002 10:05:58 AM CDT
