From: Sue Macy <sue_at_suemacy.com>
Date: Thu, 12 May 2011 15:36:09 -0400

In discussing children№s literature that deals with poverty and tight tim es, don№t forget nonfiction. Many significant individuals rose above difficul t circumstances to achieve great things, and their biographers don№t shy aw ay from those challenges in telling their stories. For example, both Annie O akley and Nellie Bly lost their fathers by the time they were six, and each one watched her mother struggle with debt and submit to a disastrous second marriage in search of a solution. When Annie№s mother couldn№t support al l of her children, she sent Annie to live with another couple who abused her, inspiring an obsession with self-defense in the sharpshooter. Likewise, Nellie№s experiences with her alcoholic stepfather led to her lifelong dedication as a champion of the poor and dispossessed and her obsession w ith economic stability. History is filled with real-life role models who over came poverty. Sue Macy Author, Bull№s-Eye: A Photobiography of Annie Oakley Bylines: A Photobiography of Nellie Bly
Received on Thu 12 May 2011 03:36:09 PM CDT