Lois Lowry

Lois Lowry is a prominent American author of children's and young adult literature. She is widely recognized for her ability to explore complex themes and difficult subject matter through stories meant for younger audiences. Her work often features dystopias, which are fictional societies that are often oppressive or controlled. Lowry uses these settings to examine deep issues like racism, grief, and the importance of human connections. By writing from various perspectives, she helps readers navigate the complexities of the real world.

Lowry's professional path began with freelance journalism and photography. In the 1970s, she wrote a short story for *Redbook* magazine. Although the magazine was for adults, the story was told from a child's perspective. An editor at Houghton Mifflin read the piece and suggested she write for children. This led to her first book, *A Summer to Die*, published in 1977 when she was 40 years old. The book addressed terminal illness, a theme inspired by the death of her sister, Helen.

Her early life was shaped by constant movement due to her father's career. He was a U.S. Army dentist, which required the family to live in many different places. Lowry was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, in 1937. Her family later lived in Brooklyn, New York, and Carlisle, Pennsylvania. During World War II, she lived in Tokyo, Japan, attending the American School in Japan. These diverse locations and the experiences of wartime provided much of the material for her later autobiographical writing. She eventually completed her degree in English literature at the University of Southern Maine in 1972.

Lowry is perhaps most famous for *The Giver Quartet*. This series includes the original novel *The Giver* (1993), followed by *Gathering Blue* (2000), *Messenger* (2004), and *Son* (2012). The first book follows a twelve-year-old boy named Jonas. He becomes an apprentice to the Giver, a person who holds the community's suppressed memories. As of 2021, *The Giver* has sold more than 12 million copies. The quartet has been described as a guide for teaching children how to be good people.

Her literary success is marked by several prestigious awards. Lowry has won the Newbery Medal twice. She received it in 1990 for *Number the Stars* and again in 1994 for *The Giver*. *Number the Stars* also earned her the National Jewish Book Award and the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award. In 2007, she received the Margaret Edwards Award from the American Library Association. This award honors significant and lasting contributions to young adult literature. She has also been a finalist for the Hans Christian Andersen Award multiple times.

Despite her acclaim, many of Lowry's books have faced challenges in schools and libraries. By the year 2000, eight of her books had been subject to formal attempts to remove them from collections. *The Giver* is a frequent example, appearing near the top of the American Library Association's list of challenged books. While many teachers use the book in their curricula, other institutions have prohibited it. Lowry has expressed sadness regarding these challenges. She believes that such restrictions may endanger the world of a child's imagination.

Lowry's work has had a lasting impact on the genre of young adult fiction. Some critics suggest she helped invent the contemporary young adult dystopian novel. Before her work, it was unusual for children's books to address topics like political oppression or euthanasia. Her stories provoke adolescents to engage with the issues that confront their world. Even when her themes are difficult, her writing focuses on the strength of human bonds. She continues to work as a writer and speaker, dividing her time between Maine and Florida.