Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Reading Kaye Gibbons



If you're not going to write, I tell myself, you'd damn well better be reading. After exhausting a run with Netflix, I decided to hit the books again. By accident, I came across an article about an author who had written numerous award-winning novels despite her life-long battle with Bipolar Disorder. I am always drawn to writers who manage to succeed despite themselves, and this seems to be the case with Ms. Gibbons.

The article, found here, states that she is not currently doing well, and my heart goes out to her. The two books of hers I have just read, both written in the voice of the young and embattled Ellen Foster, are so vital and genuine that they are now studied alongside such classics as Huckleberry Finn, Catcher in the Rye, and To Kill A Mockingbird, according to SparkNotes. Biographical notes can also be found at SparkNotes.

I wish Ms. Gibbons and her family the best and thank her very much for sharing the gift of her writing.

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