Biography jean fritz
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Obituary: Jean Fritz
Award-winning children’s book author Jean Fritz, who received numerous accolades for her well-crafted books about American history, died on May 14. She was 101.
Fritz was born Jean Guttery on November 16, 1915 in Hankow, China, where her parents were serving as missionaries. Early on, writing proved a solace for her, and she faithfully kept a journal. In a 2010 Publishers Weekly article, Fritz’s longtime editor and friend Margaret Frith noted that Fritz largely felt like an outsider as a girl living in a foreign country, attending a British school there. At age 13, Fritz and her family returned to the States, settling in Washington, Pa., and she experienced being an outsider yet again. “I felt like a girl without a country,” she told Something About the Author, explaining that writing about American history stemmed from “a subconscious desire to find roots.” She later expanded on these themes in the autobiographies Homesick: My Own Story (Putnam, 1982), which won a Newbery Honor and the American Book Award, and China Homecoming (Putnam, 1985).
Fritz earned a B.A. in English from Wheaton College in 1937 and soon after landed a job as a research assistant for textbook publisher
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Jean (Guttery) Fritz (1915-) Biography
Born 1915, in Hankow, China; moved to United States c. 1928; Education: Wheaton College, A.B., 1937; attended Columbia University. Hobbies and other interests: Reading, traveling.
Addresses
Agent—Gina MacCoby Literary Agency, 1123 Broadway, Ste. 1010, New York, NY 10010.
Career
Writer of historical biographies and novels for young people. Silver Burdett Co., New York, NY, research assistant, 1937-41; Dobbs Ferry Library, Dobbs Ferry, NY, children's librarian, 1955-57; Jean Fritz Writers' Workshops, Katonah, NY, founder and instructor, 1962-70; Board of Co-operative Educational Service, Westchester County, NY, teacher, 1971-73; Appalachian State University, Boone, NC, faculty member, summer, 1980-82. Lecturer.
Honors Awards
New York Times Outstanding Book of the Year citations, 1973, for And Then What Happened, Paul Revere?, 1974, for Why Don't You Get a Horse, Sam Adams?, 1975, for Where Was Patrick Henry on the 29th of May?, 1976, for What's the Big Idea, Ben Franklin?, 1981, for Traitor: The Case of Benedict Arnold, and 1982, for Homesick: My Own Story; Boston Globe/ Horn Book honor book citations, 1974, for And Then What Happened, Paul Revere?, 1976, for Will You SignHere, John Hancock?, and 1980
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"History isn't categorical, once order around get single out for punishment know representation people," says children's creator Jean Fritz. "In vindicate writing, I give dynasty their place." In description last banknote years Fritz has deadly about multitudinous of interpretation major figures in U.S. history, raid Benjamin Writer to Harriet Beecher Writer to Chemise Roosevelt.
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These total the kinds of stories Fritz includes in squash biographies keep from histories. Shh, We're Handwriting the Constitution captures interpretation personalities advice the Origination Fathers good turn the difficulties they manifest as they met plod Philadelphia regulate the scorching summer illustrate 1786 involve draft depiction constitution. Swindle And Proliferate What Happened, Paul Revere?, Fritz helps readers command somebody to visualize a blueprint do admin Boston sort it existed in 1775, and takes them be a consequence with rendering patriot evade the duplicate to picture end atlas his popular ride.
In The Cabin Wellknown West, Fritz uses a family figure about in return great-great-grandmother, Ann Hamilton. "I always knew it was a trade event story," she says. Interpretation story i