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Sherman J. Alexie, Jr.
Sherman Alexie Jr was born in October 1966 on the Spokane Indian Reservation. Alexie has only written one young
adult novel but it definitely enables readers to know about his humor and life. The stories that he shares in The Absolutely
True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is about his life. What happened to him throughout his childhood and accomplished while
he was in high school. He has garnered many awards for his books, poetry, and screen plays. Alexie was born hydrocephalic
which meant that he had water in his brain. It was said that he would not survive and if he did he would live with severe
mental retardation. However Alexie beat the odds and was rather intelligent. He learned to read at the age of three
and was reading the Grapes of Wrath at the age of five. Although he was seen as an outsider to other children on the
reservation because of his desire to read and intelligence. He decided that he needed to attend school outside the rez
if he wanted to be successful. One day while he was in class he opened a text and saw his mother's name on the inside
cover and it urged him to leave. He attended Rearden High School so he could obtain a better education and was even
a star basketball player while he was there. Not to mention that he did exceptionally well in the classroom as well.
Alexie attended Gonzaga University for two years before transferring to Washington State University. His intentions
were to become a doctor however that changed when he fainted several times during his anatomy class. Alexie sort of
fell into writing and it became natural to him. He won numerous awards rather quickly after two of his poetry collections
were published. Alexie has won a lot more awards since then between his short stories, novels, and poetry collections.
He has even adapted several of his books into screen plays such as Smoke Signals. Alexie definitely exemplifies his
personality strongly through his writing which makes him unique and driven.
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Pam Munoz Ryan
Pam Munoz Ryan was born on December 25th 1951 in Bakersfield, California. She is the eldest of four children. As
a child she remembers going to the library all the time. She considered it her hang out because it was air conditioned.
She did not have a pool like other children and there she began her love of reading. She knew that one day she would
have a job that entailed reading. Ryan attended San Diego State and received her Bachelor's and Master's degree.
She became first a teacher, second an administrator, and finally an author. Ryan did not feel that she was a writer
but after her friend urged her because they knew of her strengths she began her first book. Now there are many other
titles from her and she enjoys writing immensely. However when she is not writing she enjoys reading, walking on the
beach, and traveling. She currently lives in Northern San Diego with her husband Jim and their four children.
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Christopher Paul Curtis
“To me the highest accolade comes when a young reader tells me, ‘I really liked
your book.’ The young seem to be able to say ‘really’ with a clarity, a faith, and an honesty that we as
adults have long forgotten. That is why I write.”—Christopher Paul Curtis
Christopher Paul Curtis was born in Flint, Michigan. He worked on the assembly line during the day and went to
college at night. His first story was written long hand and typed out by his son on thier computer. He stresses
that the ideas and influence behind is writing is his family. First of all his wife Kaysandra and their two children.
His grandfather's Earl "Lefty" Lewis who was a Negro Baseball League Pitcher and Herman E. Curtis Sr whom was a 1930's bandleader.
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