Janet McDonald
Janet McDonald (August 10, 1953 – April 11, 2007)[1] was an American writer of young adult novels as well as the author of Project Girl, a memoir about her early life in Brooklyn's Farragut Houses and struggle to achieve an Ivy League education. Her best known children's book is Spellbound, which tells the story of a teenaged mother who wins a spelling competition and a college scholarship. The book was named as one of the American Library Association's eighty-four Best Book for Young Adults in 2002.[2]
Janet McDonald | |
---|---|
Born | Brooklyn, United States | August 10, 1953
Died | April 11, 2007 53) Paris, France | (aged
Occupation | Attorney, Author |
Genre | Young adult fiction, Memoir |
In addition to books, McDonald also wrote articles for publications such as Slate, including one in which she paid psychic Sylvia Browne $700 for a telephone reading.[3] McDonald was a member of Mensa, the high IQ society.[4][5]
Biography
After graduating from Vassar (1977), Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism (1984), and New York University Law School (1986),[6] McDonald practiced law in New York City (1986–89) and Seattle (1989–91).[7] She took a position as an intern at a Paris law firm (1991–93) before moving to Olympia, Washington, to work in the Attorney General's office and teach French language classes at Evergreen State College.[8] McDonald settled in Paris in 1995 to work first as an international attorney and then as a writer, until she died of cancer in 2007.[9][10]
Bibliography
Books
- — (1999). Project Girl. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN 0-374-23757-3. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
- — (2003). Spellbound. New York, N.Y., U.S.A: Puffin Books. ISBN 0-14-250193-X. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
- — (2003). Twists and Turns. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN 0-374-40006-7. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
- — (2004). Brother Hood. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN 0-374-30995-7. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
- — (2006). Chill Wind. Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR). ISBN 0-374-41183-2. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
- — (2006). Harlem Hustle. Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR). ISBN 0-374-37184-9. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
- — (2007). Off-Color. Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR). ISBN 0-374-37196-2. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
- — (2004). Skin Deep (Anthology) "Zebra Girl". Puffin Books. ISBN 978-0141315058. Retrieved July 12, 2014.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
- — (2011). Paris Was Ours (Anthology) "Just Another American". Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill. ISBN 978-1-56512-953-5. Retrieved July 12, 2014.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
Articles
- "Up the Down Staircase: Where Snoop and Shakespeare Meet". Horn Book Magazine. 81 (6): 747–750. November–December 2005. Archived from the original on May 24, 2012. Retrieved May 21, 2014.
- "X-Patriate". Literary Review. 47 (1): 58–62. Fall 2003.
- "Double Life". Literary Review. 45 (4): 679–685. Summer 2002.
- "Educating Janet". Teacher Magazine. 10 (4): 46–52. January 1999.
- "Booklist Interview". Booklist. 98 (12): 1026. February 15, 2002.
- "A Sister in Paris". Essence. 25 (1): 54. May 1994.
- "Crystal bawl". Slate. January 8, 2003. Retrieved May 21, 2014.
- "Black like (white) me". Slate. August 24, 1998. Retrieved May 21, 2014.
- "A dime bag for the schoolgirl". Slate. February 4, 1999. Retrieved May 21, 2014.
- "Project Girls". The Village Voice. January 16, 2001. Retrieved June 25, 2014.
Quotes
- "Freedom is ... not about nothing left to lose, it's about nothing left to be; you don't have to be anything."[11]
- "Paris is where I became possible. It's where I became free."[4]
References
- Ross-Stroud, Catherine (2009). Janet McDonald: The Original Project Girl. Scarecrow Press. p. 1.
- "2002 Best Books for Young Adults". American Library Association. Retrieved May 21, 2014.
- "Articles by Janet McDonald". Slate. Retrieved May 21, 2014.
- Powers, Retha (May 1, 2007). "Janet McDonald 1953-2007: make some noise for the Project Girl". Black Issues Book Review. The Free Library. Retrieved June 25, 2014.
- Project Girl, p. 183, 1st edn.
- "Janet McDonald (1953-)", jrank.org.
- Ross-Stroud (2009). Janet McDonald: The Original Project Girl. pp. xi–xii.
- Ross-Stroud (2009). Janet McDonald: The Original Project Girl. pp. xii.
- Ross-Stroud (2009). Janet McDonald: The Original Project Girl. pp. xii–xiii.
- "Janet McDonald".The Brown Bookshelf.2010.
- Americans in Paris, a 2000 episode of This American Life, featuring McDonald.
Further reading
- Catherine Ross-Stroud. "Urban Hip-Hop Fiction: Janet McDonald", Tarshia Stanley (ed.), Encyclopedia of Hip-Hop Literature, Greenwood Press, 2008.
External links
- Slate. Various articles by McDonald, 1998–2003
- "Americans in Paris", This American Life, 2000 (extended radio interview with McDonald, beginning at 41.05)
- "Remembering Janet McDonald", Entrée to Black Paris, 2011
- Thomas E. Kennedy, "The Wind Blew It Away", The Literary Explorer, 2001
- Catherine Ross-Stroud, "A Talk with Janet McDonald", The ALAN Review, Fall 2009
- Jennifer Williams, "Twists and Turns", HipMama, 2003
- C-Span Book Discussion Janet McDonald discusses Project Girl, 1999
- Susie Linfield, "Caught in Life's Harsh Extremes", L.A. Times Book Review, 1999
- Julia Browne, "Janet's Own Rhythm", Spirit of Black Paris, 2007
- Reading Eagle "From Projects to Paris" Associated Press, 1999
- The Birmingham Post (England) "Letter from Paris", 1999
- Memorial Page by Janet McDonald's Family, Forever Missed.
- Sheryl McCarthy, "Talking With Janet McDonald / I Will Survive", Newsday, 2000
- Lisa J. Curtis "Tales From the Hood", Go Brooklyn, 2004
- Thomas E. Kennedy, "You Don’t Remember Me, But I Remember You - For Janet McDonald", Serving House Journal, 2011