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Stories of My Life
From her childhood in China to the moment she won her first National Book Award, literary icon Katherine Paterson shares the personal stories that inspired her children’s books.
Told with her trademark humor and heart, Paterson's tales reveal details about her life from her childhood with missionary parents, to living as a single woman in Japan, to raising four children in suburban Maryland with her minister husband. Read about the origins of such familiar characters as Leslie Burke and Janice Avery from Bridge to Terabithia , and go behind the scenes to the moments Katherine found out she won her many awards. Filled with personal photos and letters, this funny, heartwarming history from a legendary writer lets fans in on the making of literary classics.
Told with her trademark humor and heart, Paterson's tales reveal details about her life from her childhood with missionary parents, to living as a single woman in Japan, to raising four children in suburban Maryland with her minister husband. Read about the origins of such familiar characters as Leslie Burke and Janice Avery from Bridge to Terabithia , and go behind the scenes to the moments Katherine found out she won her many awards. Filled with personal photos and letters, this funny, heartwarming history from a legendary writer lets fans in on the making of literary classics.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2014
23 people are currently reading
611 people want to read
About the author
Katherine Paterson
164 books2,378 followersKatherine Womeldorf Paterson is an American writer best known for children's novels, including Bridge to Terabithia. For four different books published 1975–1980, she won two Newbery Medals and two National Book Awards. She is one of four people to win the two major international awards; for "lasting contribution to children's literature" she won the biennial Hans Christian Andersen Award for Writing in 1998 and for her career contribution to "children's and young adult literature in the broadest sense" she won the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award from the Swedish Arts Council in 2006, the biggest monetary prize in children's literature. Also for her body of work she was awarded the NSK Neustadt Prize for Children's Literature in 2007 and the Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal from the American Library Association in 2013. She was the second US National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, serving 2010 and 2011.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 115 reviews
April 17, 2023
I often find interesting books which I wouldn't normally read from my local library’s book sale. Stories of My Life is one of such finds. Katherine Paterson is the author of Bridge to Terabithia and many other children’s books. She certainly has had an interesting life. Born in Huai’an, China, in 1932, to missionary parents, she remembered her childhood in the poverty-stricken, tumultuous China as idyllic until Japan invaded China in 1937. The family moved back to Virginia in 1938 but returned to China the following year. The wife and children stayed in Shanghai, while the father, a Presbyterian pastor, continued dangerous fieldwork inland, from visiting rural parishes to smuggling medical supplies to country hospitals. But of course, we all know what happened in 1941. In her twenties, Katherine Paterson spent three years in Japan, learning Japanese and working as a missionary like her parents. Japanese culture made a deep impression on her. Later several of her books were set in Japan. She and her pastor husband had two boys and adopted two girls, one from a Hong Kong orphanage, one from Appalachian Indigenous tribes.
What strikes me first is the rosy picture of China in a child’s mind. As a little girl, she considered China her home, although she didn’t think she was Chinese (“a cat born in a garage does not make her an automobile”). The missionary work in China is surely an interesting piece of history.
Written in a chatty style, the book is easy to read. It’s not strictly in chronological order.
What strikes me first is the rosy picture of China in a child’s mind. As a little girl, she considered China her home, although she didn’t think she was Chinese (“a cat born in a garage does not make her an automobile”). The missionary work in China is surely an interesting piece of history.
Written in a chatty style, the book is easy to read. It’s not strictly in chronological order.
April 9, 2024
I discovered Katherine Paterson when I started reading to my grandchildren. I missed her books for myself, and for my own kiddos. . . and that I regret. Although my own kiddos said they had found Katherine P all on their own because they'd all five read Bridge to Terabithia, and later plunked me down on a movie night to watch the movie version of her tale. To find and read all her books is an item on my bucket list. The grandkids and I started with Jacob Have I Loved.
It was an instant reach for an opportunity to read Stories of My Life when it came across my shelves. . . and Katherine's life has clearly been at the back of some of the most inspiring, and funny, and heartfelt scenes in her writings. Her tribe shows up all the time. Now that I have her actual backstory, my bucket list fulfillment will be doubly satisfying.
If you've loved her books, you'll love her life stories. Find it and settle in for a lovely read. You'll travel far and near, climb family trees up and down, and out to some branches, hop to visit friends and a particular celebrity (who was the last to kiss Robert E. Lee!), go to school, church and on dates with her, watch how marriage negotiations fare, see her writing chops grow and blossom, meet beloved pets and see her humble receipt of many well-earned awards. Above all, you'll see love of her own family and the human family shining through her words, lighting up her books.
If you've never read Katherine Paterson's works (and a few are authored with her husband John, and others), even if you don't have kidlets around, read this first, and then look at her impressive booklist at the end; choose one after reading this. . .especially if you have a fondness to dip into YA or middle-grader genres. You'll feel her engaging curiosity, her impetuous spirit through and through.
*A sincere thank you to Katherine Paterson, Westminster John Knox Press, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and independently review.* #StoriesofMyLife #NetGalley
It was an instant reach for an opportunity to read Stories of My Life when it came across my shelves. . . and Katherine's life has clearly been at the back of some of the most inspiring, and funny, and heartfelt scenes in her writings. Her tribe shows up all the time. Now that I have her actual backstory, my bucket list fulfillment will be doubly satisfying.
If you've loved her books, you'll love her life stories. Find it and settle in for a lovely read. You'll travel far and near, climb family trees up and down, and out to some branches, hop to visit friends and a particular celebrity (who was the last to kiss Robert E. Lee!), go to school, church and on dates with her, watch how marriage negotiations fare, see her writing chops grow and blossom, meet beloved pets and see her humble receipt of many well-earned awards. Above all, you'll see love of her own family and the human family shining through her words, lighting up her books.
If you've never read Katherine Paterson's works (and a few are authored with her husband John, and others), even if you don't have kidlets around, read this first, and then look at her impressive booklist at the end; choose one after reading this. . .especially if you have a fondness to dip into YA or middle-grader genres. You'll feel her engaging curiosity, her impetuous spirit through and through.
*A sincere thank you to Katherine Paterson, Westminster John Knox Press, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and independently review.* #StoriesofMyLife #NetGalley
November 21, 2023
4.5*
Lovely, especially if you know her work
Lovely, especially if you know her work
May 24, 2021
I have loved Katherine Paterson's books since I was a child. Her author bio blurb led me to attend a college I never would have heard of otherwise. The stories of her life she shared in this book were so interesting and when I closed the book I felt like I had actually spent time with her.
May 19, 2024
I love Katherine Paterson, and this book was delightful. So full of heart. It was wonderful to hear about the full life she has led, and to hear some background on some of her books.
November 9, 2022
Before reading this book, I had never heard of Katherine Paterson or any of her books. She has written over 40 and has won many prestigious awards, including the Newberry medal three times. All those awards obviously did not go to her head, though, from the tone of this autobiography. She was a missionary kid and they often grow up to be very well balanced, very humble and very real in general.
Mrs. Paterson herself would later do some missionary work in Japan, as an adult, which was challenging from the start, due to the language and due to the fact the Japanese were frightening people during her childhood in China. As predicted, however, her views of the Japanese quickly changed in the years she served in Japan, during the late 1950s and early 1960s.
After the missionary days, she marries a minister who actually told her he wanted to marry her because he wanted to marry an adult, not a girl he would have to raise! Their marriage was a long, happy one and they had two sons, as well as a daughter adopted from China and a daughter adopted from the White Mountain Apache Reservation. There are many amusing stories about the kids, even though Mrs. Paterson is no Erma Bombeck. (A missionary kid couldn't grow up to be an Erma Bombeck.)
Her writing life and books take off, too, but she does not spend much time discussing the nuts and bolts of her writing. Hence, don't see this book as one written to inspire writers and give them writing tips. It's simply a highly interesting memoir by a woman writer who has no need to impress anyone, but who has certainly impressed many, many individuals during her long life.
(Note: I received a free e-ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher.)
Mrs. Paterson herself would later do some missionary work in Japan, as an adult, which was challenging from the start, due to the language and due to the fact the Japanese were frightening people during her childhood in China. As predicted, however, her views of the Japanese quickly changed in the years she served in Japan, during the late 1950s and early 1960s.
After the missionary days, she marries a minister who actually told her he wanted to marry her because he wanted to marry an adult, not a girl he would have to raise! Their marriage was a long, happy one and they had two sons, as well as a daughter adopted from China and a daughter adopted from the White Mountain Apache Reservation. There are many amusing stories about the kids, even though Mrs. Paterson is no Erma Bombeck. (A missionary kid couldn't grow up to be an Erma Bombeck.)
Her writing life and books take off, too, but she does not spend much time discussing the nuts and bolts of her writing. Hence, don't see this book as one written to inspire writers and give them writing tips. It's simply a highly interesting memoir by a woman writer who has no need to impress anyone, but who has certainly impressed many, many individuals during her long life.
(Note: I received a free e-ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher.)
June 29, 2024
Audible Plus 8 hours 32 min. Narrated by Laurie Birmingham (A+)
Have you ever read BRIDGE TO TARABITHIA?
Have you ever wondered how authors come up with ideas for their stories?
Would you want to follow author Elie Wiesel's (NIGHT) speech to other writers with your own speech?
Katherine Paterson reveals her answers to these questions in this collection of stories of her lives. (Yes, she lived multiple lives. 😉 )
My enthusiasm for this book must be tempered by the brilliant performance of the narrator as Katherine Paterson. This book made me laugh out loud and also made me cry.
One story was included at the request of author Kate DeCamillo (TheTale of Despereoux), or she would write it herself. It was a delightful tale that included Robert E. Lee.
Have you ever read BRIDGE TO TARABITHIA?
Have you ever wondered how authors come up with ideas for their stories?
Would you want to follow author Elie Wiesel's (NIGHT) speech to other writers with your own speech?
Katherine Paterson reveals her answers to these questions in this collection of stories of her lives. (Yes, she lived multiple lives. 😉 )
My enthusiasm for this book must be tempered by the brilliant performance of the narrator as Katherine Paterson. This book made me laugh out loud and also made me cry.
One story was included at the request of author Kate DeCamillo (TheTale of Despereoux), or she would write it herself. It was a delightful tale that included Robert E. Lee.
April 6, 2020
Oh Katherine Paterson- I could read your grocery lists. After getting glimpses into her life through her non fiction collection of essays, my sister and I were absolutely up for having more told about her life. She called them kitchen sink stories because that is how you used to hear family stories. Her family and growing up years is so crazy in the sense of who they knew and their amazing life in China and always always being int the move. Her humor and honesty shine through beautifully again. Also I love how she mothers... I can relate... at least they aren’t in the sewer.
April 18, 2015
I love Katherine Paterson and, although I had heard many of these stories in her talks over the decades, I was happy to hear the familiar ones again and to read some new ones. I was especially delighted to find she'd included the story of Eugene, a wonderful story I would happily hear her tell again and again. Her moving account of her husband's recent death is a beautiful illustration of how he "showed me in his dying that there is nothing to fear in death."
July 18, 2019
A lovely audio book that covers her life and moved me to tears with the description of her husband's death. This was unfortunate since I was driving. I liked the narrator's quiet gentle tones, which were also good for letting my son nap as we drove across the state. My favorite bits were the inside stories about her books, although I also really enjoyed her childhood in China and the American south.
June 24, 2020
A lovely read about one of my favorite YA authors. I’m grateful to have had this glimpse into her life.
An aside: I was foolishly giddy to learn that my favorite book of hers was her favorite to write.
An aside: I was foolishly giddy to learn that my favorite book of hers was her favorite to write.
September 4, 2022
Author Katherine Paterson wrote the most impactful books for me as I grew up. I did not know that her life was just as fascinating as her books. Not only is she an award-winning author, she was a missionary kid, teacher, preacher’s wife, devoted mother, and a Christian.
Paterson reveals the ups and downs of her life. She starts the book with the three most frequently asked questions from readers: How did you become a writer? Where do you get your ideas? How does it feel to be famous?
This memoir (I don’t care that she doesn’t think of it as a memoir, it reads like one) was enlightening. I had no idea that Paterson had such an interesting life as a missionary kid, then as a missionary wife. Despite the unusual nature of her early life, she quickly proves that she’s just an ordinary woman who has led an extraordinary life. This has proved useful when coming up for ideas for her books.
I’m always amazed when someone writes about their life and has vivid stories of their youth because I can barely recall my own memories from such young ages. Paterson admits that she never thought she was going to be a writer and kept no diaries or had any early writings to look back on when she wrote this autobiography. Still, the memories she does have are compelling and there’s an easy flow to the book. Her memories flow easily from her pen, and she shares her inspiration for many of her books.
Bridge to Terabithia, The Great Gilly Hopkins, and Jacob Have I Loved were required reading in fifth grade, just a few years after they had won the Newbery honors and the National Book Award. I was instantly smitten with Paterson’s writing, and these books are still among my favorites of all time. They definitely left a lasting impression on me. Bridge to Terabithia was most helpful to me the following year, when my grandmother died. It was the first loss in my life, and I re-read the book for a sense of comfort, and because Jessie had his own loss in the book that he had to get over.
I’m so glad I got to know one of my favorite author a bit better. Katherine Paterson has led such an interesting life that I’m glad she decided to share many parts of it with her readers.
Paterson reveals the ups and downs of her life. She starts the book with the three most frequently asked questions from readers: How did you become a writer? Where do you get your ideas? How does it feel to be famous?
This memoir (I don’t care that she doesn’t think of it as a memoir, it reads like one) was enlightening. I had no idea that Paterson had such an interesting life as a missionary kid, then as a missionary wife. Despite the unusual nature of her early life, she quickly proves that she’s just an ordinary woman who has led an extraordinary life. This has proved useful when coming up for ideas for her books.
I’m always amazed when someone writes about their life and has vivid stories of their youth because I can barely recall my own memories from such young ages. Paterson admits that she never thought she was going to be a writer and kept no diaries or had any early writings to look back on when she wrote this autobiography. Still, the memories she does have are compelling and there’s an easy flow to the book. Her memories flow easily from her pen, and she shares her inspiration for many of her books.
Bridge to Terabithia, The Great Gilly Hopkins, and Jacob Have I Loved were required reading in fifth grade, just a few years after they had won the Newbery honors and the National Book Award. I was instantly smitten with Paterson’s writing, and these books are still among my favorites of all time. They definitely left a lasting impression on me. Bridge to Terabithia was most helpful to me the following year, when my grandmother died. It was the first loss in my life, and I re-read the book for a sense of comfort, and because Jessie had his own loss in the book that he had to get over.
I’m so glad I got to know one of my favorite author a bit better. Katherine Paterson has led such an interesting life that I’m glad she decided to share many parts of it with her readers.
March 10, 2023
If you have read Bridge to Terabithia or Jacob Have I Loved, you have met and fallen under the spell of Katherine Paterson’s writing. The two-time winner of both the Newbery Medal and the National Book Award writes with a special sensitivity toward children and an understanding of the plight of being human which has endeared her to readers since her first novel was published in 1973. Now, at the age of 91, she shares Stories of My Life, a look back over her shoulder at the shaping influences that have impacted her writing over the course of her long life.
Because her parents were missionaries to China, Paterson’s childhood was both mobile and non-traditional with multiple trips to and from a land that saw its fair share of upheaval in the early half of the 20th century. Certainly, she can point to a richness of experience and a loving family, but she also remembers the Valentine’s Day party in first grade when she didn’t receive any valentines from her classmates–likely a downside of her itinerant education.
Even so, she followed in her parents’ footsteps as a missionary, but she served in Japan, and I was fascinated by her speculation that because of contemporary attitudes toward traditional missions, she could have come into writing from a career as a prostitute and received less criticism and done less explaining.
The book reads like a friendly conversation over tea with a friend who has lived long and well. Writers will benefit from her casual descriptions of her practices and thoughts on what she calls “the fragile magic” of storytelling. Readers of her well-known body of work will enjoy getting the backstory behind the fiction. Everyone will learn and be challenged by her love of family, her positive outlook, and her clear determination to live as a conduit of the grace she has received.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Westminster John Knox Press for providing a copy of this book to facilitate my review, which is, of course, offered freely and with honesty.
Because her parents were missionaries to China, Paterson’s childhood was both mobile and non-traditional with multiple trips to and from a land that saw its fair share of upheaval in the early half of the 20th century. Certainly, she can point to a richness of experience and a loving family, but she also remembers the Valentine’s Day party in first grade when she didn’t receive any valentines from her classmates–likely a downside of her itinerant education.
Even so, she followed in her parents’ footsteps as a missionary, but she served in Japan, and I was fascinated by her speculation that because of contemporary attitudes toward traditional missions, she could have come into writing from a career as a prostitute and received less criticism and done less explaining.
The book reads like a friendly conversation over tea with a friend who has lived long and well. Writers will benefit from her casual descriptions of her practices and thoughts on what she calls “the fragile magic” of storytelling. Readers of her well-known body of work will enjoy getting the backstory behind the fiction. Everyone will learn and be challenged by her love of family, her positive outlook, and her clear determination to live as a conduit of the grace she has received.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Westminster John Knox Press for providing a copy of this book to facilitate my review, which is, of course, offered freely and with honesty.
March 5, 2024
Stories of my life by Katherine Paterson book review
This book was really interesting to listen to on audiobook. I appreciated the way she didn’t make this feel like a chronological history. She’s already a master storyteller so in writing her own story, I loved how she made the connections between her book characters, and her real life.
From being born in China, to missionary parents and continuing her life in Japan and the United States, I found that she had a very diverse worldview. I loved hearing about her stories of faith, growing up with her family, and the struggles they went through moving between each of those locations. It was also very fascinating for me to see her resilience, even when she went to a different elementary school almost every grade of her growing up. The characters in many of her books and locations were explained in her memoir and I could picture them in my mind. In all of these places I love the connections she had with people, and how she chose to write these stories of her life. I can also appreciate, how she felt like she was a better writer than mother. She can vocalize the struggle that we all have as mothers, even when we do the best we know how even with the best intentions.
The fact that she got so many different awards for her books for writing children’s stories with really tough subjects to talk about, really goes to show how she was an exemplary human and wanted to connect those tough childhood feelings to their caregivers.
Obviously, the more of her books you read before reading this book the more this book will mean to you, although it isn’t necessary in order to really enjoy this book.
Solid 4 ⭐️
This book was really interesting to listen to on audiobook. I appreciated the way she didn’t make this feel like a chronological history. She’s already a master storyteller so in writing her own story, I loved how she made the connections between her book characters, and her real life.
From being born in China, to missionary parents and continuing her life in Japan and the United States, I found that she had a very diverse worldview. I loved hearing about her stories of faith, growing up with her family, and the struggles they went through moving between each of those locations. It was also very fascinating for me to see her resilience, even when she went to a different elementary school almost every grade of her growing up. The characters in many of her books and locations were explained in her memoir and I could picture them in my mind. In all of these places I love the connections she had with people, and how she chose to write these stories of her life. I can also appreciate, how she felt like she was a better writer than mother. She can vocalize the struggle that we all have as mothers, even when we do the best we know how even with the best intentions.
The fact that she got so many different awards for her books for writing children’s stories with really tough subjects to talk about, really goes to show how she was an exemplary human and wanted to connect those tough childhood feelings to their caregivers.
Obviously, the more of her books you read before reading this book the more this book will mean to you, although it isn’t necessary in order to really enjoy this book.
Solid 4 ⭐️
October 5, 2024
What a lovely human.The insight into her life & how people & events appear in her books fascinated me. I want to read more of her books now! (My only complaint is that the book was hard to follow sometimes, but it could be my brain's issue.)
October 30, 2024
I had the privilege of hearing Katherine Patterson speak at a conference a few weeks ago. She is in her 90’s but gave an amazing talk on wonder. I was excited to read this book after hearing her speak. The book is a collection of stories about her life beginning with her parents who were missionaries to China. The stories are beautifully told and there is a gentle wisdom that weaves throughout the book. Katherine has a lived an amazing, but not easy, life. I love listening and learning from the wisdom and beauty of a life well lived. This book is worth reading!
June 30, 2025
This book is so well written and interesting. I laughed and cried. It is not a “proper” memoir, but a collection of stories. Such a great read about a wonderful author.
April 25, 2024
Enjoyed reading these stories to learn more about one of my favorite young adult/children's literature writers. I remember my 4th grade teacher, Mrs. Roop, reading The Bridge to Terabithia, to our class every day. The memories from 4th grade and the images and impact that book made on me have been profound. I am now a school librarian.
September 29, 2022
As I've grown older I've gained a greater appreciation and enjoyment from reading memoirs. Perhaps that's because memoirs can enourage one to reflect on one's own life story. Sometimes the memoir is written by someone you know fairly well from other encounters with the person's life experiences. But sometimes you encounter a memoir of a person you are at best only tangentially familiar with. At times, if you are, as I am, a regular book reviewer, you might receive a memoir written by someone you may have heard of but have had little interaction with. That can be an intriguing opportunity. So it is with Katherine Paterson's memoir.
Katherine Paterson is an award-winning children's author. Her books including Bridge to Terabithia appeared after my childhood, and they're written for children of a certain age who might already be reading for themselves. When that's the case I might not have read her books to my own child. Such is the case here. While I might not know her books or her life story from previous encounters, reading this memoir was fascinating. Katherine Paterson has lived a very full life, and that fullness is on display in her memoir.
As she notes this book began as an attempt to write down what she calls her "kitchen sink" stories, the kind of stories she remembers her mother telling at the kitchen sink about her own childhood. As she began to lay out these anecdotal stories from her childhood, other stories came into view, Thus, "the thing just got out of hand and gr3ew, not into a proper memoir, but beyond the simple collection of stories I'd first intended." (p. xvi). Thus we have in this book a collection of stories that takes us from Paterson's childhood as the daughter of Presbyterian missionaries to China prior to WWII. It was there in pre-World War II China that she was born and had her earliest experiences of life, some of which were lived under Japanese occupation. As the book proceeds, with stories, we follow her life journey that takes us back and forth from China to the United States and back, depending on the situation. These early years were very peripatetic. Yet they helped form her. While she tells her own story, she also tells stories of her father's exploits in China, including trying to smuggle medical supplies to those in need under the nose of the Japanese occupiers. She tells us as well of the family's attempt to return to China after the war and later return to the States.
and their later attempt to return after the war.
After she earned a degree in English literature and teaching for a while, she decided to pursue the life of a missionary. Though she had hoped to go to China, she would be assigned by the Presbyterian Church to Japan. While she would struggle at times with the culture, in the end, she came to love the people she encountered and lived among. After her sojourn to Japan where she served as a missionary for four years, she returned to the States. While originally planning to apply to Yale, she ended up doing graduate work at Union Theological Seminary in New York. It was there that she met the man she would marry, a young Presbyterian minister. Marriage led to motherhood, and eventually to a writing career. Along the way, we meet numerous interesting people, a few pets, and more. All of this leads to her award-winning writing career. Among the awards were several Newberry awards and National Book Awards. In other words, she is one of the most recognized children's authors in the country.
While I'm sure her books, most of which are fictional, are intriguing, I'm not sure they can top her life story. At least that would be true for an adult first encountering her writing. As you might expect from an award-winning author, this is a well-written book. The fact that it is a collection of stories rather than a traditional memoir, might make it even more interesting.
Now that I know her story, I may have to check out her other books, including the children's books.
Katherine Paterson is an award-winning children's author. Her books including Bridge to Terabithia appeared after my childhood, and they're written for children of a certain age who might already be reading for themselves. When that's the case I might not have read her books to my own child. Such is the case here. While I might not know her books or her life story from previous encounters, reading this memoir was fascinating. Katherine Paterson has lived a very full life, and that fullness is on display in her memoir.
As she notes this book began as an attempt to write down what she calls her "kitchen sink" stories, the kind of stories she remembers her mother telling at the kitchen sink about her own childhood. As she began to lay out these anecdotal stories from her childhood, other stories came into view, Thus, "the thing just got out of hand and gr3ew, not into a proper memoir, but beyond the simple collection of stories I'd first intended." (p. xvi). Thus we have in this book a collection of stories that takes us from Paterson's childhood as the daughter of Presbyterian missionaries to China prior to WWII. It was there in pre-World War II China that she was born and had her earliest experiences of life, some of which were lived under Japanese occupation. As the book proceeds, with stories, we follow her life journey that takes us back and forth from China to the United States and back, depending on the situation. These early years were very peripatetic. Yet they helped form her. While she tells her own story, she also tells stories of her father's exploits in China, including trying to smuggle medical supplies to those in need under the nose of the Japanese occupiers. She tells us as well of the family's attempt to return to China after the war and later return to the States.
and their later attempt to return after the war.
After she earned a degree in English literature and teaching for a while, she decided to pursue the life of a missionary. Though she had hoped to go to China, she would be assigned by the Presbyterian Church to Japan. While she would struggle at times with the culture, in the end, she came to love the people she encountered and lived among. After her sojourn to Japan where she served as a missionary for four years, she returned to the States. While originally planning to apply to Yale, she ended up doing graduate work at Union Theological Seminary in New York. It was there that she met the man she would marry, a young Presbyterian minister. Marriage led to motherhood, and eventually to a writing career. Along the way, we meet numerous interesting people, a few pets, and more. All of this leads to her award-winning writing career. Among the awards were several Newberry awards and National Book Awards. In other words, she is one of the most recognized children's authors in the country.
While I'm sure her books, most of which are fictional, are intriguing, I'm not sure they can top her life story. At least that would be true for an adult first encountering her writing. As you might expect from an award-winning author, this is a well-written book. The fact that it is a collection of stories rather than a traditional memoir, might make it even more interesting.
Now that I know her story, I may have to check out her other books, including the children's books.
April 28, 2015
I really adored this book. Not only because Katherine Paterson wrote one of my favorite childhood books, but because her life is crazy amazing! And she knows how to tell a good story! Although, the timeline can get a little confusing, there is a lot of bouncing around in a chapter (and so many of her relatives have the same names!) it was so enjoyable. It really was like hearing a grandmother tell her tales. I especially loved the ones about her children and her adoption stories. I really felt a connection to the woman behind the stories and I started to really care for the people she was talking about it. At first I thought this was going to be stories that inspired her books, and although there is a lot of that - it's not told in that way. If you are a writer, a mother, a fan, or just love a good "memoir" read this book. You won't be disappointed.
June 30, 2023
A memoir filled with stories from a life well lived. Paterson has certainly had many adventures that the rest of us can only dream of. For those of us who know her as a children's writer, this memoir is an opportunity to learn how and why she writes what she does.
Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. I enjoyed knowing more about her!
Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. I enjoyed knowing more about her!
June 22, 2022
We all love stories. Since young, many of us would recall listening to how our parents and grandparents told us all kinds of stories. From fairy tales to modern legends, biblical narratives to personal testimonies, stories captivate us in ways that no prose nor non-fiction could. Stories help us appreciate and understand tradition. They also teach us lessons about life, just like the world-famous Aesop's Fables. It takes a conscientious storyteller to tell a good story. It takes a gifted storyteller to tell a great story. Author Katherine Paterson tells her own story to give us many glimpses into her fascinating life as a writer, a missionary kid, teacher, preacher's wife, devoted mother, and a Christian. She shares about the ups and downs of her life. Events like her topsy-turvy days when living with her missionary parents to China to having children of her own following a miscarriage, Paterson shares her stories with vivid description and brutal honesty. She introduces the book from a readers' perspective via three "Frequently Asked Questions."
1) How did you become a writer?
2) Where do you get your ideas?
3) How does it feel to be famous?
In a humble fashion, she puts us all at ease that she is basically as ordinary as anyone of us could be. Like many of us seeking to be authors, she faces rejections from publishers, envies other writers who seem to have all kinds of ideas to write on, and the way fame in a strange way isolates people. Paterson has been through these and more. Each chapter begins with a personal photograph from her archives followed by a title to prepare readers for what is ahead. Then she tells her stories with ease. It is easy for readers to come alongside and walk with her thoughts, and appreciating how human this amazing storyteller is.
My Thoughts
==============
My first thought is that this book is part-memoir, part-autobiography. Though the author refuses to say it is memoir, I think there is a memoir-like structure in this book. She settles with a longer "Stories of My Life" to show us that maybe, there should be a third category between memoir and autobiography. After all, it takes a sizable memory collection to make it into a proper memoir. At the same time, an autobiography might require a lengthier treatment. I can understand why Paterson chooses to do neither, as she is more comfortable just telling stories as they come. This is her strength and she chooses to utilize that to make this book an enjoyable and personable read.
Secondly, this book is inspiring for anyone trying to write memoirs even without detailed information available. It takes a lot of recollection, interviews, and journaling in order to come up with an accurate list of events. For many of us, the best we could do is to have a snapshot of different moments of our lives. I find myself inspired to do the same. The older one gets, the further the memories. Yet, the best time to start any personal stories is right now. Instead of waiting until the perfect recollection appears, starting whenever we are inspired should spur us to pen down things before they are forgotten. Thankfully, books like this assure us that we do not need perfect memories. Just tell it as it is for now.
For budding writers, there is none more personal than authentic autobiographies. Not only must one be true to the audience, most importantly, truthful to self. In writing a book for the public, Paterson shows us how our personal stories could inspire others to do the same. Thanks to this book, I am inspired.
Katherine Paterson is the beloved author of many books for young readers, including Bridge to Terabithia, The Great Gilly Hopkins, Jacob Have I Loved, The Master Puppeteer, and the Christmas books A Stubborn Sweetness and Other Stories for the Christmas Season and The Night of His Birth. She has been honored with nearly every major award for children's literature, including the Newbery Medal, a Newbery Honor, the National Book Award, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, the Hans Christian Andersen Medal, and more than one hundred other awards and honors. She was named a Living Legend by the Library of Congress in 2000 and served as the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature in 2010-2011. Paterson lives in Vermont.
Rating: 4.5 stars of 5.
conrade
This book has been provided courtesy of Westminster John Knox Press and NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.
1) How did you become a writer?
2) Where do you get your ideas?
3) How does it feel to be famous?
In a humble fashion, she puts us all at ease that she is basically as ordinary as anyone of us could be. Like many of us seeking to be authors, she faces rejections from publishers, envies other writers who seem to have all kinds of ideas to write on, and the way fame in a strange way isolates people. Paterson has been through these and more. Each chapter begins with a personal photograph from her archives followed by a title to prepare readers for what is ahead. Then she tells her stories with ease. It is easy for readers to come alongside and walk with her thoughts, and appreciating how human this amazing storyteller is.
My Thoughts
==============
My first thought is that this book is part-memoir, part-autobiography. Though the author refuses to say it is memoir, I think there is a memoir-like structure in this book. She settles with a longer "Stories of My Life" to show us that maybe, there should be a third category between memoir and autobiography. After all, it takes a sizable memory collection to make it into a proper memoir. At the same time, an autobiography might require a lengthier treatment. I can understand why Paterson chooses to do neither, as she is more comfortable just telling stories as they come. This is her strength and she chooses to utilize that to make this book an enjoyable and personable read.
Secondly, this book is inspiring for anyone trying to write memoirs even without detailed information available. It takes a lot of recollection, interviews, and journaling in order to come up with an accurate list of events. For many of us, the best we could do is to have a snapshot of different moments of our lives. I find myself inspired to do the same. The older one gets, the further the memories. Yet, the best time to start any personal stories is right now. Instead of waiting until the perfect recollection appears, starting whenever we are inspired should spur us to pen down things before they are forgotten. Thankfully, books like this assure us that we do not need perfect memories. Just tell it as it is for now.
For budding writers, there is none more personal than authentic autobiographies. Not only must one be true to the audience, most importantly, truthful to self. In writing a book for the public, Paterson shows us how our personal stories could inspire others to do the same. Thanks to this book, I am inspired.
Katherine Paterson is the beloved author of many books for young readers, including Bridge to Terabithia, The Great Gilly Hopkins, Jacob Have I Loved, The Master Puppeteer, and the Christmas books A Stubborn Sweetness and Other Stories for the Christmas Season and The Night of His Birth. She has been honored with nearly every major award for children's literature, including the Newbery Medal, a Newbery Honor, the National Book Award, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, the Hans Christian Andersen Medal, and more than one hundred other awards and honors. She was named a Living Legend by the Library of Congress in 2000 and served as the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature in 2010-2011. Paterson lives in Vermont.
Rating: 4.5 stars of 5.
conrade
This book has been provided courtesy of Westminster John Knox Press and NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.
March 14, 2023
It's not an exaggeration to say that Bridge to Terabithia changed my life, and I'll be forever grateful to Katherine Paterson for that. And in her memoir, she comes across as a genuinely kind, accepting, thoughtful person who is willing to self-reflect without navel-gazing. The origin story of BtT is one I know well, but it was nonetheless moving to read it from her point of view. A few other anecdotes stood out as well--as someone who grew up in a religious context too, her story about learning from her father that God "doesn't want you to sacrifice your children" hit me right in the chest.
Unfortunately, large swaths of the book felt like they were simultaneously moving too slowly while also rarely going into detail. I often felt we were just skimming, with little hops from memory to memory without the in-depth storytelling that would have built those memories out into strong emotions for me, the reader. There were so many opportunities for depth that never came to fruition. And in a few places, she acknowledged the biases or unjust behavior of others but once again moved past it too quickly for me to really feel comfortable. Or she'd bring up legitimate concerns ("Would our adopted child feel comfortable losing her entire culture?") and then gloss over them with easy answers ("but then our friend told us it would be fine.") She seems almost deliberately obtuse about the objections to missionary work and the colonization that often comes with it, talking about how you can't MAKE anyone believe anything. I mean, sure, I guess you can't literally hack people's brains, but it's totally disingenuous to act like culture, threat, war, etc. have no impact on expressions of religion. I mean, I was even ready to accept her version of missionary work, which seemed to mostly entail genuine service to people she lived among for years and years, with the occasional heartfelt sharing of a personal belief, as opposed to any kind of large organized effort to incentivize conversion with healthcare or punish nonbelief with threats of hell. But surely she is aware of the widespread corruption in mainstream missionary work? Surely she knows that not every missionary is just a friendly neighborhood Katherine who literally believes that God came to redeem everybody regardless of their religious persuasion? In an otherwise gentle and thought-provoking memoir, such sections felt out of place. I loved parts of Katherine's story, I really did. But other parts came up short for me.
Unfortunately, large swaths of the book felt like they were simultaneously moving too slowly while also rarely going into detail. I often felt we were just skimming, with little hops from memory to memory without the in-depth storytelling that would have built those memories out into strong emotions for me, the reader. There were so many opportunities for depth that never came to fruition. And in a few places, she acknowledged the biases or unjust behavior of others but once again moved past it too quickly for me to really feel comfortable. Or she'd bring up legitimate concerns ("Would our adopted child feel comfortable losing her entire culture?") and then gloss over them with easy answers ("but then our friend told us it would be fine.") She seems almost deliberately obtuse about the objections to missionary work and the colonization that often comes with it, talking about how you can't MAKE anyone believe anything. I mean, sure, I guess you can't literally hack people's brains, but it's totally disingenuous to act like culture, threat, war, etc. have no impact on expressions of religion. I mean, I was even ready to accept her version of missionary work, which seemed to mostly entail genuine service to people she lived among for years and years, with the occasional heartfelt sharing of a personal belief, as opposed to any kind of large organized effort to incentivize conversion with healthcare or punish nonbelief with threats of hell. But surely she is aware of the widespread corruption in mainstream missionary work? Surely she knows that not every missionary is just a friendly neighborhood Katherine who literally believes that God came to redeem everybody regardless of their religious persuasion? In an otherwise gentle and thought-provoking memoir, such sections felt out of place. I loved parts of Katherine's story, I really did. But other parts came up short for me.
September 4, 2022
For this and other book reviews, visit www.bargain-sleuth.com
I received an Advanced Reader’s Copy of Stories of My Life book from NetGalley and Westminster John Knox Press in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Author Katherine Paterson wrote the most impactful books for me as I grew up. I did not know that her life was just as fascinating as her books. Not only is she an award-winning author, she was a missionary kid, teacher, preacher’s wife, devoted mother, and a Christian.
Paterson reveals the ups and downs of her life. She starts the book with the three most frequently asked questions from readers: How did you become a writer? Where do you get your ideas? How does it feel to be famous?
This memoir (I don’t care that she doesn’t think of it as a memoir, it reads like one) was enlightening. I had no idea that Paterson had such an interesting life as a missionary kid, then as a missionary wife. Despite the unusual nature of her early life, she quickly proves that she’s just an ordinary woman who has led an extraordinary life. This has proved useful when coming up for ideas for her books.
I’m always amazed when someone writes about their life and has vivid stories of their youth because I can barely recall my own memories from such young ages. Paterson admits that she never thought she was going to be a writer and kept no diaries or had any early writings to look back on when she wrote this autobiography. Still, the memories she does have are compelling and there’s an easy flow to the book. Her memories flow easily from her pen, and she shares her inspiration for many of her books.
Bridge to Terabithia, The Great Gilly Hopkins, and Jacob Have I Loved were required reading in fifth grade, just a few years after they had won the Newbery honors and the National Book Award. I was instantly smitten with Paterson’s writing, and these books are still among my favorites of all time. They definitely left a lasting impression on me. Bridge to Terabithia was most helpful to me the following year, when my grandmother died. It was the first loss in my life, and I re-read the book for a sense of comfort, and because Jessie had his own loss in the book that he had to get over.
I’m so glad I got to know one of my favorite author a bit better. Katherine Paterson has led such an interesting life that I’m glad she decided to share many parts of it with her readers.
I received an Advanced Reader’s Copy of Stories of My Life book from NetGalley and Westminster John Knox Press in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Author Katherine Paterson wrote the most impactful books for me as I grew up. I did not know that her life was just as fascinating as her books. Not only is she an award-winning author, she was a missionary kid, teacher, preacher’s wife, devoted mother, and a Christian.
Paterson reveals the ups and downs of her life. She starts the book with the three most frequently asked questions from readers: How did you become a writer? Where do you get your ideas? How does it feel to be famous?
This memoir (I don’t care that she doesn’t think of it as a memoir, it reads like one) was enlightening. I had no idea that Paterson had such an interesting life as a missionary kid, then as a missionary wife. Despite the unusual nature of her early life, she quickly proves that she’s just an ordinary woman who has led an extraordinary life. This has proved useful when coming up for ideas for her books.
I’m always amazed when someone writes about their life and has vivid stories of their youth because I can barely recall my own memories from such young ages. Paterson admits that she never thought she was going to be a writer and kept no diaries or had any early writings to look back on when she wrote this autobiography. Still, the memories she does have are compelling and there’s an easy flow to the book. Her memories flow easily from her pen, and she shares her inspiration for many of her books.
Bridge to Terabithia, The Great Gilly Hopkins, and Jacob Have I Loved were required reading in fifth grade, just a few years after they had won the Newbery honors and the National Book Award. I was instantly smitten with Paterson’s writing, and these books are still among my favorites of all time. They definitely left a lasting impression on me. Bridge to Terabithia was most helpful to me the following year, when my grandmother died. It was the first loss in my life, and I re-read the book for a sense of comfort, and because Jessie had his own loss in the book that he had to get over.
I’m so glad I got to know one of my favorite author a bit better. Katherine Paterson has led such an interesting life that I’m glad she decided to share many parts of it with her readers.
March 3, 2024
3.5 More people should take the time to record family stories in this vein. A lot of us hear family stories when we’re children, but they risk being forgotten once we become adults and those who lived the stories pass away.
There are parts of this collection that are very interesting, as her family lived international lives before and after she was born. However, some of what made her and her family interesting, are also the same things that caused me to cringe. Her family were missionaries, and she worked as a missionary herself. A lot of that work seems to have been helping Christian communities that already existed as minorities in other places, rather than trying to convert new believers, but it’s still not something with which I am comfortable. Christians who believe in spreading their religion will have no reservation about this aspect of her parents’ and her life.
In addition, Katherine and her husband John Paterson adopted a baby from the White Mountain Apache reservation in the late 1960s or early 1970s. At that time the U.S. government was trying yet another tactic to exterminate American Indians, by removing babies from their tribes and adopting them out to white families like the Patersons. Her lack of any acknowledgement of this history was an unfortunate omission; even if she only learned of it decades later, she surely learned of it at some point. She also fails to confront other aspects of her family’s past, such as the “black field hands and servants” that made farm life so comfortable for her ancestors, or her mother’s disapproval of her spouse’s civil rights work in the 1960s. It’s not an introspective book; by and large it is truly simply a collection of memories and family stories.
If you are a fan of her books, or curious about her life given the tidbits you’ve gleaned from her books, this collection of memories will do a lot to flesh out your understanding. I plan to re-read “Jacob Have I Loved” now that I’ve learned that the main character is an unreliable narrator who is blind to her parents’ love. I don’t recall that I picked up on that in past readings. The story behind “Bridge to Terabithia” I had previously heard incorrectly second-hand, and I appreciate hearing the true and tragic particulars from Katherine Paterson. Lots of other interesting tidbits as well.
There are parts of this collection that are very interesting, as her family lived international lives before and after she was born. However, some of what made her and her family interesting, are also the same things that caused me to cringe. Her family were missionaries, and she worked as a missionary herself. A lot of that work seems to have been helping Christian communities that already existed as minorities in other places, rather than trying to convert new believers, but it’s still not something with which I am comfortable. Christians who believe in spreading their religion will have no reservation about this aspect of her parents’ and her life.
In addition, Katherine and her husband John Paterson adopted a baby from the White Mountain Apache reservation in the late 1960s or early 1970s. At that time the U.S. government was trying yet another tactic to exterminate American Indians, by removing babies from their tribes and adopting them out to white families like the Patersons. Her lack of any acknowledgement of this history was an unfortunate omission; even if she only learned of it decades later, she surely learned of it at some point. She also fails to confront other aspects of her family’s past, such as the “black field hands and servants” that made farm life so comfortable for her ancestors, or her mother’s disapproval of her spouse’s civil rights work in the 1960s. It’s not an introspective book; by and large it is truly simply a collection of memories and family stories.
If you are a fan of her books, or curious about her life given the tidbits you’ve gleaned from her books, this collection of memories will do a lot to flesh out your understanding. I plan to re-read “Jacob Have I Loved” now that I’ve learned that the main character is an unreliable narrator who is blind to her parents’ love. I don’t recall that I picked up on that in past readings. The story behind “Bridge to Terabithia” I had previously heard incorrectly second-hand, and I appreciate hearing the true and tragic particulars from Katherine Paterson. Lots of other interesting tidbits as well.
September 13, 2022
True confession: This is my first experience reading anything by Katherine Paterson.
Which is notable, because a) she wrote _Bridge to Terabithia_ (among other books!), and b) I read enough Newbery Award winners and/or nominees in elementary school, I surely should have read one of her books by now.
And yet, here we are.
I do remember hearing about _Terabithia_, and a vague recollection of fellow school-age readers' shock that a character dies at some point. (Maybe?) I think that's why I never picked it up. (If that's the case, it's also a miracle I ever read, let alone re-read, _Where the Red Fern Grows_. Again, here we are.)
Paterson is an engaging, charming, and witty author, and reading _Stories of My Life_ (which turns out to be a re-release of a previous edition) makes me want to check out some of her other books--including _Terabithia_. At least I can go into it knowing "something big happens." LOL. The best kind of spoiler alert, as I don't remember enough (and am uncertain enough of its accuracy) that I'm not convinced it counts as a spoiler.
Paterson's focus in this book, on sharing the stories she heard so often over the years to ensure they're passed to the next generation, is inspiring. My grandfather did the same, in a book primarily published for the family--and it's something I would love to see more of us do. We always think we'll ask later, and one day ... later is no longer possible. So my biggest takeaway is "Ask! Ask now!" Have the conversations while you can...and write them down or share them in whatever fashion you wish, such that they can be remembered later.
Fans of Paterson and newbies alike will enjoy this insightful read into her life, into an era and locales vastly different than here and now. Similarly, aspiring and established writers will both enjoy this as an opportunity to learn the art from one of the best.
3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.
I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Which is notable, because a) she wrote _Bridge to Terabithia_ (among other books!), and b) I read enough Newbery Award winners and/or nominees in elementary school, I surely should have read one of her books by now.
And yet, here we are.
I do remember hearing about _Terabithia_, and a vague recollection of fellow school-age readers' shock that a character dies at some point. (Maybe?) I think that's why I never picked it up. (If that's the case, it's also a miracle I ever read, let alone re-read, _Where the Red Fern Grows_. Again, here we are.)
Paterson is an engaging, charming, and witty author, and reading _Stories of My Life_ (which turns out to be a re-release of a previous edition) makes me want to check out some of her other books--including _Terabithia_. At least I can go into it knowing "something big happens." LOL. The best kind of spoiler alert, as I don't remember enough (and am uncertain enough of its accuracy) that I'm not convinced it counts as a spoiler.
Paterson's focus in this book, on sharing the stories she heard so often over the years to ensure they're passed to the next generation, is inspiring. My grandfather did the same, in a book primarily published for the family--and it's something I would love to see more of us do. We always think we'll ask later, and one day ... later is no longer possible. So my biggest takeaway is "Ask! Ask now!" Have the conversations while you can...and write them down or share them in whatever fashion you wish, such that they can be remembered later.
Fans of Paterson and newbies alike will enjoy this insightful read into her life, into an era and locales vastly different than here and now. Similarly, aspiring and established writers will both enjoy this as an opportunity to learn the art from one of the best.
3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.
I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
July 30, 2022
Stories of My Life
by Katherine Paterson
Pub Date 13 Sep 2022
Westminster John Knox Press
Biographies & Memoirs
I am reviewing a copy of Stories of my Life through Westminster John Knox Press and Netgalley:
Beloved author of Bridge to Terabithia and Jacob Have I Loved as well as other classics of children’s literature reveals the fascinating personal stories that have shaped her creative life.
For almost fifty years Katherine Paterson’s stories have captured readers young and old. From Bridge to Terabithia’s Leslie Burke to the unforgettable Gilly Hopkins to countless others, her characters are woven into the memories of several generations. Patterson’s writings have always explored the rich emotional landscape of childhood, for she has never forgotten how she felt as a child herself.
Katherine Patterson’s gift to capture childhood so vividly in her books came from her own fascinating life, told here in a collection of stories that reach from earlier generations of her family to the present day. Born in China to Presbyterian missionary parents from the American South, her young adulthood led her to Japan and then back to the East Coast, where she began to raise her family and put stories on paper. Each of these experiences influenced the books that were to come. Through Paterson’s memories, we learn the origins of her characters and storylines and share in her unexpected literary acclaim. We see the intimate moments of family, creativity, and faith that come together for a life well lived.
If you are looking for a behind the scenes look at one of the greatest Children’s authors then I highly recommend Stories of my Life.
I give Stories of My Life five out of five stars!
Happy Reading!
by Katherine Paterson
Pub Date 13 Sep 2022
Westminster John Knox Press
Biographies & Memoirs
I am reviewing a copy of Stories of my Life through Westminster John Knox Press and Netgalley:
Beloved author of Bridge to Terabithia and Jacob Have I Loved as well as other classics of children’s literature reveals the fascinating personal stories that have shaped her creative life.
For almost fifty years Katherine Paterson’s stories have captured readers young and old. From Bridge to Terabithia’s Leslie Burke to the unforgettable Gilly Hopkins to countless others, her characters are woven into the memories of several generations. Patterson’s writings have always explored the rich emotional landscape of childhood, for she has never forgotten how she felt as a child herself.
Katherine Patterson’s gift to capture childhood so vividly in her books came from her own fascinating life, told here in a collection of stories that reach from earlier generations of her family to the present day. Born in China to Presbyterian missionary parents from the American South, her young adulthood led her to Japan and then back to the East Coast, where she began to raise her family and put stories on paper. Each of these experiences influenced the books that were to come. Through Paterson’s memories, we learn the origins of her characters and storylines and share in her unexpected literary acclaim. We see the intimate moments of family, creativity, and faith that come together for a life well lived.
If you are looking for a behind the scenes look at one of the greatest Children’s authors then I highly recommend Stories of my Life.
I give Stories of My Life five out of five stars!
Happy Reading!
July 22, 2024
I had the privilege of hearing Katherine Paterson speak a couple of months ago. During her speech, I laughed so hard my stomach began to hurt, I teared up, and my hands got sore from feverishly writing notes on all the wisdom she was imparting. That one keynote address changed the way I view myself as a writer. So, naturally, when I came across this book, I wanted it in the same way a starving man wants food.
I ended up listening to the audiobook, and the narrator's voice had the same cadence and compassion that Katherine herself had. I felt like I'd hit the jackpot--EIGHT hours of listening to her storytelling instead of just one! I loved learning more details about the stories she shared, and recognizing some of the truths she tried to teach us in the short time she had. I know I'm going to have to get my hands on a print copy because there is so much I want to annotate when it comes to this "not a memoir." I found myself calling my mom more than once, sharing a tidbit of truth I'd heard that applied directly to what I believe about myself and the world in general.
So yeah, I LOVED it. I'm going to come back to it. I'm going to share this book with my writer friends and teacher friends and mom friends and anyone else who will listen. It's that good.
Thank you to NetGalley for sending me a complimentary copy and making me feel like I'd won the jackpot, even though I ended up listening to a library audiobook copy of the book instead of reading the electronic version. I have a feeling that no matter what form the book takes when you read it, you'll be blessed for having encountered the stories of Katherine Paterson's life.
I ended up listening to the audiobook, and the narrator's voice had the same cadence and compassion that Katherine herself had. I felt like I'd hit the jackpot--EIGHT hours of listening to her storytelling instead of just one! I loved learning more details about the stories she shared, and recognizing some of the truths she tried to teach us in the short time she had. I know I'm going to have to get my hands on a print copy because there is so much I want to annotate when it comes to this "not a memoir." I found myself calling my mom more than once, sharing a tidbit of truth I'd heard that applied directly to what I believe about myself and the world in general.
So yeah, I LOVED it. I'm going to come back to it. I'm going to share this book with my writer friends and teacher friends and mom friends and anyone else who will listen. It's that good.
Thank you to NetGalley for sending me a complimentary copy and making me feel like I'd won the jackpot, even though I ended up listening to a library audiobook copy of the book instead of reading the electronic version. I have a feeling that no matter what form the book takes when you read it, you'll be blessed for having encountered the stories of Katherine Paterson's life.
June 9, 2022
I always find it fascinating to read about an author's writing process and the inspiration behind their novels. In this memoir, Katherine Paterson makes note of the inspiration for her books while recounting the stories of her life. She goes back all the way before she was even born, setting the stage for her family culture and faith, and takes us to the present day. Katherine writes with honesty, humor, and touching nostalgia. This book was a breath of fresh air, both in a spiritual sense and in an encouraging sense. I'm inspired by Katherine's faith and how it's influenced every aspect of her life, especially her writing, and I'm encouraged by her advice for writers.
Favorite lines:
“If you don’t dare to be a mediocre writer, you’ll never be a writer at all.” (4)
“I couldn’t make sense of [the tragedy] for myself. So, eventually, I began to write a story, because I knew that a story has to make sense. It has a beginning, a middle, and an end, and when you get to the end, even if you cannot articulate intellectually what has happened, you know emotionally that you have come from chaos to order.” (272)
“Writers are very private people…who run around naked in public…What is it that I care so deeply and passionately about that I want to share it with that wonderful person, my reader? Am I willing to run around naked in public—to lay bare my own mind and heart and spirit to share this passion? Can I forget who might not approve or who might want me to go in a different direction? Am I determined to be as plainly honest as I can be in telling this story?” (275)
Favorite lines:
“If you don’t dare to be a mediocre writer, you’ll never be a writer at all.” (4)
“I couldn’t make sense of [the tragedy] for myself. So, eventually, I began to write a story, because I knew that a story has to make sense. It has a beginning, a middle, and an end, and when you get to the end, even if you cannot articulate intellectually what has happened, you know emotionally that you have come from chaos to order.” (272)
“Writers are very private people…who run around naked in public…What is it that I care so deeply and passionately about that I want to share it with that wonderful person, my reader? Am I willing to run around naked in public—to lay bare my own mind and heart and spirit to share this passion? Can I forget who might not approve or who might want me to go in a different direction? Am I determined to be as plainly honest as I can be in telling this story?” (275)
November 14, 2022
An amazing book! To the best of my knowledge, I have never read any of Katherine Paterson's books (though I certainly want to do so NOW!) -- I knew a little about her background: I knew she was a PK and the daughter of missionaries to China (where, in fact, she was born). It seems I had erroneously thought her the wife of Eugene Peterson. (Oh, well...This book set me straight!) -- At any rate, this is -- as the author says on several occasions -- NOT a true memoir. It could best be characterized, to my way of thinking, as a scrapbook of life-story vignettes. As such, the chapters are not in strict chronological order (which can be a bit confusing), but the stories shared are both vivid and interesting. (I especially enjoyed the chapter about Katherine's stint as a missionary in Japan.) The stories are leavened with a delightful humor (often self-deprecating). To be sure, there are some chapters that I believe could have been omitted altogether or better integrated with their fellows (the lifestory of Maud Truxton Henderson, for example, or 'Awards, Etc.,' which was little more than a laundry list). Then, too, the pronouns and their antecedents could have been a bit clearer at times. Still, these minor blemishes do not detract in any major way from the enjoyment of what we've been given, and I recommend this book highly, especially to those familiar with Katherine Paterson's writings and/or those interested in missionary stories.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 115 reviews