Chris Crutcher

1. Chris Crutcher Author Study Laura Collins LIB 732 Photo: Vanessa Halls, March 2005 chriscrutcher.com Photo: Kelli Halls, June 2007 chriscrutcher.com

2. Motivation “I grew up with a lot of really well-meaning people telling me a lot of lies that felt good at the time, but they ended up coming back to bite me in the ass. Too often, the adults in your life don't tell you the truth--- they don't tell you what the world is really like. So a lot of what I do when I write is describe the world as I see it, rather than how I might like it to be."  (teenreads.com) Image from www.chriscrutcher.com

3. Inspiration “…I do write about the things about which I'm passionate. I work with people who have been savaged for who they are. If they're ever going to make it, they're going to have to learn how tostand up for themselves. That starts with telling the truth as you see it.” (teenreads.com)

4. Background • Born in Dayton, Ohio on July 17, 1946 • Raised in Cascade, Idaho (small logging community of 900) • Father a WWII Air Force bomber pilot • Mother a homemaker and “functional alcoholic” • Older brother excelled academically; Chris strove to be a “C” student even though he was capable of better grades. • Chris did not love to read as a kid; he preferred TV (Jenkinson) Image from www.chriscrutcher.com

5. Career • 1968- Graduated from Eastern Washington State College with a B.A. in psychology and a minor in sociology (chriscrutcher.com) • Earned a teaching credential and taught both primary and secondary school in Washington and California (chriscrutcher.com) • 1972-1981 – Director of Oakland’s Lakeside School, a private, non-profit school and “the toughest place [he] had ever been” (Jenkinson) • 1981– moved to Spokane, WA, looking for a less emotionally draining job • 1982 - became coordinator of the “Spokane Child Protection Team, a group of people who work on the toughest child abuse cases” (Jenkinson), and also became a therapist at the Spokane Community Health Center (chriscrutcher.com)

6. Awards Margaret A. Edwards Award American Library Association – 2000 “ ‘His stories bring to life the contemporary teen world, including the darker side. Readable, humorous, immediate, and unforgettable, Crutcher’s stories give hope to young adults struggling with the eternal questions of who they are and where they belong,’ says Joan Atkinson, Edwards Award committee chair (Carter).”

7. Awards Celebration of Free Speech and Its Defenders Award National Coalition Against Censorship November 11, 2005 “I go to the edge but I write about real people. I owe it to these people to give an honest depiction of what really happened. If I tone down the story, if I don’t tell a the story in their language, that diminishes them and their stories (Follos).”

8. Awards National Intellectual Freedom Award - 1998 National Council of the Teachers of English (teenreads.com) Crutcher has received many awards and nominations. For a complete list, go to: http://www.chriscrutcher.com/content/blogcategory/73/62/ Image from www.chriscrutcher.com

9. On Subject Matter “One of the reasons I write about older teenagers is that they’re on the edge of having to live their lives themselves. Those initial decisions they make are really important (Carter).” Crutcher’s Senior Yearbook Photo: chriscrutcher.com

10. On Themes “Having a character stand up for himself is one of the recurring themes in my writing. There is no act of heroism which does not include standing up for oneself… (Lesesne).” Baby Chris with his dad, a WWII bomber pilot. chriscrutcher.com

11. On Heroes “Heroes stand up when it is easier to sit down. They are visible when it is easier to be invisible (Lesesne).” “…I have found heroes in some pretty unlikely characters in real life in my years in alternative education and as a therapist (Blasingame).”

12. Running Loose 1983 “Many of Louie's wounds are self-inflicted; others, the result of a cold random throw of the cosmic dice. Either way, his road to manhood has become cluttered with seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Running Loose is a story about that time in a boy's life when he is suddenly expected to act like a man-to be accountable for the things he does and to react reasonably to the craziness around him. Sometimes Louie does; sometimes he doesn't.” (chriscrutcher.com) "Crutcher's talent is evident in Running Loose, in which Louie learns about love, death, sportsmanship, and integrity as well as football."~ Children's Literature ALA Best Book for Young AdultsNew York Public Library Books for the Teen AgeBooklist Editor's ChoiceALA Best of the Best Books for Young AdultsSLJ Best of the Best Book 2000Nominee, 1988-1989 Iowa Teen Award Nominee, 1995-1996 ILF Rosie 2003 Mock Printz Survey for 1983 Image from www.chriscrutcher.com

13. On Writing Running Loose “I didn’t know there was such a thing [as a YA novel]. I’d just spent 10 years in the toughest school in Oakland, and so I wrote it in that language (Jenkinson).”

14. Stotan! 1986 “In the final swimming season at Frost High School Coach Max II Song offers his small but talented team the gift of self-discipline in the form of Stotan Week--a grueling four-hour-a-day, nonstop test of physical and emotional stamina designed to bring them to the outer edge of their capabilities. The four young men accept the challenge-and something none of them could have predicted is set in motion. Stotan! is a humorous, sometimes heartbreaking story about making sense of chaos, about falling in love when it's not in the cards, about friendship and commitment, about life and death.” (chriscrutcher.com) "A fine coming-of-age novel...Crutcher's novel more than moves and entertains; it teaches. It teaches young people about responsibility, about courage and heroism, and ultimately about life itself. Stotan! is very, very, good."~ School Library Journal ALA Best of the Best Books for Young AdultsSchool Library Journal Best of the BestSLJ Starred ReviewALA Best Book for Young AdultsNominee, 1989 Colorado Blue Spruce Award Image from www.chriscrutcher.com

15. On Writing Stotan! • Based on Crutcher’s personal experience under a “lunatic” swimming coach at Eastern • “The word, Stotan, a cross between ‘stoic’ and ‘spartan,’ embodies the concept of single-minded determination (Jenkinson).” • “It was an incredible bonding thing that none of us would have done alone but nobody could stop doing as long as everybody else was doing it (Jenkinson).”

16. The Crazy Horse Electric Game1987 “Willie is a top athlete, the star of the legendary game against Crazy Horse Electric. Then a freak accident robs him of his once-amazing physical talents. Betrayed by his family, his girlfriend, and his own body, Willie's on the run, penniless and terrified on the streets, where he must fight to rebuild both his body and his life.” (chriscrutcher.com) "Without mincing words, [Crutcher] composes harsh realities with images that sometimes take your breath away-and sometimes make you belly-laugh in astonishment and delight .... The story is a poignant telling of courage, the struggle to survive life on all levels, and an examination of values once held dear."  ~ Children's Literature  ALA Best BookSLJ Best Book1990 South Dakota YARP Best Books List Image from www.chriscrutcher.com

17. Chinese Handcuffs1989 “When Dillon Hemingway is forced to witness his brother Preston's suicide, his life understandably seems to fall apart. His quest to make it whole again involves Stacy Ryder, Preston's girlfriend, who is left with more than a memory of Dillon's dead brother, and Jennifer Lawless, a star high school basketball player with a secret too monstrous to tell and too enormous to keep. His antagonists are a vicious cycling gang, a single-minded school principal, and Jennifer's father, a brilliant lawyer with a chilling disregard for human sensitivity. Chinese Handcuffs is a story about a time when life seems too overwhelming to confront. It is also a story of courage and acceptance, told with power and sensibility.” (chriscrutcher.com) ALA Best Book for Young AdultsALA Best of the Best Books for Young Adults1991 South Dakota YARP Best Books List Image from www.chriscrutcher.com

18. Athletic Shorts1991 These six powerful short stories chronicle bits of the lives of characters, major and minor, who have walked the rugged terrain of Chris Crutcher's earlier works. They also introduce some new and unforgettable personalities who may well be heard from again in future books. As with all Crutcher's work, these are stories about athletes, and yet they are not sport stories. They are tales of love and death, bigotry and heroism, of real people doing their best even when that best isn't very good. Crutcher's straightforward style and total honesty have earned him an admiring audience and made readers of many nonreaders. (chriscrutcher.com) "If the stereotype of the `bonehead jock' is ever to be defeated, it will be at Crutcher's hands. In these six short stories, he and his athlete protagonists take on such weighty issues as racism, homophobia, sexism and the teenager's essential task of coming to terms with his parents. “~Publisher's Weekly ALA Best of the Best Books for Young AdultsALA Best Book for YAALA Quick Pick for Reluctant ReadersSLJ Best BookSLJ Best of the Best Book1992 Michigan Library Association Best Young Adult Book Nominee 1992-1993 Maine Student Book Award Nominee 1995 Garden State Teen Book Award Nominee 2004 Isinglass Teen Read Awards Image from www.chriscrutcher.com

19. Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes1993 “When Sarah Byrnes was three years old, her condition became synonymous with her surname. Her face and hands were badly burned in a mysterious accident, and her father refused to allow reconstructive surgery. She developed a suit of cold, stainless steel armor to defend herself against the taunts of a world insensitive to her pain. You enter into Sarah Byrnes's world on her terms, or you don't enter. Enter Eric Calhoune--Moby to his friends. Eric passed through his early years on a steady diet of Oreos and Twinkies and root beer floats, and he sports the girth to prove it. Because of their "terminal uglies," he and Sarah Byrnes have become true masters in the art of underhanded revenge directed at anyone who dares to offend their sensibilities. Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes is a darkly funny, suspenseful novel about friendship, fear, and making the best of a bad situation. Once again Chris Crutcher slaps us in the face with compelling questions that demand dignified answers.” (chriscrutcher.com) ALA Best Book for YASLJ Best Book for YAAmerican Booksellers Pick of the ListCalifornia Young Reader Medalist1995 Joan Fassler Memorial Book AwardALA Best of the Best Books for YAPublisher's Weekly Starred Review1994 South Dakota YARP Best BooksNominee 1995-1996 Iowa Teen Award Nominee 1995-1996 SC YA Book Award Nominee 1996 Young Reader's Choice Award Nominee 1996-1997 ILF Rosie Image from www.chriscrutcher.com

20. Commentary on Sarah Byrnes “As a counselor listening to really tough stories, I was inspired by how strong and courageous families are… There really was a 3-year-old girl who was deliberately burned when her stepfather pressed her face against the wood stove to get back at her mother. There are random things that turn your head (Follos).” "...an emotional look at the helplessness of isolation and the redemption that comes from reaching out.  Crutcher offers no easy answers --- no happily ever afters. But he does offer hope. He celebrates heroics, one brave step at a time...a riveting read --- for teens, and adults who love them." ~Teenreads.com

21. Ironman1995 “Bo Brewster has been at war with his father for as long as he can remember. Following angry outbursts at his football coach and English teacher that have cost him his spot on the football team and moved him dangerously close to expulsion from school, he turns to the only adult he believes will listen: Larry King. Ironmanis a funny, sometimes heartbreaking story about growing up in the heart of struggle. It is about standing up, getting knocked down, and standing up again. It is about being heard--and learning to listen.” (chriscrutcher.com) ALA Best Book for YANew York Public Library Books for the Teen AgeSLJ Best BookAmerican Bookseller Pick of the ListALA Quick Pick for Reluctant ReadersCalifornia Young Reader MedalistALA Best of the Best Books for YAHorn Book FanfareParent's Choice Silver Honor1996 South Dakota YARP Best Books 2003 Mock Printz Survey for 1996Nominee 1998 Garden State Teen Book AwardNominee 1997-1998 SC YA Book AwardNominee 1997 Nevada Young Reader Award Image from www.chriscrutcher.com

22. Commentary on Ironman “’If you ever want to see how something works, look at it broken (Ironman).’ I never get over the curiosity that goes with looking at things broken and I never stop learning things about myself (Carter).” "[Crutcher is] a terrific storyteller with a wonderful handle on what it's like to be an adolescent."~New York Times Book Review "With its highly charged intensity channeled into riveting prose, an array of eccentric and strong characterizations, and dramatic plot climax...Ironman is a combination of the psychological and the sports novel at their best."~Booklist

23. Whale Talk2001 “A group of misfits brought together by T. J. Jones (the J is redundant) to find their places in a school that has no place for them, the Cutter All Night Mermen struggle to carve out their own turf. T. J. is convinced that a varsity letter jacket--unattainable for most, exclusive, revered, the symbol (as far as T. J. is concerned) of all that is screwed up at Cutter High--will be an effective carving tool. He's right. He's also wrong. Chris Crutcher is in top form with a cast of characters--adults, children, and teenagers--fighting for dignity in a world where tragedy and comedy dance side by side, where a moment's inattention can bring lifelong heartache, and where true acceptance is the only prescription for what ails us.” (chriscrutcher.com) 2005 ALA Popular Paperbacks for YA2002 ABC Children's Booksellers Choices Award2002 Washington State Book Award 2002 Pacific Northwest Booksellers Award2002 Outstanding Sports Book Award/YA ALA Best Book for YATLA Tayshas ListNew York Public Library Books for the Teen AgeALA Top 10 Best Books for YABook Sense 76 Pick Image from www.chriscrutcher.com

24. Commentary on Whale Talk "Crutcher's superior gifts as a storyteller and his background as a working therapist combine to make magic in Whale Talk. The thread of truth in his fiction reminds us that heroes can come in any shape, color, ability or size, and friendship can bridge nearly any divide. A truly exceptional book." ~Washington Post "[Crutcher] uses well-constructed characters and quick pacing to examine how the sometimes cruel and abusive circumstances of life affect every link in the human chain. A heartwrenching series of plot twists leads to an end in which goodness at least partially prevails."  ~Booklist "Crutcher is at his darkest but also his funniest here, and the book conveys his most timely message—forgiveness, not revenge."~VOYA "Crutcher's wry wisecracking is in full force in WHALE TALK's hero, T. J. Jones, whose good heart and flair for the sarcastic make him one of my favorite teen book characters ever." ~Teenreads.com

25. King of the Mild Frontier2003An “Ill-Advised” Autobiography “Before anything else, let me declare that I acquired my coonskin cap through the miracle of roadkill. No single raccoon was slaughtered for the frivolous purpose of linking my autobiography to the late, great Davy Crockett…. I began writing this autobiography in response to the question all authors hear more than any other, and few answer adequately:  "Where do you get your ideas?" (I've had little luck with, "Pocatello, Idaho," as an answer, and not much more with, "The same place you get your.")  The truth is, I get my ideas from my life, and I thought it might be fun and interesting to highlight some of those times and places(chriscrutcher.com).” Images from www.chriscrutcher.com

26. Acclaim for KOTMF "Seldom has the fraught and difficult time of adolescence had so fine a chronicler as Chris Crutcher, the multi-award-winning author of some of the best known and most loved young adult novels, including Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes, Whale Talk, Ironman, and Running Loose. Now he's written a memoir, King of the Mild Frontier: An Ill-Advised Autobiography (Greenwillow, 2003), in which he tells the story of his formative years in Cascade, Idaho. Fans of Crutcher's novels know that he writes winsomely in a tone that is both humorous and heartbreaking. It's no different in his memoir, except that here he shows himself willing to discuss some difficult issues in his own life, including an overly demanding father, an alcoholic mother, the effects of being burdened with a terrible temper, and no athletic ability. From the cover - a buck and gap-toothed kid grinning goofily - to the insight the book gives into his own novels, this is a must-read for anyone, of any age, interested in young adults and their literature." Nancy Pearl, Washington Center for the BookKUOW Public Radio's "The Beat" -- September 22, 2003 (www.chriscrutcher.com)

27. Deadline2007 "Emotionally spare but deeply touching, the relationship between Ben and his brother will resonate with many readers, while others may find the several strong father figures comforting. Secondary characters add humor and balance...,Crutcher uses dark humor and self-deprecation effectively to avoid maudlin situations, and teens will appreciate the respectful tone of the work.“ —Chris Shoemaker, New York Public LibraryFrom School Library Journal “Deadline is glorious. Funny, spiritual, honest, and profound--there's some adjectives for you. Thank you, thank you for this major contribution to YA literature." ~Patty Campbell, author, YA literature expert, editor at Scarecrow Press, children's book reviewer for the New York Times (chriscrutcher.com) Image from www.chriscrutcher.com

28. Angry Management2009 "Fans will be entranced by Angry Management’s melding of beloved Crutcher characters, brought back to us in three gripping novellas. Crutcher continues to amaze me with words so humorous and simple and yet so crushing that I find myself laughing aloud while recoiling from the ache in my heart. Those who are new to Crutcher’s inimitable style will surely want more of the characters that long-standing fans have come to think of as friends. Angry Management may be Crutcher’s best work yet." Dr. Stephanie D. ReynoldsMcConnell Children's Literature Conference University of Kentucky/ School of Library and Information Science (www.chriscrutcher.com) Image from www.chriscrutcher.com

29. On Writing “I usually end up dragging the 1964 Chris Crutcher, or parts of him, into the era in which I'm telling the story. At least I drag out his sensibilities. I also spend a lot of time with teenagers and with parents of teenagers in my work (teenreads.com).”

30. On Writing “In therapy, I'm listening to my client's rendition of their lives. I'm listening to their stories. I may be digging into it, asking where this came from, where that's going; but as a therapist I'm just receiving, exploring, playing around with what is. As a writer I do just the opposite. I ask myself the same questions I would ask a client, same things I would have to discover from them; but I determine the outcome. I do take my stories from the confusion or the angst of teenagers, so you could say my stories may be a response to therapy (teenreads.com).”

31. On Reading “I hope sometime, after I'm dead, somebody hands some kid my book and the kid says why don't you give me something that is in my time, that I can care about? There is a place for the classics, but you have to be ready for them. If you're not, you can kill the beauty of a classic by forcing it (teenreads.com).”

32. Crutcher’s Favorite Book in High School Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird “The sad thing is, nobody learned from our responses to give us more books like that. Not to brag, but if somebody had given me my books in school, I'd have read every one of them. I'd have read writers like Chris Lynch, Rob Thomas and Lois Lowry, but they weren't around. And even if they were, nobody was going to give me their books. Nobody even gave me Catcher in the Rye, and I would have read the hell out of that. They weren't giving us current stuff, because they were too afraid we might start thinking for ourselves (teenreads.com).” Cover image from www.barnesandnoble.com

33. Influential Experiences As a kid, Chris lived in a small town and went to a small high school. “In a place like Cascade, if I didn’t turn my homework in, my parents knew by the time I got home. My dad was chairman of the school board and the superintendent of schools (also the principal and part-time math teacher) was one of his better friends. I didn’t get away with much (Jenkinson).”

34. Influential Experiences Chris had no choice about being an athlete. “When your school has only 103 kids in the top four grades, you go out for sports or they beat the hell out of you. You figured it was more fun to be beat up with a helmet on than with a helmet off. In that sense, I was an athlete (Jenkinson).” Image from www.chriscrutcher.com

35. Admired Authors • Pat Conroy • Kurt Vonnegut • Tim O’Brien • Christopher Paul Curtis • Terry Davis (Lesesne)

36. Banned! Because Crutcher’s topics are controversial: “child abuse and neglect, racism, school athletics, and sexual orientation” (Martin), he is a frequently challenged and / or banned writer. Two of his books (Athletic Shorts, Running Loose) are on ALA’s Most Banned Books list (Martin). As a result, he has become an advocate for free speech and abolition of censorship. “My intent in writing a story is never to shock or undermine. It is to tell a truth – a small truth – as I know it. It is the job of the fiction writer to reflect the world as she or he sees it rather than to depict it in some wishful way (Martin).”

37. Banned! “You have to tell the truth and you have to be protective about your characters. Truth is best told in its native tongue, so I let my characters speak for themselves. To take any words away because someone finds them objectionable would be like denying someone the right to free speech (Lesesne).” “It’s risky business letting people have their own lives, particularly if they are our children (Carter).” Image from www.chriscrutcher.com

38. Facts for Students • Crutcher used to “borrow” his older brother’s perfect book reports and submit them as his own work. • Crutcher on school: “What I wanted out of school was out of school.I had school phobia (Follos).” • He worked hard to be a “C” student on purpose. “Along about junior high, I started letting my parents get the idea that I was somewhat brain damaged (Jenkinson).” • Crutcher believes “humor is an amazing healer (Carter).” His heroes are often smart and sarcastic.

39. Why I Chose Chris Crutcher I wanted to read an author whose work dealt with areas I generally don’t gravitate toward. Crutcher’s narrators are male athletes (I am no sports fan!) and they deal with gritty social issues I am not drawn to reading about because they are so disturbing. I wanted to stretch myself as a reader and found that Crutcher’s work is gripping, funny, and enjoyable. I read Whale Talk, The Crazy Horse Electric Game, Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes, and Chinese Handcuffs; of those, I most enjoyed Whale Talk because Crutcher’s style was clearly more sophisticated than in some of his earlier works. I also enjoyed the wit of T.J. Jones, his narrator. I now have a new author to recommend.

40. Final Thoughts “Our lives are made up of a series of losses and our grace can be measured by how we face those losses, and how we replace what is lost. What I’m talking about there is the process of grief, which is one of the most important things we do as humans – taking the risk of losing one thing so that we can go on to the next (Blasingame).”

41. Works Cited Author, Chris Crutcher - Homepage. Web. 29 Nov. 2009. <http://www.chriscrutcher.com>. "Author Profile: Chris Crutcher." Teenreads.com. Web. 29 Nov. 2009. <http://www.teenreads.com/authors/au-crutcher-chris-2.asp>. Blasingame, James, and Chris Crutcher. "INTERVIEW WITH CHRIS CRUTCHER." Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy 46.8 (2003): 696. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 3Nov. 2009. Blasingame, James, and Chris Crutcher "AN INTERVIEW WITH CHRIS CRUTCHER." Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy 51.6 (2008): 519-520. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 3Nov. 2009. Carter, Betty "Eyes Wide Open. (Cover story)." School Library Journal 46.6 (2000): 42. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 3Nov. 2009. Follos, Alison M. G. "Author Profile: The "3 C's" of Chris Crutcher." Library Media Connection 25.3 (2006): 40-43. Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts with Full Text. EBSCO. Web. 3 Nov. 2009. Jenkinson, Dave "Chris Crutcher: YA author bats 4 for 4 on.." Emergency Librarian 18.3 (1991): 67. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 3 Nov. 2009. Lesesne, Teri S. "Banned in Berlin: An interview with Chris Crutcher." Emergency Librarian 23.5 (1996): 61. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 3 Nov. 2009. Martin, Phil, et al. "Writers who make a difference." Writer 117.1 (2004): 21. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 3 Nov. 2009. Zaleski, Jeff, and Jennifer M. Brown "PW Talks with Chris Crutcher." Publishers Weekly 248.11 (2001): 92. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 3Nov. 2009.