Janet McDonald
| Janet McDonald | |
|---|---|
| Born |
August 10, 1953 Brooklyn, United States |
| Died |
April 11, 2007 (aged 53) Paris, France |
| Occupation | Attorney, Author |
| Genre | Young adult fiction, Memoir |
Janet McDonald (August 10, 1953 - April 11, 2007)[1] was an American writer of young adult novels as well as the author of Project Girl, a memoir about her early life in the Brooklyn projects and struggle to achieve an Ivy League education. Her best known children's book is Spellbound, which tells the story of a teenaged mother who wins a spelling competition and a college scholarship. The book was named as the American Library Association's Best Book for Young Adults in 2002.[2]
In addition to books, McDonald also wrote articles for publications such as Slate, including one in which she paid psychic Sylvia Browne $700 for a telephone reading.[3] McDonald was a member of Mensa, the high IQ society.[4][5]
After graduating from Vassar (1977), Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism (1984), and New York University Law School (1986),[6] McDonald practiced law in New York City (1986-1989) and Seattle (1989-1991).[7] She took a position as an intern at a Paris law firm (1991-1993) before moving to Olympia, Washington to work in the Attorney General's office and teach French language classes at Evergreen State College.[8] McDonald settled in Paris in 1995 to work first as an international attorney and then as a writer, until she died of cancer in 2007.[9]
Bibliography
Books
- — (1999). Project Girl. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN 0-374-23757-3. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
- — (2003). Spellbound. New York, N.Y., U.S.A: Puffin Books. ISBN 0-14-250193-X. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
- — (2003). Twists and Turns. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN 0-374-40006-7. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
- — (2004). Brother Hood. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN 0-374-30995-7. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
- — (2006). Chill Wind. Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR). ISBN 0-374-41183-2. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
- — (2006). Harlem Hustle. Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR). ISBN 0-374-37184-9. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
- — (2007). Off-Color. Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR). ISBN 0-374-37196-2. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
- — (2004). Skin Deep (Anthology) "Zebra Girl". Puffin Books. ISBN 978-0141315058. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
- — (2011). Paris Was Ours (Anthology) "Just Another American". Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill. ISBN 978-1-56512-953-5. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
Articles
- McDonald, Janet (Nov–Dec 2005). "Up the Down Staircase: Where Snoop and Shakespeare Meet". Horn Book Magazine 81 (6): 747–750. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
- McDonald, Janet (Fall 2003). "X-Patriate". Literary Review 47 (1): 58–62.
- McDonald, Janet (Summer 2002). "Double Life". Literary Review 45 (4): 679–685.
- McDonald, Janet (Jan 1999). "Educating Janet". Teacher Magazine 10 (4): 46–52.
- McDonald, Janet (15 Feb 2002). "Booklist Interview". Booklist 98 (12): 1026.
- McDonald, Janet (May 1994). "A Sister in Paris". Essence 25 (1): 54.
- McDonald, Janet (8 Jan 2003). "Crystal bawl". Slate. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
- McDonald, Janet (24 Aug 1998). "Black like (white) me". Slate. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
- McDonald, Janet (4 Feb 1999). "A dime bag for the schoolgirl". Slate. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
- McDonald, Janet (16 Jan 2001). "Project Girls". The Village Voice. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
Quotes
- "Freedom is ... not about nothing left to lose, it's about nothing left to be; you don't have to be anything."[10]
- "Paris is where I became possible. It's where I became free."[11]
References
- ↑ Ross-Stroud, Catherine (2009). Janet McDonald: The Original Project Girl. Scarecrow Press. p. 1.
- ↑ "2002 Best Books for Young Adults". American Library Association. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
- ↑ "Articles by Janet McDonald". Slate. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
- ↑ Powers, Retha (2007). "Janet McDonald 1953-2007: make some noise for the Project Girl". Black Issues Book Review.
- ↑ Project Girl, page 183, 1st ed.
- ↑ http://biography.jrank.org/pages/128/McDonald-Janet-1953.html
- ↑ Ross-Stroud, Catherine (2009). Janet McDonald: The Original Project Girl. Scarecrow Press. pp. xi–xii.
- ↑ Ross-Stroud, Catherine (2009). Janet McDonald: The Original Project Girl. Scarecrow Press. pp. xii.
- ↑ Ross-Stroud, Catherine (2009). Janet McDonald: The Original Project Girl. Scarecrow Press. pp. xii–xiii.
- ↑ Americans in Paris, a 2000 episode of This American Life, featuring McDonald
- ↑ Powers, Retha (2007). "Janet McDonald 1953-2007: make some noise for the Project Girl". Black Issues Book Review. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
Further reading
- Catherine Ross-Stroud. "Urban Hip-Hop Fiction: Janet McDonald." Encyclopedia of Hip-Hop Literature, Ed. Tarshia Stanley. Greenwood Press, 2008.
External links
- Slate Various articles by McDonald, 1998-2003
- This American Life "Americans in Paris", 2000 (extended radio interview with McDonald, beginning at 41.05)
- Entrée to Black Paris "Remembering Janet McDonald", 2011
- The Literary Explorer "The Wind Blew It Away" by Thomas E. Kennedy, 2001
- The ALAN Review "A Talk with Janet McDonald" by Catherine Ross-Stroud, Fall 2009
- HipMama "Twists and Turns" by Jennifer Williams, 2003
- C-Span Book Discussion Janet McDonald discusses Project Girl, 1999
- L.A. Times Book Review "Caught in Life's Harsh Extremes" by Susie Linfield, 1999
- Spirit of Black Paris "Janet's Own Rhythm" by Julia Browne, 2007
- Reading Eagle "From Projects to Paris" Associated Press, 1999
- The Birmingham Post (England) "Letter from Paris", 1999
- Forever Missed Memorial Page by Janet McDonald's Family
- Newsday "Talking With Janet McDonald / I Will Survive" by Sheryl McCarthy, 2000
- Go Brooklyn "Tales From the Hood" by Lisa J. Curtis, 2004
- Serving House Journal "You Don’t Remember Me, But I Remember You - For Janet McDonald" by Thomas E. Kennedy, 2011
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