Theodore Taylor (author)

Theodore Taylor
Born Theodore Langhans Taylor
(1921-06-23)June 23, 1921
Statesville, North Carolina, United States
Died October 26, 2006(2006-10-26) (aged 85)
Laguna Beach, California, United States
Occupation Writer

Theodore Langhans Taylor (June 23, 1921, Statesville, North Carolina, United States – October 26, 2006, Laguna Beach, California) was an American author of more than 50 fiction and non-fiction books for young adult readers, including The Cay, The Weirdo (winner of the 1992 Edgar Award for Best Young Adult Mystery), Ice Drift, Timothy of the Cay, The Bomb, Sniper, and Rogue Wave.[1]

Taylor died on October 26, 2006 in Laguna Beach, CA, from complications of a heart attack.

The Cay

The Cay, Taylor's story of a racially prejudiced white boy stranded with a black man, has become perhaps the most beloved of his young adult novels. It took only three weeks to complete, and has seen worldwide sales around four million. Taylor based the character of the boy in his book on a childhood friend. "The one thing I remembered about [him] was that his mother had taught him to hate black people and to hate them with a passion," Taylor once told a reporter from the Los Angeles Times. In the book, the boy sheds his racist views as he learns to admire and respect the black man who rescues him from the ocean, especially after he goes blind. For a short period of time The Cay was banned and was classified as racist.

References

  1. ↑ Adam Bernstein (October 30, 2006). "Obituary: Theodore Taylor, 85; Author of 'The Cay'". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 29, 2016.
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