Jerry Stanley (author)
Jerry Stanley is the author of several highly praised books for young readers. He is a former professor of history at California State University. He was expelled from high school at age 17 for fighting, and was always told by people around him that he was so dumb he could never finish school. After that he joined the Air Force to get away from home and began to take correspondence courses.
When he left the service, Jerry enrolled in a junior college, the event that he sees as the turning point in his life. He graduated with honors and decided to major in history. Afterwards he went on to a university, where he began to
write in all seriousness. Stanley mostly did non-fiction writing, as that was
what interested him most, being a historian. He says that writing about Okie
children gave him a certain amount of compassion for them not purely because of
their hardships, but because he felt that he had experienced some of what they
went through as well, being told they were too stupid and couldn’t go to school.
However, they built their own school, got an education, and went on to succeed.
Stanley still writes and teaches California history, the American West, and
Native Americans and California Indians. He says that he is not exactly sure
what makes a good writer, but that probably anyone can do it if they have a true
commitment (Random House).
When he left the service, Jerry enrolled in a junior college, the event that he sees as the turning point in his life. He graduated with honors and decided to major in history. Afterwards he went on to a university, where he began to
write in all seriousness. Stanley mostly did non-fiction writing, as that was
what interested him most, being a historian. He says that writing about Okie
children gave him a certain amount of compassion for them not purely because of
their hardships, but because he felt that he had experienced some of what they
went through as well, being told they were too stupid and couldn’t go to school.
However, they built their own school, got an education, and went on to succeed.
Stanley still writes and teaches California history, the American West, and
Native Americans and California Indians. He says that he is not exactly sure
what makes a good writer, but that probably anyone can do it if they have a true
commitment (Random House).