Jewell Parker Rhodes facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jewell Parker Rhodes
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | 1954 (age 70–71) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Occupation | Novelist, professor |
| Alma mater | Carnegie Mellon University |
Jewell Parker Rhodes (born in 1954 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is a famous American novelist and teacher. She writes many popular books, especially for young readers.
She is known for her New York Times bestselling books like Black Brother, Black Brother and Ghost Boys. Ghost Boys has won over 50 awards, including The Walter Award and the Jane Addams Children’s Book Award. Jewell Parker Rhodes also wrote Towers Falling and the Louisiana Girls Trilogy, which includes Ninth Ward (a Coretta Scott King Honor Award winner), Sugar, and Bayou Magic. Her newest book for young readers is Will's Race for Home.
Rhodes has also written several books for adults. These include Voodoo Dreams and Magic City, which is about the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. She also wrote a memoir and two guides about writing.
Jewell Parker Rhodes often speaks at colleges and conferences. A main goal in all her work is to inspire people to care about social justice, fairness, and protecting our environment. She helps lead the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing at Arizona State University.
Early Life and Education
Jewell Parker Rhodes grew up in Manchester, a neighborhood in Pittsburgh. When she was a child, she loved to read many books. She started college studying drama, but then she found African-American literature and decided to switch to writing.
She earned three degrees from Carnegie Mellon University. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Drama Criticism, a Master of Arts in English, and a Doctor of Arts in English (Creative Writing).
Her Writing Style and Themes
Jewell Parker Rhodes's books have been translated into many languages, like French, German, and Japanese. Her stories have also been made into audiobooks and featured on NPR. She often speaks at literary festivals and writing conferences around the world.
Many of Rhodes's books for middle schoolers focus on social justice issues. These stories often explore challenges faced by Black communities throughout history and today. They also highlight themes of community and working together.
For example, her book Ghost Boys talks about unfair treatment and connects past events with the present. The main character in the story faces challenges with law enforcement and learns from history. Rhodes's books encourage everyone in a community to work together with respect and understanding. They show young readers how to think about important issues, learn more, and take action.
Awards and Honors
Jewell Parker Rhodes has received many awards for her powerful writing:
- 2003: American Book Award (for Douglass' Women)
- 2003: Black Caucus of the American Library Award for Fiction (for Douglass' Women)
- 2003: PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award
- 2010: Parents' Choice Foundation Gold Award (for Ninth Ward)
- 2011: Coretta Scott King Honor Award (for Ninth Ward)
- 2014: Jane Addams Children's Book Award (for Sugar)
- 2018: E.B. White Read Aloud Award (for Ghost Boys)
- 2018: NAIBA Book of the Year (for Ghost Boys)
- 2019: Walter Dean Myers Award for Outstanding Children’s Literature in the Young Readers category (for Ghost Boys)
- 2020: New England Book Award, Top 10 Kids' Indie Next Pick (for Black Brother, Black, Brother)
- 2021: Finalist, NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work for Youth/Teens (for Black Brother, Black, Brother)
- 2022: Green Earth Book Award (for Paradise on Fire)
- 2023: The Center for Black Literature Octavia E. Butler Award for Speculative Fiction and Fantasy
