Kristin Hunter facts for kids

Kristin Elaine Hunter (born September 12, 1931 – died November 14, 2008) was an amazing African-American writer from Pennsylvania. She sometimes used the name Kristin Hunter Lattany. She is famous for her first book, God Bless the Child, which came out in 1964.

About Kristin Hunter

Kristin Elaine Eggleston was born in Philadelphia. She went to Haddon Heights High School. When she was just 14 years old, she started writing for the Pittsburgh Courier newspaper. She wrote a special column for young people.

She continued writing for the newspaper until 1952. This was one year after she finished college at the University of Pennsylvania. She earned a degree in Education there in 1951.

Her Writing Career

In 1955, Kristin Hunter won a national TV contest for a script she wrote called Minority of One. This was a big achievement!

Her first and most famous book, God Bless the Child, was published in 1964. It won the Philadelphia Athenaeum Literary Award. Many of her books talked about important social topics like race and fairness.

Another one of her books, The Landlord, came out in 1966. It was later made into a movie in 1970 by Hal Ashby. In 1973, her collection of short stories, Guests in the Promised Land, was nominated for the National Book Award. This is a very important award for writers.

Teaching and Awards

Kristin Hunter also shared her knowledge with others. In 1972, she started teaching English at the University of Pennsylvania. She taught there until she retired in 1995. She also taught for a while at Emory University.

In 1996, she received the Moonstone Black Writing Celebration Lifetime Achievement Award. This award honored her long and successful career as a writer.

Her Life

Kristin Hunter married Joseph Hunter in 1952. They later divorced in 1962. She then married John Lattany in 1968.

She passed away in 2008 when she was 77 years old. She had a heart attack at her home in Magnolia, New Jersey.

Kristin Hunter's Books

Here are some of the books Kristin Hunter wrote:

• God Bless the Child, 1964.
• The Landlord, 1966.
• The Soul Brothers and Sister Lou (This book won the National Council on Interracial Books for the Children Award), 1968.
• Boss Cat, 1971.
• Guests in the Promised Land (a collection of stories; nominated for the National Book Award), 1973.
• The Survivors, 1975.
• The Lakestown Rebellion, 1978.
• Lou in the Limelight, 1981.
• Kinfolks, 1996.
• The Scribe, 1998.
• Do Unto Others, 2000.
• Breaking Away, 2003.
• Mom Luby and the Social Worker ,