Draper, Sharon M(ills) 1950-

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DRAPER, Sharon M(ills) 1950-

PERSONAL: Born 1950, in Cleveland, OH; daughter of Victor D. (a hotel manager) and Catherine (a gardener) Mills; married Larry E. Draper (an educator); children: Wendy, Damon, Crystal, Cory. Ethnicity: "African American." Education: Pepperdine University, B.A.; Miami University (Oxford, OH), M.A. Hobbies and other interests: Reading; "I won't read junk; there's no time to waste on poorly written books."

ADDRESSES: Office—P.O. Box 36551, Cincinnati, OH 45236. Agent—Janell Agyeman, Marie Brown Associates Inc., 990 Northeast 82nd Terrace, Miami, FL 33138. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Public speaker, poet, and author. Walnut Hills High School, Cincinnati, OH, English teacher and head of department, 1970—; Mayerson Academy, associate; Duncanson artist-in-residence at Taft Museum.

MEMBER: International Reading Association, American Federation of Teachers, National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (member of board of directors, 1995—), National Council of Teachers of English, Ohio Council of Teachers of English Language Arts, Conference on English Leadership, Delta Kappa Gamma, Phi Delta Kappa, Women's City Club.

AWARDS, HONORS: First prize, Ebony Literary Contest, 1991, for short story "One Small Torch"; Coretta Scott King Genesis Award, American Library Association (ALA), Best Book for Young Adults, ALA, Best Books, Children's Book Council (CBC)/Bank Street College, Books for the Teen Age, New York Public Library, and Notable Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies, National Council for the Social Studies, all 1995, for Tears of a Tiger, and all 1998, for Forged by Fire; named Outstanding High School English Language Arts Educator, Ohio Council of Teachers of English Language Arts, 1995; Midwest regional winner, National Council of Negro Women Excellence in Teaching Award, 1996; Ohio Governor's Educational Leadership Award, 1996; National Teacher of the Year, 1997; ALA Best Book designation, International Reading Association (IRA) Notable Book designation, and Books for the Teen Age designee, New York Public Library, all 2000, all for Romiette and Julio; IRA Children's Choice, 2001, and IRA Young-Adult Choice, 2003, both for Darkness before Dawn; CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Book, and ALA among ALA Top Ten Sports Books, both 2003, both for Double Dutch; Milken Family Foundation National Educator Award; YWCA Career Woman of Achievement award; Dean's Award, Howard University School of Education; Pepperdine University Distinguished Alumnus Award; Marva Collins Education Excellence Award; named Ohio State Department of Education Pioneer in Education. Honorary degrees include D.H.L, College of Mount Saint Joseph, and D.H., Cincinnati State University.

WRITINGS:

FOR CHILDREN

Ziggy and the Black Dinosaurs, Just Us Books (East Orange, NJ), 1994.

Ziggy and the Black Dinosaurs: Lost in the Tunnel of Time, Just Us Books, (East Orange, NJ), 1996.

Ziggy and the Black Dinosaurs: Shadows of Caesar's Creek, Just Us Books (East Orange, NJ), 1997.

FOR YOUNG ADULTS

Tears of a Tiger, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1994.

Forged by Fire, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1997.

Romiette and Julio, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1999.

Jazzimagination, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1999.

Darkness before Dawn, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2001.

Double Dutch, Simon & Schuster, 2002.

The Battle of Jericho, Simon & Schuster, 2003.

OTHER

Teaching from the Heart: Reflections, Encouragement, and Inspiration, Heinemann (Portsmouth, NH), 2000.

Not Quite Burned Out but Crispy around the Edges: Inspiration, Laughter, and Encouragement for Teachers, Heinemann (Portsmouth, NH), 2001.

Also author of Let the Circle Be Unbroken (children's poetry), and Buttered Bones (poetry for adults). Contributor of poems and short stories to literary magazines; contributor of essay "The Touch of a Teacher" to What Governors Need to Know about Education, Center for Policy Research of the National Governor's Association.

ADAPTATIONS: All of Draper's books have been recorded on audiocassette, Recorded Books.com.

SIDELIGHTS: Sharon M. Draper is a teacher and writer with a philosophy that guides her in how she teaches and what she writes. That philosophy is evident in remarks she made about being honored as the 1997 National Teacher of the Year: "It is a wonderful honor, but also an awesome responsibility—to be the spokesperson and advocate for education in America. I was ready for this challenge, however, because I had been preparing for this work my entire life." Reading, teaching, and writing are all connected for Draper, who wanted to be a teacher since childhood. As she once told an interviewer, "I was an avid reader. I read every single book in the elementary school library, all of them. I did not plan to be a writer until much, much later. I tell students all the time that in order to be a good writer it is necessary first to be a good reader. You need some information in your head. Reading is input. Writing is output. You can't write without input."

Born to Victor and Catherine Mills in Cleveland, Ohio, Draper was the eldest of three children raised in a close-knit neighborhood. Her father worked as a hotel manager and her mother as an administrator at the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Theirs was a family where education was a given. The question was not "would you attend college, it was where and to study what," Draper explained in her interview. Draper entered Cleveland Public Schools in the 1950s from a home where she had grown up surrounded by books. Her mother read stories, poems, fairytales, and nursery rhymes to Draper and her siblings from the time they were very young. She recalls a teacher who once "gave me O's for outstanding, saying an A wasn't good enough." A fifth-grade teacher gave Draper and her fellow students poetry by Langston Hughes and Robert Frost. They read and loved Shakespeare. "We didn't know we weren't supposed to be able to do that in fifth grade. She gave it to us and we loved it," Draper said. "It was part of making me the teacher I am today."

Draper attended Pepperdine University as a National Merit Scholar, majoring in English. Upon graduation in 1971, she returned to Ohio where she married and assumed a teaching position in the Cincinnati Public Schools where she still works. Her experience teaching public school since 1972 has given her some definite ideas on the reading habits of teens. "I know what kids like—what they will read, and what they won't. Although I have nothing against Charles Dickens, many teenagers would rather gag than read him. Dickens wrote for his contemporaries—young people of a hundred and fifty years ago. American students might need to know about the world of London in the 1860s, but they would much rather read about their own world first. Not only will they read about recognizable experiences with pleasure, but they will also be encouraged to write as well."

According to an essayist in the St. James Guide to Young Adult Writers, "Draper's works address the problems African Americans face in a predominantly white society, specifically stereotyping of black males. They also examine the dynamics of African-American families and communities. Her . . . fiction is energetic and intense, as characters become self aware and attain emotional growth. She often creates mystery plots as a means for characters to be introspective and explore their identities. She sets her books in Cincinnati where she lives and teaches, suggesting a familiarity with her characters and community that enhances their realism."

In 1994 Draper began her "Ziggy" series, writing for a young audience about African-American history and folklore. Ziggy and his friends, who call themselves the Black Dinosaurs, begin their adventures in the first book, Ziggy and the Black Dinosaurs, In the second book, Lost in the Tunnel of Time, Ziggy and friends, on a field trip to the Ohio River, learn about the Underground Railroad and the tunnels the slaves used to escape the South. In the third volume, Shadows of Caesar's Creek, Draper makes connections between African Americans and Native Americans.

In 1994 Draper published the young-adult novel Tears of a Tiger, a story about Andy Jackson, a black youth who struggles to make sense of the death of his best friend, Robert, in an automobile accident in which Andy was the driver. Andy must live with his friend's last words: "Oh God, please don't let me die like this! Andy!" The two teenagers had been drinking beer with their friends Tyrone and B. J. in celebration of a victory by their high school basketball team. Tyrone and B. J. are able to move past the awful pain caused by the accident: Tyrone finds support from his girlfriend Rhonda, B. J. through religion. Andy, however, is racked with guilt, grief, and pain that does not subside with time.

According to critics, Tears of a Tiger shows the difficulties in healing a damaged teenager. Draper also places in her narrative characters who represent institutional attitudes confronting the young black male: In one episode, teachers discuss how Andy's grief cannot be all that serious since he is black. Andy also internalizes ideas about himself that prevent him from realizing his full capabilities; for example, he thinks he cannot be successful academically because he is a basketball player. Merri Monks, writing in Booklist, observed that "Andy's perceptions of the racism directed toward young black males—by teachers, guidance counselors, and clerks in shopping malls—will be recognized by African-American YAs."

Critics of Tears of a Tiger found that Draper effectively uses dialog to advance the story. Kathy Fritts, writing in the School Library Journal, pointed out that "the characters' voices are strong, vivid, and ring true. This moving novel will leave a deep impression." Furthermore, Draper's use of news stories, journal entries, homework assignments, and letters gives the novel an immediacy that adds to its power. Although some critics faulted Draper for a tendency to be preachy, most commented similarly to Monks, who remarked that the work's "characters and their experiences will captivate teen readers." In Publishers Weekly, a reviewer concluded that "the combination of raw energy and intense emotions should stimulate readers." Dorothy M. Broderick, critiquing the work in Voice of Youth Advocates, wrote: "Suffice to say, not only is Draper an author to watch for, but that this is as compelling a novel as any published in the last two decades." Roger Sutton, writing in the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, stated that "rather than a tidy summary of suicide symptoms and 'ways to help,' readers instead get a grave portrait of unceasing despair and a larger picture of how young African-American men like Andy get lost in a system that will not trust or reach out to them." Tears of a Tiger received several honors, including the Coretta Scott King Genesis Award.

Forged by Fire, the 1997 sequel to Tears of a Tiger, has a similar socially relevant focus. Child sexual abuse and drug addiction replace suicide and racism, yet both books reach a tragic finality. Draper wrote Forged by Fire's first chapter as a short story, "One Small Touch," published in Ebony. The novel went on to win Draper her second Coretta Scott King Award.

Gerald Nickelby—a minor character in Tears of a Tiger—at age three was burned in a fire when left alone by his mother, Monique. After his hospital stay, Gerald goes to live with his Aunt Queen, a loving and supportive woman. Six years later, Monique reenters Gerald's life after Aunt Queen dies. Monique has married Jordan Sparks, the father of Angel, Gerald's new half-sister. Gerald learns that Sparks has sexually abused Angel and through the testimony of the children, Sparks is sent to prison. When Sparks returns six years later, Monique, who indulges too much in drugs, lets him return to family life where he once again attempts to sexually harm Angel.

Tom S. Hurlburt, reviewing Forged by Fire in School Library Journal, assessed the book's impact this way: "There's no all's-well ending, but readers will have hope for Gerald and Angel, who have survived a number of gut-wrenching ordeals by relying on their constant love and caring for one another." Candace Smith, writing in Booklist, concluded that "Draper faces some big issues (abuse, death, drugs) and provides concrete options and a positive African-American role model in Gerald."

In Darkness before Dawn Draper tells the story of high schooler Keisha Montgomery, who has just lost her ex-boyfriend to suicide and now must deal with an overly-aggressive track coach. Debbie Carton in Booklist believed that "the graduation scene, in which class president Keisha gives the closing speech, is moving and triumphant, showing Draper and her vibrant characters at their best." While Angela J. Reynolds in School Library Journal found that "readers may be overwhelmed by the soap-opera feel of this issue-laden world," Odette Cornwall, writing in the Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, concluded that "not only did Draper make Keisha real, but she also wove many prominent social issues faced by young adults today into the story line."

Double Dutch concerns a group of eighth graders with serious problems. Delia cannot read and does not want anyone to find out; her friend Randy fears that his father has deserted the family; and the violent Tolliver twins scare their new classmates. "Draper adeptly paints a convincing portrayal of how young people think, act, feel, and interact with one another," Connie Tyrrell Burns commented in School Library Journal. A critic for Kirkus Reviews found that "Delia and her friends are delightful, and the reader is rooting for them all the way."

Draper once commented: "I feel very blessed that I have had so much success in such a short time. I hope that my books can continue to make a difference in the lives of young people." In a statement posted on her Web site, Draper proclaimed: "I approach the world with the eyes of an artist, the ears of a musician, and the soul of a writer. I see rainbows where others see only rain, and possibilities when others see only problems."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

Contemporary Black Biography, Gale (Detroit, MI), Volume 16, 1998.

St. James Guide to Young Adult Writers, 2nd edition, St. James Press (Detroit, MI), 1999.

PERIODICALS

American Libraries, June, 1995, "Two New Awards," p. 487.

American Visions, December-January, 1995, p. 39.

Booklist, November 1, 1994, p. 492; April 1, 1995, p. 1416; March 15, 1996, p. 1278; February 15, 1997, pp. 1016-1017; January 1, 2001, review of Darkness before Dawn, p. 939.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, January, 1995, p. 164; June, 1997, p. 355.

Children's Book Review Service, February, 1997, p. 82.

Children's Bookwatch, February, 1995, p. 3.

Christian Science Monitor, May 5, 1997, David Holmstrom, "America's Top Teacher Gives Tough Assignments—and Plenty of Support," p. 12.

Ebony, December, 1990, pp. C18-19.

Emergency Librarian, September, 1996, p. 24.

English Journal, January, 1996, p. 87.

Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, April, 2002, Arina Zonnenberg, review of Romiette and Julio, p. 660, and Odette Cornwall, review of Darkness before Dawn, p. 661.

Kirkus Reviews, December 1, 1996, p. 1735; June 1, 2002, review of Double Dutch, p. 804.

Publishers Weekly, October 31, 1994, p. 64; January 15, 1996, p. 463; March 25, 1996, p. 85; December 16, 1996, p. 61; June 17, 2002, review of Double Dutch, p. 66.

School Library Journal, February, 1995, p. 112; March, 1995, p. 202; August, 1996, p. 142; March, 1997, p. 184; September, 1999, Jane Halsall, review of Romiette and Julio, p. 222; February, 2001, Angela J. Reynolds, review of Darkness before Dawn, p. 117; June, 2002, Connie Tyrrell Burns, review of Double Dutch, p. 137.

Social Education, April, 1995, p. 215.

USA Today, April 17, 1997, "An 'A' for Creativity: Variety Is on Teacher of the Year's Lesson Plan," p. D4.

Voice of Youth Advocates, February, 1995, p. 338; June, 1997, p. 108.