Hyde, Margaret O. 1917- (Margaret Oldroyd Hyde)

PERSONAL:

Born February 18, 1917, in Philadelphia, PA; daughter of Gerald James and Helen Oldroyd; married Edwin Y. Hyde, Jr., 1941; children: Lawrence Edwin, Bruce Geoffrey. Education: Arcadia University, A.B., 1938; Columbia University, M.A., 1939; Temple University, additional studies, 1942-43. Hobbies and other interests: Travel, computers, health.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Essex, CT. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Columbia University, Teachers College, New York, NY, science consultant, 1941-42; Shipley School, Bryn Mawr, PA, teacher, 1942-48. Lecturer in elementary education, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, part-time and summers, 1942-43; writer for young people, 1944—.

MEMBER:

Authors League of America, Authors Guild.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Thomas Alva Edison Foundation National Mass Media Award, 1961, for best children's science book, Animal Clocks and Compasses; honorary doctor of letters from Beaver College, 1971; Voice of Youth Advocates nonfiction horror list, 2003, for Depression.

WRITINGS:

(With Gerald S. Craig) New Ideas in Science, Ginn, 1947.

Playtime for Nancy (fiction), Grosset (New York, NY), 1951.

(With Frances W. Keene) Hobby Fun Book for Grade School Boys and Girls: A Collection of Carefully Chosen Creative To-Do Hobbies, Seahorse Press, 1952.

Flight Today and Tomorrow, illustrated by Clifford N. Geary, McGraw-Hill (New York, NY), 1953, revised edition, 1962.

Driving Today and Tomorrow, illustrated by Clifford N. Geary, McGraw-Hill (New York, NY), 1954, revised edition, 1965.

Atoms Today and Tomorrow, illustrated by Clifford N. Geary, McGraw-Hill (New York, NY), 1955, 4th edition, 1970.

(With husband, E.Y. Hyde, Jr.) Where Speed Is King, illustrated by Clifford N. Geary, McGraw-Hill (New York, NY), 1955, revised edition, 1961.

Medicine in Action: Today and Tomorrow, McGraw-Hill (New York, NY), 1956, revised edition, 1964.

Exploring Earth and Space: The Story of the I.G.Y., McGraw-Hill (New York, NY), 1957, 5th edition, illustrated by E. Winson, 1970.

From Submarines to Satellites: Science in Our Armed Forces, McGraw-Hill (New York, NY), 1958.

Off into Space! Science for Young Space Travelers, McGraw-Hill (New York, NY), 1959, 3rd edition, illustrated by B. Myers, 1969.

Plants Today and Tomorrow, illustrated by P.A. Hutchison, McGraw-Hill (New York, NY), 1960.

Animal Clocks and Compasses, illustrated by P.A. Hutchison, McGraw-Hill (New York, NY), 1960.

This Crowded Planet, illustrated by Mildred Waltrip, McGraw-Hill (New York, NY), 1961.

Animals in Science: Saving Lives through Research, McGraw-Hill (New York, NY), 1962.

Molecules Today and Tomorrow, illustrated by Mildred Waltrip, McGraw-Hill (New York, NY), 1963.

Your Brain, Master Computer, illustrated by P.A. Hutchison, McGraw-Hill (New York, NY), 1964.

(With Edward S. Marks) Psychology in Action, illustrated by Carolyn Cather, McGraw-Hill (New York, NY), 1967, 2nd edition, 1976.

(And editor) Mind Drugs, McGraw-Hill (New York, NY), 1968, revised edition, Dodd (New York, NY), 1986.

The Earth in Action, McGraw-Hill (New York, NY), 1969.

The Great Deserts (adapted from the book by Folco Quilici), McGraw-Hill (New York, NY), 1969.

Your Skin, illustrated by Richard Jones, McGraw-Hill (New York, NY), 1970.

(With B.G. Hyde) Know about Drugs, illustrated by Bill Morrison, McGraw-Hill (New York, NY), 1971, 4th edition, Walker (New York, NY), 1996.

For Pollution Fighters Only, illustrated by Don Lynch, McGraw-Hill (New York, NY), 1971.

(With Edward S. Marks and James B. Wells) Mysteries of the Mind, McGraw-Hill (New York, NY), 1972.

VD: The Silent Epidemic, McGraw-Hill (New York, NY), 1972, 2nd edition published as VD-STD: The Silent Epidemic, 1983.

The New Genetics: Promises and Perils, F. Watts (New York, NY), 1974.

Alcohol: Drink or Drug?, McGraw-Hill (New York, NY), 1974.

Hotline!, McGraw-Hill (New York, NY), 1974, 2nd edition, 1976.

(With Elizabeth H. Forsyth) What Have You Been Eating? Do You Really Know?, McGraw-Hill (New York, NY), 1975.

(With Elizabeth H. Forsyth) Know Your Feelings, F. Watts (New York, NY), 1976.

Speak out on Rape, McGraw-Hill (New York, NY), 1976.

Juvenile Justice and Injustice, F. Watts (New York, NY), 1977, 2nd edition, 1983.

Fears and Phobias, McGraw-Hill (New York, NY), 1977, revised edition (with E.H. Forsyth) published as Horror, Fright and Panic, Walker (New York, NY), 1987.

Brainwashing and Other Forms of Mind Control, McGraw-Hill (New York, NY), 1977.

Know about Alcohol, foreword by Morris E. Chafetz, illustrated by Bill Morrison, McGraw-Hill (New York, NY), 1978.

Addictions: Smoking, Gambling, Cocaine Use and Others, McGraw-Hill (New York, NY), 1978.

(With Elizabeth H. Forsyth) Suicide: The Hidden Epidemic, F. Watts (New York, NY), 1978, 3rd revised edition, 1991.

(With B.G. Hyde) Everyone's Trash Problem: Nuclear Wastes, McGraw-Hill (New York, NY), 1979.

My Friend Wants to Run Away, McGraw-Hill (New York, NY), 1979.

Crime and Justice in Our Time, F. Watts (New York, NY), 1980.

Cry Softly: The Story of Child Abuse, Westminster (Louisville, KY), 1980, revised and enlarged edition, 1986.

Is the Cat Dreaming Your Dream?, McGraw-Hill (New York, NY), 1980.

My Friend Has Four Parents, McGraw-Hill (New York, NY), 1981, revised edition (with Elizabeth H. Forsyth) published as Parents Divided, Parents Multiplied, Westminster (Louisville, KY), 1989.

Energy: The New Look, McGraw-Hill (New York, NY), 1981.

Foster Care and Adoption, F. Watts (New York, NY), 1982.

Computers That Think? The Search for Artificial Intelligence, Enslow (Springfield, NJ), 1982, revised edition published as Artificial Intelligence, 1986.

The Rights of the Victim, F. Watts (New York, NY), 1983.

Know about Smoking, illustrated by Dennis Kendrick, McGraw-Hill (New York, NY), 1983, 3rd edition, Walker (New York, NY), 1995.

(With son, Lawrence E. Hyde) Is This Kid "Crazy"? Understanding Unusual Behavior, Westminster (Louisville, KY), 1983.

Cloning and the New Genetics, Enslow (Springfield, NJ), 1984.

Sexual Abuse: Let's Talk about It, Westminster (Louisville, KY), 1984, revised and enlarged edition, 1987.

(With Lawrence E. Hyde) Cancer in the Young: A Sense of Hope, Westminster (Louisville, KY), 1985.

(With Lawrence E. Hyde) Missing Children, F. Watts (New York, NY), 1985.

(With Elizabeth H. Forsyth) AIDS: What Does It Mean to You?, Walker (New York, NY), 1986, revised edition, 1990.

(With Elizabeth H. Forsyth) Terrorism: A Special Kind of Violence, Putnam (New York, NY), 1987.

(With Elizabeth H. Forsyth) Know about AIDS, illustrated by Deborah Weber, Walker (New York, NY), 1987, 3rd edition, 1995.

Teen Sex, Westminster (Louisville, KY), 1988.

Alcohol: Uses and Abuses, Enslow (Springfield, NJ), 1988.

The Homeless: Profiling the Problem, Enslow (Springfield, NJ), 1989.

(With Lawrence E. Hyde) Meeting Death, Walker (New York, NY), 1989.

(With Elizabeth H. Forsyth) Medical Dilemmas, Putnam (New York, NY), 1990.

Drug Wars, Walker (New York, NY), 1990.

(With Elizabeth H. Forsyth) The Violent Mind, F. Watts (New York, NY), 1991.

Peace and Friendship = Mir I Druzhba: Russian and American Teens Meet, 1992.

Know about Abuse, Walker (New York, NY), 1992.

Know about Tuberculosis, Walker (New York, NY), 1995.

Know about Gays and Lesbians, Walker (New York, NY), 1995.

Living with Asthma, Walker (New York, NY), 1995.

Kids in and out of Trouble: Juveniles and the Law, Dutton (New York, NY), 1995.

Know about Mental Illness, Walker (New York, NY), 1996.

Gambling: Winners and Losers, Millbrook (Brookfield, CT), 1996.

The Sexual Abuse of Children and Adolescents, 1997.

The Disease Book: A Kids' Guide, Walker (New York, NY), 1997.

Missing and Murdered Children, 1998.

(With John F. Setaro) Alcohol 101: An Overview for Teens, 21st Century Books (Minneapolis, MN), 1999.

(With Elizabeth H. Forsyth) Vaccinations: From Smallpox to Cancer, F. Watts (New York, NY), 2000.

(With John F. Setaro) When the Brain Dies First, F. Watts (New York, NY), 2000.

(With John F. Setaro) Medicine's Brave New World: Bioengineering and the New Genetics, Millbrook (Brookfield, CT), 2001.

(With Elizabeth H. Forsyth) Depression: What You Need to Know, F. Watts (New York, NY), 2002.

(With John F. Setaro) Drugs 101: An Overview for Teens, 21st Century Books (Minneapolis, MN), 2003.

(With Elizabeth H. Forsyth) Diabetes, F. Watts (New York, NY), 2003.

(With John F. Setaro) Smoking 101: An Overview for Teens, Millbrook (Brookfield, CT), 2004.

Robert Cormier, Chelsea House Publishers (Philadelphia, PA), 2005.

(With Elizabeth H. Forsyth) Safe Sex 101: An Overview for Teens, 21st Century Books (Minneapolis, MN), 2006.

(With Elizabeth H. Forsyth) Stress 101: An Overview for Teens, 21st Century Books (Minneapolis, MN), 2008.

(With Emily G. Hyde) Spirituality 101: An Overview for Teens, 21st Century Books (Minneapolis, MN), 2009.

Also author of two television scripts, How the Mind Begins and Can Human Nature Be Changed?, for Animal Secrets, NBC-TV, 1967.

SIDELIGHTS:

Margaret O. Hyde is one of the most prolific and respected of today's writers on science for young readers, though, as a young girl, Hyde's ambition was to become a doctor. She stated in her Something about the Author Autobiography Series (SAAS) entry that she was probably inspired by a distant relative, with whom she stayed during the summer, who practiced medicine in a rural Pennsylvania town. "In addition to the novelty of shopping at the country store and playing with friends who remained the same summer after summer, I enjoyed driving through country roads in the doctor's car when he took me on calls to see patients." Occasionally Hyde was allowed to witness simple operations, "a tonsillectomy, the removal of a small growth on an arm or leg, or some other procedure that was considered simple enough to perform in the office.

"Although I was not a tomboy," Hyde wrote, "I liked subjects that, in those days, appealed most to boys. Perhaps I liked math and science because they were the subjects that were easiest for me. My parents were very tolerant of my collections of insects, earthworms, and other animals, although I remember my mother sounding disgusted when she emptied some worms from my pockets." However, "when I was growing up," Hyde continued, "women became nurses, secretaries, teachers, librarians, or had other ladylike careers. Many of my friends were totally consumed with the idea of getting married and raising children. My mother, who had always wanted to be a teacher herself, decided I should teach. Although I had many ideas about what I wanted to be when I grew up, a teacher was not one of them."

In college, Hyde specialized in science, intending to enter medical school. However, "when it came near the time to apply for admission to medical school," she wrote, "my parents balked at the idea. According to them, medicine should be left to men; women should be teachers, etc. They were willing to pay for graduate school, providing I considered becoming a teacher. Research was an acceptable option, but they still hoped I would change my mind and enter the teaching profession." Hyde attended graduate school in zoology at Columbia University and began looking for work as a researcher. "In those days, women were usually relegated to inferior jobs in the field of science, and even those jobs were scarce." She enrolled at Columbia University Teachers College to prepare for a career as a public school teacher.

It was while at Columbia University Teachers College that Hyde first met Dr. Gerald Craig. "Dr. Craig apparently liked my way of teaching, for when there was an opening at Lincoln School of Teachers College, he recommended me for that position," Hyde wrote. Some time later, Craig invited her to rewrite a science textbook he had originally written for sixth-graders. "My response to Dr. Craig's suggestion was a hasty no," Hyde recalled, "and I explained that I had no writing ability. He felt that I could do the job based on my science background and he finally persuaded me to accept the offer." The resulting book, New Ideas in Science, was published in 1947.

Among Hyde's books are those in the "Know About" series, including Know about AIDS, Know about Gays and Lesbians, Know about Abuse, and Know aboutMental Illness. Reviewing Know about Gays and Lesbians in Booklist, Stephanie Zvirin called the book "an extremely useful overview that includes a little bit about a lot that's important to understand." Susan Dove Lempke, also writing for Booklist, found that Know about Mental Illness successfully sorted "out the confusing messages and information about mental illness disseminated in our society [and described] the symptoms of some of the better-known illnesses, such as agoraphobia and anorexia."

Hyde has also written a number of titles aimed at helping young readers learn about societal problems. Her Alcohol 101: An Overview for Teens, for example, introduces readers to the problem of alcoholism. "The book," explained Joyce Adams Burner in the School Library Journal, "is remarkably nonjudgmental, nonsensationalized, and compassionately objective in its presentation of information."

Scientific advances have also been the subject of several of Hyde's books, including Medicine's Brave New World: Bioengineering and the New Genetics, an overview of the breakthrough research going on in the field of bioengineering. Anne O'Malley, writing in Booklist, found that "the book's best features are its clear explanations of bioengineering processes." Mary R. Hofmann, in a review for the School Library Journal, opined that "what makes this work stand out is the way that incredibly complex cellular processes are lucidly explained…. Students with any scientific bent will be enthralled."

Hyde returns to and expands upon her series of "101" books for teenage readers with titles such as Drugs 101: An Overview for Teens, Smoking 101: An Overview for Teens, Safe Sex 101: An Overview for Teens, and Stress 101: An Overview for Teens. In Drugs 101, she addresses the different types of illegal drugs, focusing more on those that are typically attractive to teenagers. While Hyde includes the clinical information on these drugs, including the short- and long-term health effects of taking them, she also includes street names as well. In addition to discussing immediate effects of the drugs, she discusses how they can affect a fetus if used by a pregnant woman. Debbie Stewart, reviewing the book for the School Library Journal, found it to be "a solid overview of illicit drugs."

With Safe Sex 101, Hyde veers away from addressing substances that can be harmful to one's health and instead looks at sexual relations, a legal activity that many teens argue is not in the least bit harmful, particularly for those who take precautions against pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. This latter point is what Hyde focuses on in her book, stressing that the only way to truly eliminate the risk of pregnancy or catching an STD is to abstain from sex entirely, but going on to discuss the various ways to protect oneself, keeping in mind that sex can sometime happen in the heat of the moment, without prior planning. Joyce Adams Burner, in a review for the School Library Journal, commented of the book that "a warmly realistic approach invites readers to consider the varied facets of safe sex.

Hyde once told CA: "Writing is a wonderful way to learn more about the exciting world of science, for today one must contact people who are active in research to find out what is happening. Such people are most cooperative in talking about their projects and in checking material for accuracy. I gather material for several years from many sources and sometimes work on as many as four books at once."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

Contemporary Literary Criticism, Volume 21, Gale (Detroit, MI), 1982.

Something about the Author Autobiography Series, Volume 8, Gale (Detroit, MI), 1989.

PERIODICALS

Booklist, July, 1992, Hazel Rochman, review of Peace and Friendship = Mir I Druzhba: Russian and American Teens Meet, p. 1930; November 1, 1992, Gary Young, review of Know about Abuse, p. 499; March 1, 1994, Stephanie Zvirin, review of Know about Gays and Lesbians, p. 1248; May 15, 1995, Stephanie Zvirin, review of Kids in and out of Trouble: Juveniles and the Law, p. 1638; June 1, 1995, Stephanie Zvirin, review of Living with Asthma, p. 1766; December 15, 1995, Stephanie Zvirin, review of Gambling: Winners and Losers, p. 695; September 1, 1996, Susan Dove Lempke, review of Know about Mental Illness, p. 116; February 15, 1997, Sally Estes, review of The Sexual Abuse of Children and Adolescents, p. 1012; September 15, 1997, Randy Meyer, review of The Disease Book: A Kids' Guide, p. 228; March 1, 1998, Roger Leslie, review of Missing and Murdered Children, p. 1123; April 15, 2000, Mary Romano Marks, review of When the Brain Dies First, p. 1536; November 15, 2000, Roger Leslie, review of Vaccinations: From Smallpox to Cancer, p. 630; December 15, 2001, Anne O'Malley, review of Medicine's Brave New World: Bioengineering and the New Genetics, p. 718; October 15, 2002, Roger Leslie, review of Depression: What You Need to Know, p. 398; May 15, 2003, Ed Sullivan, review of Depression, p. 1654.

Book Report, September-October, 1990, Barbara Pollock, review of AIDS: What Does It Mean to You?, p. 59, Dianne Meyers, review of Medical Dilemmas, p. 68, and Patricia S. Brown, review of Drug Wars, p. 68; September-October, 1991, Becky Copeland, review of Suicide: The Hidden Epidemic, p. 57; November-December, 1991, Rose M. Kent, review of The Violent Mind, p. 59; January-February, 1993, Rosemary Sackleh, review of Peace and Friendship = Mir I Druzhba, p. 61; May-June, 1994, Lee Diane Gordon, review of Know about Gays and Lesbians, p. 52; September-October, 1995, Diane C. Pozar, reviews of Know about Smoking, Know about Tuberculosis, Know about AIDS, and Living with Asthma, p. 51, and Susan Yallaly, review of Kids in and out of Trouble, p. 59; May-June, 1996, Sherry Hoy, review of Gambling, p. 58; November-December, 1998, Laura Moe, review of Missing and Murdered Children, p. 80.

Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, fall, 1997, Ruth Miller, review of Know about Gays and Lesbians, p. 255.

School Library Journal, October, 1982, review of Foster Care and Adoption, p. 162; April, 1984, Nancy J. Horner, review of Is This Kid "Crazy"? Understanding Unusual Behavior, p. 124; April, 1990, Anne Osborn, review of AIDS, p. 148; June, 1990, Steve Matthews, review of Drug Wars, p. 141; July, 1990, Christine A. Moesch, reviews of Know about AIDS, Know about Smoking, and Know about Drugs, p. 85, and Martha Gordon, review of Medical Dilemmas, p. 92; April, 1991, Libby K. White, review of Suicide, p. 148; November, 1991, Kathleen L. Atwood, review of The Violent Mind, p. 139; September, 1992, Celia A. Huffman, review of Know about Abuse, p. 267; October, 1992, Ann Welton, review of Peace and Friendship = Mir I Druzhba, p. 129; November, 1992, Sue A. Norkeliunas, review of AIDS, p. 129; April, 1994, Libby K. White, review of Know about Gays and Lesbians, p. 161; March, 1995, Martha Gordon, review of Know about Tuberculosis, p. 214; May, 1995, Jacqueline Rose, review of Kids in and out of Trouble, p. 126, and Martha Gordon, review of Know about AIDS, p. 127; July, 1995, Martha Gordon, review of Living with Asthma, p. 86; September, 1995, Martha Gordon, review of Know about Smoking, p. 209; March, 1996, Libby K. White, reviews of Know about Drugs and AIDS, p. 225, and Tim Wadham, review of Gambling, p. 225; July, 1996, Christine A. Moesch, review of Know about Mental Illness, p. 90; March, 1997, Melissa Gross, review of The Sexual Abuse of Children and Adolescents, p. 202; November, 1997, Sheila G. Shellabarger, review of The Disease Book, p. 128; March, 1998, Lois Mc-Culley, review of Missing and Murdered Children, p. 234; March, 2000, Joyce Adams Burner, review of Alcohol 101: An Overview for Teens, p. 254; July, 2000, Ann G. Brouse, review of When the Brain Dies First, p. 117; December, 2001, Mary R. Hofmann, review of Medicine's Brave New World, p. 163; December, 2002, Lynn Evarts, review of Depression, p. 162; May, 2003, Debbie Stewart, review of Drugs 101: An Overview for Teens, p. 172; June, 2006, Joyce Adams Burner, review of Safe Sex 101: An Overview for Teens, p. 178.

Science Teacher, May, 1992, Robert H. Davis, review of Medical Dilemmas, p. 74.

Voice of Youth Advocates, October, 2003, Heather Hepler, review of Drugs 101.

Wilson Library Bulletin, October, 1986, Patty Campbell, review of AIDS, p. 52; September, 1987, Patty Campbell, review of AIDS, p. 72; April, 1988, pp. 74-75; March, 1990, Frances Bradburn, review of Meeting Death, p. 105; May, 1995, Cathi Dunn MacRae, review of Know about Gays and Lesbians, p. 104.