Newman, Janis Cooke 1955-

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Newman, Janis Cooke 1955-

PERSONAL:

Born 1955. Married; husband's name Ken; children: Alex.

ADDRESSES:

Home—San Francisco, CA. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Writer. Creative writing instructor. Cofounder of literary editing service Line by Line.

WRITINGS:

The Russian Word for Snow: A True Story of Adoption (memoir), St. Martin's Press (New York, NY) 2001.

Mary (novel), MacAdam/Cage (San Francisco, CA), 2006.

Work represented in anthologies, including Secret Lives of Lawfully Wedded Wives, Inner Ocean, 2006, and four editions of Travelers' Tales. Contributor of travel articles to newspapers and magazines, including the Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Dallas Morning News, Miami Herald, Denver Post, Arizona Sun-Times, St. Paul Pioneer Press, Philadelphia Inquirer, Backpacker, Country Living, and online at Salon.com.

SIDELIGHTS:

Janis Cooke Newman's books include a nonfiction account of events in her life and a fictional treatment of events in history. The Russian Word for Snow: A True Story of Adoption deals with the adoption of her son, Alex, from a Russian orphanage, while Mary is a historical novel about troubled First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln.

The story that became The Russian Word for Snow began when Newman and her husband, both in their forties, reversed their decision to remain childless. At an adoption agency they saw a videotape of a small Russian boy whose name was his native country's term for snow. They were certain they wanted to adopt him, but the process was complicated by international politics and the obstructionist tactics of some Russian adoption workers. After several months they were finally able to take the child, whom they renamed Alex, into their home. Some critics characterized the story as vivid and touching. "Newman conveys the emotional roller coaster" she and her husband experienced, related Vanessa Bush in Booklist. A Publishers Weekly reviewer noted that Newman's "bleak portrait of Russia … lingers in the reader's mind," adding that the book "will find a sympathetic readership."

Mary also arouses readers' sympathy, in the opinion of some reviewers. This book depicts President Abraham Lincoln's widow during the time she spent in a mental hospital, having been committed by her one surviving son, Robert, in 1875. Newman tells the story in the form of journal entries by Mary Lincoln, describing both her life in the institution and her memories of her courtship and marriage, her husband's illustrious career, and the pain caused by his assassination and the deaths of her other three children. She comes across as strong-minded, independent, and sexually passionate. Several critics observed that the novel provides a more positive view of Mary Lincoln than have some other accounts and that the first-person voice aids in this effort. The novel is "a riveting portrait" that will "enlist the reader's sympathy" for its protagonist, reported Ann Fleury in Library Journal. Brad Hooper, writing in Booklist, thought the book offers "a poignant understanding" of Mrs. Lincoln, while a Publishers Weekly contributor recommended it to "readers looking for a vivid, mostly flattering (and rather massive) account" of Mary, adding that others "will be happily surprised."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

Newman, Janis Cooke, The Russian Word for Snow: A True Story of Adoption, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 2001.

PERIODICALS

Booklist, February 15, 2001, Vanessa Bush, review of The Russian Word for Snow, p. 1092; July 1, 2006, Brad Hooper, review of Mary, p. 32.

Library Journal, August 1, 2006, Ann Fleury, review of Mary, p. 72.

Publishers Weekly, February 5, 2001, review of The Russian Word for Snow, p. 79; May 15, 2006, review of Mary, p. 44; September 18, 2006, "Galley Talk," p. 9.