SLAVICEK, Louise Chipley 1956-

PERSONAL: Born July 6, 1956, in WI; married James Slavicek (a research biologist), 1979; children: Krista, Nathan. Education: Kalamazoo College, B.A. (history), 1978; University of Connecticut, M.A. (history), 1985.

ADDRESSES: Home—2195 Gnarled Pine Dr., Dublin, OH 43016-9532.

CAREER: Writer.

AWARDS, HONORS: Audrey Beck Memorial Scholarship, University of Connecticut Foundation, 1986.

WRITINGS:

Life among the Puritans, Lucent Books (San Diego, CA), 2001.

Confucianism, Lucent Books (San Diego, CA), 2001.

The Women of the American Revolution, Lucent Books (San Diego, CA), 2002.

Israel, Chelsea House (Philadelphia, PA), 2002.

Juan Ponce de León, Chelsea House (Philadelphia, PA), 2003.

Mao Zedong, Chelsea House (Philadelphia, PA), 2003.

Abraham Lincoln, Chelsea House (Philadelphia, PA), 2003.

Jimmy Carter, Chelsea House (Philadelphia, PA), 2003.

Contributor of history lessons to Social Studies: A How-To Skills Resource, SRA/McGraw-Hill (New York, NY), 2001; contributor of scholarly articles to Essex Institute Historical Collections; contributor to periodicals, including Highlights for Children, American Girl, Calliope, Cobblestone, and Faces.

WORK IN PROGRESS: Annie Montague Alexander, a biography, for Chelsea House.

SIDELIGHTS: Louise Chipley Slavicek's history books for young adults are generally considered by critics as clearly written and deeply researched resources. She has garnered praise for approaching her subjects from unusual angles, providing students with intriguing insights into familiar topics. In The Women of the American Revolution, for example, chapters on women who went into battle and the occupations of women who stayed home are augmented by chapters on Native-American and African-American women, as well as "an absorbing chapter devoted to camp followers," according to Booklist reviewer Ilene Cooper, who explained that during the American Revolution women who lacked a means to support themselves in their husbands' absence were forced to follow them and survive as best they could. Likewise, Slavicek's Life among the Puritans not only explains how the early settlers infused every aspect of their lives with their religious beliefs, but also is "particularly noteworthy for its intelligent and careful presentation of some admittedly complex and often misunderstood or belittled religious beliefs," claimed Elaine Fort Weischedel in School Library Journal.

The ancient and influential religion of Confucianism is the subject of Slavicek's book of the same title. Here, the author offers a biographical sketch of this religion's founder, Confucius, explains how the religion that took his name developed and spread throughout China, and relates its subsequent decline and continued practice in contemporary times. Confucianism is "informative and well organized," as well as "accessible" and "generously illustrated," observed Herman Sutter in a review for School Library Journal.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, October 15, 2002, Ilene Cooper, review of The Women of the American Revolution, p. 414.

Faces: People, Places, and Cultures, January, 2003, review of Confucianism, p. 46.

School Library Journal, September, 2001, Elaine Fort Weischedel, review of Life among the Puritans, pp. 254-255; June, 2002, Herman Sutter, review of Confucianism, p. 162.