Slepian, Jan 1921-

(Janice B. Slepian)

PERSONAL: Surname is pronounced "slep-ee-an"; born January 2, 1921, in New York, NY; daughter of Louis (an engineer) and Florence (a homemaker; maiden name, Ellinger) Berek; married Urey Krasnop-olsky, October, 1945 (divorced, 1948); married David Slepian (a mathematician), April 18, 1950; children: Steven, Don, Anne. Ethnicity: "Caucasian." Education: Brooklyn College (now of the City University of New York), B.A., 1942; University of Washington, Seattle, M.A. (clinical psychology), 1947; New York University, M.A. (speech pathology), 1964; attended University of California, Berkeley, 1979. Hobbies and other interests: Mycology, reading, music, swimming.

ADDRESSES: Home and office—7 Sunningdale Ct., Maplewood, NJ 07040. Agent—Sheldon Fogelman, 10 E. 40th St., New York, NY 10016. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, language therapist, 1947–49; private speech therapist, 1952–58; Red Seal Clinic, Newton, NJ, speech therapist, 1953–55; Matheny School for Cerebral Palsy, Far Hills, NJ, speech therapist, 1955–57; writer, 1962–.

MEMBER: Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators.

AWARDS, HONORS: School Library Journal, book of the year citation, 1980, for The Alfred Summer, and citation for notable children's book for older readers, 1981, for Lester's Turn; American Library Association, notable book citations, c. 1980, for The Alfred Summer c. 1981, for Lester's Turn, and 1989, for The Broccoli Tapes, and citation among best books for young adults, 1983, for The Night of the Bozos; nomination for American Book Award for children's fiction, Before Columbus Foundation, and Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor for fiction, both 1981, for The Alfred Summer; New Jersey Institute of Technology Author's Awards, 1981, for The Alfred Summer, 1983, for The Night of the Bozos, and 1988, for Something beyond Paradise; New York Times citation, best books for children, 1981, and Social Education citation, notable children's trade book in social studies, 1982, both for Lester's Turn; New York Public Library notable citation, books for the teen age, 1982, for Lester's Turn, and best book citation, 1990, for Risk n' Roses; Child Study Association of America citation for one of the children's books of the year, and Library of Congress citation for one of the books of the year, both 1983, for The Night of the Bozos; Something beyond Paradise was named one of the ten great books of the year for teens by Redbook, 1987; Booklist Editor's Choice citation, 1989, for The Broccoli Tapes, and 1990, for Risk n' Roses; included on list of "100 Books that Shaped the Century," School Library Journal, 2000, for The Alfred Summer.

WRITINGS:

"LISTEN-HEAR" PICTURE-BOOK SERIES

(With Ann Seidler) Alphie and the Dream Machine, illustrated by Richard E. Martin, Follett (New York, NY), 1964.

(With Ann Seidler) The Cock Who Couldn't Crow, illustrated by Richard E. Martin, Follett (New York, NY), 1964.

(With Ann Seidler) Lester and the Sea Monster, illustrated by Richard E. Martin, Follett (New York, NY), 1964.

(With Ann Seidler) Magic Arthur and the Giant, illustrated by Richard E. Martin, Follett (New York, NY), 1964.

(With Ann Seidler) Mister Sipple and the Naughty Princess, illustrated by Richard E. Martin, Follett (New York, NY), 1964.

(With Ann Seidler) The Roaring Dragon of Redrose, illustrated by Richard E. Martin, Follett (New York, NY), 1964.

"JUNIOR LISTEN-HEAR" PICTURE BOOK SERIES

(With Ann Seidler) Bendemolena, illustrated by Richard E. Martin, Follett (New York, NY), 1967, published as The Cat Who Wore a Pot on Her Head, Scholastic Inc. (New York, NY), 1981.

(With Ann Seidler) Ding-Dong, Bing-Bong, illustrated by Richard E. Martin, Follett (New York, NY), 1967.

(With Ann Seidler) An Ear Is to Hear, illustrated by Richard E. Martin, Follett (New York, NY), 1967.

(With Ann Seidler) The Hungry Thing, illustrated by Richard E. Martin, Follett (New York, NY), 1967.

(With Ann Seidler) The Silly Listening Book, illustrated by Richard E. Martin, Follett (New York, NY), 1967.

FOR CHILDREN

(With Ann Seidler) The Best Invention of All, illustrated by Joseph Veno, Crowell-Collier (New York, NY), 1967.

(With Ann Seidler) The Hungry Thing Returns, illustrated by Richard E. Martin, Scholastic Inc. (New York, NY), 1990.

(With Ann Seidler) The Hungry Thing Goes to a Restaurant, pictures By Elroy Freem, Scholastic Inc. (New York, NY), 1992.

(With Ann Seidler) Lost Moose, illustrated By Ted Lewin, Philomel Books (New York, NY),1995.

Emily Just in Time, illustrated By Glo Coalson, Philomel Books (New York, NY), 1997.

NOVELS FOR YOUNG ADULTS

The Alfred Summer, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1980, Philomel Books (New York, NY), 2001.

Lester's Turn (sequel to The Alfred Summer), Mac-millan (New York, NY), 1981.

The Night of the Bozos, Dutton (New York, NY), 1983.

Getting On with It (Junior Literary Guild selection), Four Winds (New York, NY), 1985.

Something beyond Paradise (Junior Literary Guild selection), Philomel Books (New York, NY), 1987.

The Broccoli Tapes, Putnam (New York, NY), 1989.

Risk n' Roses, Philomel Books (New York, NY), 1990.

Back to Before, Philomel Books (New York, NY), 1993.

Pinocchio's Sister, Philomel Books (New York, NY), 1995.

The Mind Reader, Philomel Books (New York, NY), 1997.

OTHER

Building Foundations for Better Speech and Reading (teachers' training series and cassette tape program; with twelve tapes and discussion guide), Instructional Dynamics Inc. (Chicago, IL), 1974.

Contributor of advice on speech problems, with Ann Seidler, to newspaper column "Parents Ask."

Slepian's works are included in the Kerlan Collection at the University of Minnesota.

SIDELIGHTS: Jan Slepian has earned praise for her work on young-adult novels that champion society's outcasts. Her characters, many of whom are handi-capped—physically, mentally, socially—undergo experiences that cause them to learn about themselves and the world around them while they cope with their afflictions. By beginning her career as a novelist at the relatively late age of fifty-seven, Slepian benefited from a wide range of exposure to different experiences and environments which she has often incorporated in her stories.

Slepian had no immediate desire to become a writer. After raising a family with her husband David, she worked with fellow speech therapist Ann Seidler on a handful of articles that discussed children's language difficulties. They submitted these articles to "Parents Ask," a newspaper column that dealt with child psychology. Excited by the ensuing publication of their advice, they collaborated on two series of picture books that dealt with various speech-related topics. Over a decade later, Slepian took an English class at the University of California at Berkeley and was exposed to the genre of young-adult novels. Her instructor, who was familiar with her student's work on picture books, asked Slepian about her current writing projects. When Slepian conceded that she was through with writing books, her teacher chided: "Oh no, you're not. You're just ready to go on to something else." This experience played an important part in her decision to write novels for young adults.

Upon completing her first novel, The Alfred Summer, Slepian was overcome with joy. She revealed in an autobiographical sketch for Something about the Author Autobiography Series: "I've had many golden moments in my life, but this was something quite different. More than anything in the world I had wanted to write a decent book, and that night I knew that I had. I said to myself, 'You are fifty-seven years old and this is one of the most happy moments of your life.' It seemed to me remarkable that I could say that at my age." Her story details the experiences of four outcast children, including Lester, who is afflicted by cerebral palsy, and Alfred, who is mentally retarded. Together the kids work to construct a small boat, which they call the Getaway. "It is a name they all understand, each in his own terms," assessed Natalie Babbitt in the New York Times Book Review, "for they are all prisoners of one kind or another." The inspiration for the title character was provided by Slepian's mentally retarded brother. The real-life Alfred was a source of both joy and anguish for Slepian and her family as the author was growing up in the Brighton Beach section of Brooklyn, New York. "Only aware that Alfred was the cause of fights between my parents, I hated him. People acted funny around him, and he made my mother cry and my father angry," Slepian revealed in her autobiographical sketch. "Yet at the same time I was attached. He was sweet and laughed at my jokes and he was my brother. I learned early that you can hold within yourself contradictory feelings."

The initial story line of The Alfred Summer is rooted in an experience that Slepian recalled from her childhood. Her mother had tried to find a friend for Alfred by asking the mother of a child with cerebral palsy if the two boys could play together. The second woman refused to let her Lester associate with the mentally retarded Alfred, "saying that she wanted her son to play only with normal kids. When I remembered that," the author recounted in her autobiography, "I realized I had a what-if story. What if Lester and Alfred had become friends?" After its publication, The Alfred Summer received several distinctions. It was named a Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor Book and was cited as one of the best books of the year by the School Library Journal. The critical acclaim that The Alfred Summer received caused Slepian to reevaluate her brother's impact on other people. "My mother and father thought his life was blasted, wasted," she explained in her autobiographical sketch. "In a sense it was, of course. He still sits in a hospital like a bundle from the lost and found. But in another sense his life wasn't a waste. Because of this book, that's all turned around. He has reached and affected many, many people, more than most of us 'normals' have. Such is the power of words."

The Alfred Summer spawned a sequel that won further praise for its author. Lester's Turn begins after Alfred's mother dies. The mentally retarded child is subsequently placed under the guardianship of a hospital. Distraught over the effect of institutionalization on his friend, Lester tries to kidnap Alfred but fails. The hospital eventually allows him to take Alfred out of the building on a trial basis. Alfred becomes ill, however, and is hurried back to the hospital where he dies of a burst appendix. Lester then realizes that his efforts to attend to his friend's needs merely helped him to avoid facing his own problems while Alfred was alive. Impressed by the two novels, Babbitt noted in the New York Times Book Review that "Slepian's use of the language is rich, often funny, always fresh, and both stories are worth telling, a condition that has become increasingly rare in novels for young readers."

Just as Slepian used Lester as a model for one of her characters, she has often drawn upon characteristics of her own life and the places that she has visited to flesh out her stories. Her first two novels were both set in Slepian's home community of Brighton Beach. Her character Claire, who appears in both The Alfred Summer and Lester's Turn, inherited Slepian's methods for overcoming the timidity that the author felt as a child. In her autobiography, Slepian admitted to being a "morbidly shy" first grader—she even ran home from school one day and hid in a clothes hamper until her mother found her. As an adolescent, she began to get over her shyness. "Somehow I got the idea that if I could act as if I were confident and easy, people wouldn't know how I felt inside," she recounted in her autobiography. "I found out that when you pretend something long enough, you wind up believing it yourself. As time went by, the act became real. It was less of an act and more the true me…. I gave this early discovery of mine to Claire…. She needed it. She called it her Aziff (as if) theory, and I let her have it with my blessing."

Slepian set her third novel, The Night of the Bozos, around a lake in upstate New York where she spent Christmas vacations as a teenager. In her autobiography Slepian explained that "[the] book is a good example of how I put together people, or parts of people, I have known from different eras of my life." Slepian drew inspiration from her own son, Don, when creating the character of George Weiss, a reclusive adolescent musician with an obsession for sound in all of its forms. George lives with his mother and his Uncle Hibbie, a character based on a stuttering patient whom Slepian encountered while she was a speech therapist at Massachusetts General Hospital in the late 1940s. Because of his speech problem, Hibbie forms bonds with very few people other than his nephew. The two outcasts are befriended by Lolly, a teenager (modeled on one of Don's girlfriends) who escorts them to a carnival where her family works. There Hibbie gets a job as a "Bozo," a clown who sits above a tank of water and jeers at the crowd. His duty is to coax customers into paying to throw balls at a target that, when hit, will dunk him. Only as the Bozo can Hibbie overcome his stuttering problem, admitting that the urge to tease and joke with people has always been a part of him. With his identity protected by clown makeup, he is able to display the extroverted side of himself.

In her later novels Slepian continued her practice of using settings familiar to her as backdrops to her stories. Both The Broccoli Tapes and Something beyond Paradise take place in Hawaii, where Slepian and her family spent their summers from 1967 to the early 1980s. Her novel Risk n' Roses returns to the author's home state of New York and tells about two sisters whose relationship deteriorates when their family moves to a new neighborhood in the Bronx. Older sister Angela, who is mentally handicapped, becomes friends with Kaminsky, a man who lives across the street and cultivates roses. Younger sister Skip, who has always felt obligated to care for her older sister, falls under the influence of Jean Persico, a young girl who encourages Skip to join her and her clique of friends in wanton wrongdoing. When Jean tricks Angela into clipping the buds from Kaminsky's roses, Skip does not immediately protest: As Slepian writes in the book: "Her sister was nothing to her and Jean was everything." Skip does eventually stop Angela from causing further damage to Kaminsky's garden and comes to understand the sacrifices that must be made in choosing to be loyal to either friends or family. Martha V. Parravano of Horn Book commented: "The book's examination of the nature of power … is strong and lucid"

In her novels Slepian has celebrated the lives of a number of young adult characters who learn to cope with problems caused by their own handicaps, exposure to new environments, and shifting relationships. Concerning her decision to write for young adults, Slepian admitted in her autobiography: "Sometimes, when the writing is going well, when a character has come alive on the page, or I have found the right 'taste,' the right sentence or even the right word, then, I can tell you that there is nothing in the world to match it. I'm like a bystander watching a miracle. I count myself blessed that I'm a writer and think that that is the best possible thing to be."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

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

PERIODICALS

Horn Book, January, 1991, Martha V. Parravano, review of Risk n' Roses, p. 70.

Los Angeles Times Book Review, April 23, 1989, review of The Broccoli Tapes, p. 10.

New York Times Book Review, April 27, 1980, p. 52; May 27, 1981, Natalie Babbitt, review of The Alfred Summer, p. 38; January 20, 1991, Hazel Rochmann, review of Risk n' Roses, p. 28; July 30, 1995, Martha Davis Beck, review of Pinoc-chio's Sister, p. 17.

Tribune Books (Chicago, IL), September 10, 1989, review of The Broccoli Tapes, p. 4; November 11, 1990, p. 6.