Stone, Judith 1950–

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Stone, Judith 1950–

PERSONAL:

Born 1950.

CAREER:

Writer and editor.

WRITINGS:

In the Jaws of Death, illustrated by Beth Hutchins, Raintree Publishers (Milwaukee, WI), 1980.

Minutes to Live, illustrated by Rob Sauber, Raintree Publishers (Milwaukee, WI), 1980.

Light Elements: Essays in Science from Gravity to Levity (nonfiction), Ballantine Books (New York, NY), 1991.

(With Nicole Gregory) Heeling Your Inner Dog: A Self-Whelp Book (nonfiction), Times Books (New York, NY), 1993.

When She Was White: The True Story of a Family Divided by Race (biography), Miramax (New York, NY), 2007.

Contributor to periodicals, including New York Times, Elle, Vogue, and Newsday. Contributing editor, O, the Oprah Magazine. Humor columnist, Discover.

SIDELIGHTS:

Judith Stone displays her sense of humor while at the same time exploring interesting scientific quirks in her book Light Elements: Essays in Science from Gravity to Levity. Her subjects range from the humanity shown by an ape who uses sign language, to the reasons why the sound of fingernails scratching a chalkboard is so unpleasant to hear, to the ways that the belches of cows contribute to global warming. Other essays introduce little-known scientists such as Calvin Schwabe, who recommends eating broth made from earthworms, and discuss the manipulation of workplace environments with mood-altering scents. Reviewing the book for Publishers Weekly, Penny Kaganoff commented that the author's humor "makes science not only intelligible but entertaining as well."

Stone takes on a serious topic in the biography When She Was White: The True Story of a Family Divided by Race. The book covers the life of Sandra Laing, who was born in South Africa during the 1950s. Her parents were white, and supporters of apartheid, yet Sandra was born with African features and dark skin. Neighbors persecuted Sandra's mother, believing that the child was the product of an adulterous affair, but both parents vowed that Sandra was theirs, and speculated that her appearance was from some inter-racial union in their ancestry. Sandra was expelled from her all-white school for her appearance, and officially classified as "Coloured." Her parents won a legal battle to regain her "White" status. A few years later, Laing eloped with a black man and went to live in a poor black township, which ultimately led to her being disowned by her family. The story is "riveting" in its portrayal of the harm brought about by the apartheid system, according to Hazel Rochman in Booklist. Deborah Way, a reviewer for O, the Oprah Magazine, also felt the book was outstanding for its exposé of the cruelty inherent in apartheid; she further praised Stone as a writer who produced "beautifully restrained prose, with a keen eye for detail and a strong sense of place."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, March 1, 2007, Hazel Rochman, review of When She Was White: The True Story of a Family Divided by Race, p. 47.

Good Housekeeping, May, 2007, review of When She Was White, p. 212.

Internet Bookwatch, August, 2007, review of When She Was White.

Kirkus Reviews, March 1, 2007, review of When She Was White, p. 213; March 1, 2007, review of When She Was White, p. S8.

O, the Oprah Magazine, April, 2007, Deborah Way, review of When She Was White, p. 58; May, 2007, "Correction," p. 42.

Publishers Weekly, April 5, 1991, Penny Kaganoff, review of Light Elements: Essays in Science from Gravity to Levity, p. 142; February 26, 2007, review of When She Was White, p. 76.

Vogue, April, 2007, Genevieve Bahrenburg, review of When She Was White, p. 286.