When I first got into publishing and for many years afterward, I avoided the topic of slavery, so it’s interesting to me that with my first two authored books, I took on the topic.
IT JES' HAPPENED:
WHEN BILL TRAYLOR STARTED TO DRAW (Lee & Low Books, 2012) is the biography
of once enslaved outsider artist Bill Traylor who, with no prior art training,
created a body of artwork that is celebrated and collected around the world
today.
POET: THE REMARKABLE
STORY OF GEORGE MOSES HORTON (Peachtree, 2015), is the story of an enslaved
poet who became the first African American to get a book published in the
South. His poetry protested his enslavement.
Why did I decide to
write these books? As a child in school, the horrors of slavery weren't
addressed very much in the classroom, and movies misrepresented—and sometimes,
even glamorized—the topic. As a result, I grew up misinformed and even ashamed
of the subject. Through research, I learned how African Americans fought
for and overcame tremendous adversity to obtain the rights we enjoy today. I
realized the importance of preserving these stories and sharing them with
children.
Researching the life of
Bill Traylor presented a challenge. Traylor couldn’t read or write, therefore,
he left no written records of his life. But he did leave behind something
invaluable—his artwork, pictures he drew on the back of trash. They helped to
fill in the missing pieces of his life. His drawings depicted his life as an
enslaved man, his later life as a free sharecropper, and the years he spent on
the streets of Montgomery as a homeless artist.
The topic of literacy
and the importance of reading is what drew me to George Moses Horton's story.
As an enslaved child, Horton wasn't allowed to learn how to read. But he taught
himself by listening to his master's children when they studied books.
While Horton spent
the majority of his life enslaved, becoming literate allowed him to earn enough
money as a poet to live as a full time writer on a college campus.
Set during slavery
years, POET presented some of the same challenges as IT JES' HAPPENED. Primary
sources were scarce. But once again, by researching art—Horton’s poetry—I found
my answers. Horton’s poetry allowed me to get inside of his head, to understand
his feelings about his circumstances as a slave, and how he viewed the world
and people around him.
For my third authored
book, STRONG AS SANDOW: HOW EUGEN SANDOW BECAME THE STRONGEST MAN ON EARTH
(Charlesbridge, 2017), I tapped into a different part of who I am.
I love physical
fitness activities. Throughout the years, I've run, swam, worked out with
weights, practiced yoga. After winning trophies in natural bodybuilding
contests 20 years ago, I wanted to write a book on the subject. Victorian
bodybuilder Eugen Sandow was the perfect way into that world.
I had many more
sources to rely on in telling Sandow's story, but there were still unique
challenges. After Sandow died, his wife and daughters burned all his
belongings! Needless to say, they weren't interested in preserving his legacy.
But that's another story.
Because of Sandow's
huge celebrity status, he'd been well interviewed and written about. He was
also the bestselling author of the Victorian physical fitness bible, STRENGTH
AND HOW TO OBTAIN IT. A short autobiography was squeezed in the center of the
book.
Another challenge
with researching Sandow's life was his over-the-top telling of his own story.
Sandow was a professional strongman. But first and foremost, he was a gifted
showman. He was selling a product—himself.
Honestly, I think a
lot of what sold was hyperbole and illusion. I mean, did he really hoist a
grand piano over his head, with a full orchestra and a large dog on top? Did he
really wrestle a 500-pound lion? Well, yes, and maybe yes. These things were
documented by reporters and news outlets of the time. But no doubt, there was
some the trickery at play. I wrote a story that I believed Eugen Sandow would
have wanted told based on my research of his life—puny kid who grew up to be
known as the "Strongest Man on Earth."
In my 30-plus year
career, I've written and/or illustrated more than 50 books. Most have been
nonfiction. With each one, I study my subject's lives, trying to understand
their inner truth. I need to know what makes them tick. But I also consider
what makes me tick—my inner truth. When our truths are in alignment, that's a
story I feel that I can tell.
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Photo credit: Sam Bond |
I LOVE Don's work - he's a double threat: does lively graphic illustration, and is an excellent writer. Makes nonfiction magic. Plus, he's a really nice guy!
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