InherbiographyofwriterFlanneryO’Connor(1925-1964,n矇eMaryFlannery),MaryCarpenterintroducesyoungreaderstooneofthemostrenownedAmericanauthors.Withanaccessiblestyleofwriting,FlanneryO’ConnorgivesyoungerreadersanoverviewofO’Connor’slifeandexaminestheinfluences,suchasherfamily,region,andeducation,thathelpedherbecomeoneofthemostrespectedfictionwritersofthetwentiethcentury.Inafrankbutage-appropriatemanner,Carpenterdiscussesthewriter’sruralsouthernupbringing,herrelationshiptorace,herchroniclupus,andherCatholicfaith.Thebookwillappealtoyounger(nine-toten-year-old)readerswithsophisticatedinterestsalongwith,andmaybemoreimportantly,thoseoldermiddle-schoolstudentswhoarenotyetskillfulreadersandwhothusoftensearchwithdifficultyforinterestingtopicspresentedinbooksofashorterlengththanmostwrittenforthatagegroup.MaryFlannery’slifeisinspirational.HerchildhoodinSavannah,Georgia,wasbothdifficultandprivileged.DuringtheGreatDepression,herfatherhadtoleavehometofindworkandthenbecameveryill.Laterinsmall-townMilledgeville,Georgia,Flannerylivedwithhermotherandanextendedfamilyofstrongwomen.Flannery’sabilitytoknowhermindatanearlyagehelpedherbuildanartisticreputationstartinginhighschool.Throughherfiction,shewentontobecomearolemodelforunconventionalgirlseverywhereandforanyonewhodreamsofbecomingawriter.
