Paula Danziger (August 18, 1944 – July 8, 2004)
Paula Danziger always knew she wanted to be an author. She confided that her backup plan, was to be a stand up comedian. Those who knew Paula, knew how funny she was. But, they also knew Paula wasn’t all fun and games.
Paula’s unhappy childhood paved the way for the themes in her books. She hated her father, felt unsupported, and needed help as a child. For kids in the 1950s, those resources didn’t exist.
She wrote for suffering young adults, so they could find solace in literature. This was the basis for all of her books. Before Paula, there were very few outlets for dysfunctional families, children who despised their parents, children going through divorce, losing your best friend in the world, and much more.
John Ciardi was a mentor and friend to Paula. He had a method of how all pages should be highlighted in red and blue – one for funny and one for sad. By the end, each page should be purple. This was the dichotomy Paula had become. This is how I can still see Paula alive in me.
Paula succeeded in improving the lives of countless children and young adults around the world.
She was the most amazing relative you could ever imagine and there isn’t a day since she died in 2004, that I don’t think of her.
- Ben Danziger
For a more information see the Paula Danziger Wikipedia Page