Bette Greene
Encyclopedia
Bette Greene is the author of several books for children and young adults, including Summer of My German Soldier
, The Drowning of Stephan Jones, and the Newbery Honor book Philip Hall Likes Me, I Reckon Maybe
. She currently resides in Boston
, Massachusetts
.
Greene was raised in a small town in Arkansas
, where she stuck out as a Jewish girl in the American South during the Great Depression
and World War II
. Her books focus on themes of injustice and alienation. Her book, Summer of My German Soldier
, is based heavily on her childhood.
, but was raised in the small town of Parkin, Arkansas
, where her parents ran the general store. As a Jewish girl in a town of Christian fundamentalists, she experienced discrimination and learned what it was like to be an outsider. Since her parents spent a lot of time in their store, Greene was raised mainly by her family's African-American housekeeper, Ruth, who served as the model for the character of the same name in Summer of My German Soldier
.
Just before Greene entered high school, her family returned to Memphis. Although she began writing for newspapers during her high school years and even won first prize in a local essay contest, she received poor grades in English because of her difficulties with spelling and punctuation. After graduation, she spent a year studying in Paris
, France
, an experience that would later serve as the background for Morning Is a Long Time Coming. After a year abroad, she returned to Memphis and became a reporter for United Press International
.
After taking classes at several colleges, Greene enrolled at Columbia University
in New York City
, where she focused on writing and astronomy. After graduation she worked as a part-time journalist and a public information officer before marrying physician Donald Sumner Greene and moving with him to Boston; the couple have two grown children. It was after the birth of daughter Carla that Greene began to write Summer of My German Soldier. The novel took five years to complete; after two more years spent searching for a publisher and eighteen rejections, the book was published by Dial Press
in 1973.
Summer of My German Soldier, The Film
Emmy Award
& Humanitas Prize Award film promoting human dignity, meaning and freedom:
Philip Hall Likes Me, I Reckon Maybe
Them That Glitter and Them that Don’t
Other
was adapted as a television movie starring Kristy McNichol, Bruce Davison, and Esther Rolle and broadcast by the National Broadcasting Company (NBC-TV), 1978; The file was also released as a filmstrip by Miller-Brody Productions in 1979.
A new musical version of the novel with music and lyrics by David Brush and Jim Farley opened in Ohio in August 2003, staged by Encore Theater Company. Summer of My German Soldier has also been released on audio-cassette.
Philip Hall Likes Me. I Reckon Maybe was adapted into a filmstrip by Miller-Brody Productions in 1979. Both books have also been released on audiocassette. The Drowning of Stephan Jones was optioned as a film by Telling Pictures.
Summer of My German Soldier
Summer of My German Soldier is a book by Bette Greene first published in 1973.The story is told in first person narrative by a twelve-year-old Jewish girl named Patty Bergen living in Jenkinsville, Arkansas during World War II. The story focuses on the friendship between Patty and an escaped German...
, The Drowning of Stephan Jones, and the Newbery Honor book Philip Hall Likes Me, I Reckon Maybe
Philip Hall Likes Me, I Reckon Maybe
Philip Hall Likes Me, I Reckon Maybe is a children's novel written by Bette Greene that was awarded a Newbery Honor in 1975. The book was published in 1974 by Puffin Books. It is the first of three novels to feature protagonist Beth Lambert and her friend Philip Hall...
. She currently resides in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
.
Greene was raised in a small town in Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
, where she stuck out as a Jewish girl in the American South during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
and World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Her books focus on themes of injustice and alienation. Her book, Summer of My German Soldier
Summer of My German Soldier
Summer of My German Soldier is a book by Bette Greene first published in 1973.The story is told in first person narrative by a twelve-year-old Jewish girl named Patty Bergen living in Jenkinsville, Arkansas during World War II. The story focuses on the friendship between Patty and an escaped German...
, is based heavily on her childhood.
Biography
Greene was born in Memphis, TennesseeTennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, but was raised in the small town of Parkin, Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
, where her parents ran the general store. As a Jewish girl in a town of Christian fundamentalists, she experienced discrimination and learned what it was like to be an outsider. Since her parents spent a lot of time in their store, Greene was raised mainly by her family's African-American housekeeper, Ruth, who served as the model for the character of the same name in Summer of My German Soldier
Summer of My German Soldier
Summer of My German Soldier is a book by Bette Greene first published in 1973.The story is told in first person narrative by a twelve-year-old Jewish girl named Patty Bergen living in Jenkinsville, Arkansas during World War II. The story focuses on the friendship between Patty and an escaped German...
.
Just before Greene entered high school, her family returned to Memphis. Although she began writing for newspapers during her high school years and even won first prize in a local essay contest, she received poor grades in English because of her difficulties with spelling and punctuation. After graduation, she spent a year studying in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, an experience that would later serve as the background for Morning Is a Long Time Coming. After a year abroad, she returned to Memphis and became a reporter for United Press International
United Press International
United Press International is a once-major international news agency, whose newswires, photo, news film and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines and radio and television stations for most of the twentieth century...
.
After taking classes at several colleges, Greene enrolled at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, where she focused on writing and astronomy. After graduation she worked as a part-time journalist and a public information officer before marrying physician Donald Sumner Greene and moving with him to Boston; the couple have two grown children. It was after the birth of daughter Carla that Greene began to write Summer of My German Soldier. The novel took five years to complete; after two more years spent searching for a publisher and eighteen rejections, the book was published by Dial Press
Dial Press
The Dial Press was a publishing house founded in 1923 by Lincoln MacVeagh.Dial Press shared a building with The Dial and Scofield Thayer worked with both. The first imprint was issued in 1924. Authors included Elizabeth Bowen, W.R...
in 1973.
Awards
Summer Of My German Soldier- 1973 Golden Kite AwardGolden Kite AwardThe Golden Kite Awards are given annually by the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators to recognize excellence in children’s literature. Instituted in 1972, the Golden Kite Awards are the only children’s literary award judged by a jury of peers...
- New York Times Outstanding Book Award
- ALA Notable Book Award
- National Book Award Finalist
- Massachusetts Children’s Book Award
Summer of My German Soldier, The Film
Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
& Humanitas Prize Award film promoting human dignity, meaning and freedom:
- In 1979, Esther Rolle won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series for a Special (NBC) (Summer Of My German Soldier)and Jane-Howard Hammerstein (NBC) was nominated for Outstanding Writing in a Limited Series or a Special.
- Summer Of My German Soldier also won a Humanitas Prize for the 90 Minute Category by Jane-Howard Hammerstein.
Philip Hall Likes Me, I Reckon Maybe
- 1975 Newbery Honor
- New York Times Outstanding Book Award
- New York Times Outstanding Title Award
- ALA Notable Children’s Book Award
- Child Study Association Children’s Book Award
- Kirkus Choice Award
Them That Glitter and Them that Don’t
- Parent’s Choice Award, Parent’s Choice Foundation.
Writings
- Summer of My German Soldier, Dial (New York, NY), 1973, reprinted, 2003.
- Philip Hall Likes Me. I Reckon Maybe, illustrated by Charles Lilly, Dial (New York, NY), 1974.
- Morning Is a Long Time Coming (sequel to Summer of My German Soldier), Dial (New York, NY), 1978.
- Them That Glitter and Them That Don't, Knopf (New York, NY), 1983.
- The Drowning of Stephan Jones, Bantam (New York, NY), 1991.
- Get on out of Here, Philip Hall, Dial (New York, NY), 1981, Reprinted, Puffin (New York, NY), 1999.
- I've Already Forgotten Your Name, Philip Hall!, Illustrated by Leonard Jenkins, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2004.
Other
- Contributor of articles to periodicals.
- Short fiction has been included in anthologies.
- Creator of Bette Greene Teaches Writing (interactive instructional videos), Christy Johnson Productions, 1999.
- Author's papers are housed in a permanent collection at the Kerlan Collection, University of Minnesota.
Adaptations
Summer of My German SoldierSummer of My German Soldier
Summer of My German Soldier is a book by Bette Greene first published in 1973.The story is told in first person narrative by a twelve-year-old Jewish girl named Patty Bergen living in Jenkinsville, Arkansas during World War II. The story focuses on the friendship between Patty and an escaped German...
was adapted as a television movie starring Kristy McNichol, Bruce Davison, and Esther Rolle and broadcast by the National Broadcasting Company (NBC-TV), 1978; The file was also released as a filmstrip by Miller-Brody Productions in 1979.
A new musical version of the novel with music and lyrics by David Brush and Jim Farley opened in Ohio in August 2003, staged by Encore Theater Company. Summer of My German Soldier has also been released on audio-cassette.
Philip Hall Likes Me. I Reckon Maybe was adapted into a filmstrip by Miller-Brody Productions in 1979. Both books have also been released on audiocassette. The Drowning of Stephan Jones was optioned as a film by Telling Pictures.
External links
- Official website
- Official Facebook page
- Biography from The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture
- Bette Greene on Understanding Adolescent Homophobia
- American Library Association Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books: 2000-2009
- American Library Association 100 most frequently challenged books: 1990–1999
- Encyclopedia of Arkansas: Bette Evensky Greene
- NJEA Review. February, 2010. Bette Greene's “Summer of My German Soldier”. Teen Lit: Edgy or Over Edge