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Judith Guest
Encyclopedia
Judith Guest is an American
novelist and screenwriter
. She was born in Detroit, Michigan
and is the great-niece of Poet Laureate
Edgar Guest
(1881–1959).
, published in 1976
, was made into a 1980 film
Ordinary People
that won the Academy Award for Best Picture
.
This novel and two others, Second Heaven (1982) and Errands (1997), are about adolescent
children forced to deal with a crisis in their family. She also wrote the screenplay for the 1987 film Rachel River
.
Judith Guest co-authored the mystery Killing Time in St. Cloud
(1988) with fellow novelist Rebecca Hill. Guest's most recent book, The Tarnished Eye (2004), is loosely based on a true unsolved crime in her native Michigan.
in 1951. When her family moved to Royal Oak
, Judith transferred to Dondero High School
, where she graduated in 1954. Guest then studied English and psychology
at the University of Michigan
, graduated with a BA
in education, and was a member of Sigma Kappa
sorority. She taught at a public school for several years before making the decision to devote herself full time to completing a novel.
Judith is married to businessman Larry LaVercombe, a former All-City basketball player at Detroit's Cooley High School
and graduate of the University of Michigan. Judith and Larry have three sons and several grandchildren; all residing in Minnesota
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
novelist and screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
. She was born in Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
and is the great-niece of Poet Laureate
Poet Laureate
A poet laureate is a poet officially appointed by a government and is often expected to compose poems for state occasions and other government events...
Edgar Guest
Edgar Guest
Edgar Albert Guest was a prolific English-born American poet who was popular in the first half of the 20th century and became known as the People's Poet.In 1891, Guest came with his family to the United States from England...
(1881–1959).
Work
Judith's first book, Ordinary PeopleOrdinary People (novel)
Ordinary People is Judith Guest's first novel. Published in 1976, it tells the story of a year in the life of the Jarretts, an affluent suburban family trying to cope with the aftermath of two traumatic events....
, published in 1976
1976 in literature
The year 1976 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* Saul Bellow won both the Nobel Prize for Literature and the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.-New books:*Kingsley Amis – The Alteration...
, was made into a 1980 film
1980 in film
- Events :* May 21 - Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back is released and is the biggest grosser of the year ....
Ordinary People
Ordinary People
Ordinary People is a 1980 American drama film that marked the directorial debut of Robert Redford. It stars Donald Sutherland, Mary Tyler Moore, Judd Hirsch and Timothy Hutton....
that won the Academy Award for Best Picture
Academy Award for Best Picture
The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to artists working in the motion picture industry. The Best Picture category is the only category in which every member of the Academy is eligible not only...
.
This novel and two others, Second Heaven (1982) and Errands (1997), are about adolescent
Adolescence
Adolescence is a transitional stage of physical and mental human development generally occurring between puberty and legal adulthood , but largely characterized as beginning and ending with the teenage stage...
children forced to deal with a crisis in their family. She also wrote the screenplay for the 1987 film Rachel River
Rachel River
Rachel River is a 1987 comedy-drama film about a young journalist who returns to her Minnesota home town to reexamine her life. The film was directed by Sandy Smolan, and stars Pamela Reed, Ailene Cole, Don Cosgrove, and Craig T. Nelson....
.
Judith Guest co-authored the mystery Killing Time in St. Cloud
Killing Time in St. Cloud
Killing Time in St. Cloud is a crime novel by Judith Guest and Rebecca Hill first published in 1988.-External links:* on Judith Guest's website....
(1988) with fellow novelist Rebecca Hill. Guest's most recent book, The Tarnished Eye (2004), is loosely based on a true unsolved crime in her native Michigan.
Personal
Judith attended Detroit's Mumford High SchoolMumford High School (Michigan)
Located on Detroit's near-northwest side, Samuel C. Mumford High School is operated by the Detroit Board of Education; the school's namesake served twenty-two years on the Board and was a former president of the organization...
in 1951. When her family moved to Royal Oak
Royal Oak, Michigan
Royal Oak is a city in Oakland County of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a suburb of Detroit. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 57,236. It should not be confused with Royal Oak Charter Township, a separate community located nearby....
, Judith transferred to Dondero High School
Dondero High School
George A. Dondero High School was opened in 1927 in Royal Oak, Michigan. It was named after former United States congressman and Royal Oak School Board President George A. Dondero.- Overview :...
, where she graduated in 1954. Guest then studied English and psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
, graduated with a BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in education, and was a member of Sigma Kappa
Sigma Kappa
Sigma Kappa is a sorority founded in 1874 at Colby College in Waterville, Maine. Sigma Kappa was founded by five women: Mary Caffrey Low Carver, Elizabeth Gorham Hoag, Ida Mabel Fuller Pierce, Frances Elliott Mann Hall and Louise Helen Coburn...
sorority. She taught at a public school for several years before making the decision to devote herself full time to completing a novel.
Judith is married to businessman Larry LaVercombe, a former All-City basketball player at Detroit's Cooley High School
Cooley High School
Thomas M. Cooley High School is located at the intersection of Hubbell Avenue and Chalfonte Street, on the northwest side of Detroit, Michigan. The three-story, Mediterranean Revival-style facility opened its doors on September 4, 1928....
and graduate of the University of Michigan. Judith and Larry have three sons and several grandchildren; all residing in Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
.