Olson, Gretchen

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Olson, Gretchen

PERSONAL:

Married.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Amity, OR. E-mail—gretchen@[email protected].

CAREER:

Author. Hands and Words Are Not for Hurting Project, president of board of directors.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Top Ten First Novels citation, Booklist, and Oregon Book Award finalist, both for Joyride; Borders Original Voice selection for Call Me Hope; University of Oregon Community Award.

WRITINGS:

Joyride, Caroline House/Boyds Mills (Honesdale, PA), 1998.

Call Me Hope, Little, Brown (New York, NY), 2007.

SIDELIGHTS:

Oregon-based writer Gretchen Olson pens novels for young adults that center around social issues of personal concern. In her first novel, Joyride, she tells the story of an upper-class boy who befriends migrant workers. "The story is based on twenty-five years experience with migrant workers on our blueberry farm," Olson explained to Little Willow for the Associated Content Web site. "I wrote the book hoping to provide a fresh look at the migrant way of life in order to bridge our cultural gap and reduce prejudices." Olson is also the author of Call Me Hope, a novel that centers around a young girl who is struggling against her mother's verbal abuse.

In Joyride, teenage tennis player Jeff McKenzie takes a "joyride" through the bean field of an Oregon farmer. In order to pay for the damages he inflicts on the farmer's crop, Jeff has to leave his country-club life behind and join the migrant workers in the farmer's strawberry fields. As he works beside the mostly Mexican farm workers, the teen sees, firsthand, the bigotry Mexican workers experience at the hands of Jeff's community. When that same bigotry turns violent, the teen is forced to take a stand in the migrants' defense. "Honorable, but with realistic doubts and occasional lapses into poor judgment, Jeff makes a fine protagonist," concluded Roger Leslie in Booklist. A Publishers Weekly critic concluded of Joyride that "readers will likely be inspired by Jeff's decision to fight racism both in and out of the field."

Call Me Hope is the story of eleven-year-old Hope, who in most respects is a normal sixth-grader. However, unlike many of her peers, at home Hope suffers from the verbal assaults of an angry mother who seems unconcerned that her harsh words damage the preteen's self-esteem and self-respect. Hope finds ways to cope, however, and earns the respect and emotional support of two women for whom she is working in order to raise the money she needs to buy supplies for a school trip. "Children who can identify with Hope's predicament will find solace in this book as well as tips for survival," wrote a contributor to Publishers Weekly. Jennifer Hubert, reviewing Call Me Hope for Booklist, found much to appreciate in Olson's narrator, writing that "Hope is a winsome character whose bravery and determination will resonate with middle-grade readers." Although she noted that the story is strong on message, Carolyn Lehman wrote in School Library Journal that Call Me Hope is "a compelling and rewarding read."

While doing research for Call Me Hope, Olson came into contact with the nonprofit The Hands and Words Are Not for Hurting Project. "The program's beauty is its simplicity," Olson explained on the Associated Content Web site, repeating the group's fourteen-word pledge: "I will not use my hands or my words for hurting myself or others." Continuing her involvement with the organization, Olson has served as the president of the board of directors as well as the project's Yamhill County coordinator. A portion of all sales of Call Me Hope are donated to the group, and the novel features both the organization's logo and pledge on its jacket. Olson's work with the group earned her the University of Oregon's Community Award.

Olson told CA: "I've loved to read ever since I could piece letters and sentences together. My mother was a great role model, reading whenever she could and strictly limiting our television time. I remember warm summer days, hauling piles of books to our front yard, spreading a blanket beneath a broad oak tree, and pouring a huge glass of lemonade, then wandering through pages of pictures and stories. The afternoon would disappear into the coolness of evening before I realized I'd savored so many adventures.

"Now I wish I had days upon days to do nothing but read. I always have several books going at one time including research material for my next project. I tend to read lots of middle-grade and young-adult novels as I love to discover what children are reading and I appreciate an intriguing, concise, well-written story.

"My own writings have addressed particular concerns I have for people and difficult issues. Call Me Hope was an especially emotional book for me to write. The more I learned about verbal abuse, the more compelled I felt to tell of its destructive power. I desperately wanted children to understand that they are not horrible, bad, pathetic losers just because an adult who supposedly cares for them calls them such names.

"When I have a problem writing, one of my favorite solutions is to take a walk around our blueberry farm. Our two dogs, Lucy and Bailey, join me and while they hunt for mice and eat berries, I let my mind relax, my eyes roam across rows and rows of berries, past the irrigation pond, to the distant foothills and Oregon Coast Range. By the time I return home, I've usually found a way to move my story forward, introduce a new character, or end a chapter.

"I urge you to do the same when you're having trouble deciding what to do next, whether a school assignment or a problem with a friend or family member. Allow yourself quiet time. Turn off the radio, TV, computer, and let the silence deliver your answer. Then read a good book!!!"

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, March 1, 1998, review of Joyride, p. 1124; November 15, 1998, review of Joyride, p. 585; March 15, 2007, Jennifer Hubert, review of Call Me Hope, p. 49.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, May, 1998, review of Joyride, p. 333.

Kirkus Reviews, March 15, 2007, review of Call Me Hope.

Publishers Weekly, January 19, 1998, review of Joyride, p. 379; April 23, 2007, review of Call Me Hope, p. 51.

School Library Journal, April, 1998, Tim Rausch, review of Joyride, p. 134; May, 2007, Carolyn Lehman, review of Call Me Hope, p. 140.

Voice of Youth Advocates, April, 1998, review of Joyride, p. 48; June, 2007, review of Call Me Hope, p. 150.