“ It was bittersweet because I was glad to have another book published . I knew and loved New Orleans so well , and I had already written several books about it .” The strange thing was that her publisher sent her to New Orleans two weeks after Katrina passed through . She saw the watermarks from the flooding , and the French Quarter was like a deserted graveyard . As she viewed the devastation , she wondered what happened to the children and animals . From that , her first call to write a children ’ s book was born . She began “ Ninth Ward ,” a story about a little girl and little boy who survived Katrina . It was also the first book in the Louisiana Girls trilogy .
She has been writing for youth ever since and says it has been the happiest time of her life . Stories about young people are what she always wanted to write and what she was meant to write . “ I feel very blessed that I finally got to this point . It ’ s a very good life . In words , you have power , and writing them helps me process emotions and life experiences .” The words enable her to remind the children that they are resilient and strong and have hope . She writes about a variety of characters and strives to mirror the diverse ethnicity of kids to see themselves in the story . “ If one kid likes my book and gets something useful out of it , it makes it all worthwhile .”
Jewell ’ s goal is to celebrate whatever cultural background everyone comes from
and expand the idea that we are all one race . “ Ghost Boys ,” one of her children ’ s books , is about young people wrestling with social justice . The book has been banned in some areas , and BC News ( out of Vancouver , B . C .) recently published a list of the top 50 banned books . “ Ghost Boys ” was # 8 .
Jewell believes people who write are a special category ; they commit to helping the following generations be better citizens . She hopes to inspire youth to know more about the world and to have empathy . She thinks it is the best job to have in the whole world – to help people be connected to each other .
“ I write to try to make the world a better place , and you will find themes of affirmation and love and spirituality in my whole host of books . I feel privileged to find myself and become the writer I have become .”
Jewell Parker Rhodes and her husband live in Seattle , Washington . You can learn more about Jewell and her growing array of youth and adult stories on her website
www . jewellparkerrhodes . com .
In words , you have power
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