Like all writers, Catherine loves a good story. The past is filled with incredible stories, and these are the ones Catherine likes to tell in her nonfiction books, most of which are works of American history or biography. Ernest Hemingway: A Writer's Life was a Junior Library Guild selection and a Golden Kite Award nonfiction honor book in 2010. Sigmund Freud: Pioneer of the Mind was the Sydney Taylor Book Award winner for 2001. E. E. Cummings: A Poet's Life was one of YALSA's Best Books for Young Adults in 2008. Her interest in African-American history led Catherine to write This Our Dark Country: The American Settlers of Liberia, which was a recommended title for the Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children. This interest also inspired Africans in America, which examines the lasting influence of enslaved Africans on American culture, and Paul Laurence Dunbar: Portrait of a Poet, the life story of a significant contributor to America's literary heritage. Catherine has also written several reference works that connect today's readers with people from the past, such as Working in America, which tells the story of laborers in the United States from the time of the Revolutionary War through the present, using hundreds of quotes from the workers themselves. Poverty in America looks at the poor in American history-and society's attitude toward them-through eyewitness accounts. Catherine says, "When I write I am always learning, and it pleases me to share what I have learned with you, my reader."
Selected Reviews of Catherine's Books
Jane Austen: A Life Revealed
Catherine Reef
Maryland author Catherine Reef has done a remarkable job of collecting and synthesizing the little that is known about Jane Austen into an intriguing biography. Teens who scorn what they term the whiny, first-person protagonists of contemporary YA fiction embrace Austen's witty take on early 19th century English society. These readers will relish Reef's peek at the iconic author who brought forth such delicious classics as Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility and Emma. Reef chronicles Austen's short life (she died in 1817 at the age of 41) and explores important relationships, especially the author's deep friendship with her sister Cassandra. Reef also examines Austen's writing process, provides short descriptions of her six novels and opens each chapter with a snippet of her writing, giving a sense of Austen's pithy voice and style. Period illustrations, paintings and movie stills of the many Hollywood versions of Austen's books help readers to connect both with the author's times and with her literary legacy. Reviewer: Mary Quattlebaum (Children's Literature).
Ernest Hemingway: A Writer's Life
Catherine Reef
The fascinating life and complex personality of Ernest Hemingway (1899 to 1961) unfold through the lucid and intelligent prose and carefully selected photographs and pictures of this book. Reef recounts his life with specific events and shows how those events had an influence on what and how Hemingway chose to write. The reader feels the excitement of battles and bullfights. Reef avoids being judgmental as she places Hemingway within the context of the time period, and presents his interpersonal relationships and his battles with alcoholism and depression. Reef includes an eye-popping quote from the main character in To Have and Have Not and goes on to say that with the publication of that book "Hemingway would achieve the freedom of language he had long sought." Aspiring young writers and students who are reading and studying Hemingway will gain valuable insight from this thoughtfully written biography. The considerable backmatter attests to the veracity of this biography. There are extensive notes that include the citations for the quotes in each chapter; there is a five-page selected bibliography; a listing of Hemingway's major works; picture credits; and an index. It is highly recommended. 2009, Clarion/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $20.00. Ages 14 up. Reviewer: Sharon Salluzzo (Children's Literature).
This Our Dark Country: The American Settlers of Liberia
Catherine Reef
During the pre-Civil War years, a movement occurred in the United States that had as its central tenet the belief that the colonization of new lands with transplanted former slaves from America could be a vibrant hope for the future. Controversial in its time, the concept of African-American colonization was used by its supporters as a basis for the establishment of Liberia as a colony in Western Africa. The original settlers in Liberia were hundreds of former slaves drawn from a variety of locations within the United States. This colonial population was expanded through the relocation of freed African slaves who had been taken from illegal slaving expeditions that were stopped by the Federal government. Opposed by both blacks and whites of many persuasions, the colonization movement never amounted to much more than a trickle. However, from that stream of emigrants came a nation that continues to exist. The history of Liberia as first a colonial creation and then a nation unto itself is ably told in this illustrated work. Catherine Reef is an excellent and distinguished writer and she brings her talents to bear in this book. Reef captures the complexities of Liberian colonization and describes a state in which African-Americans established themselves while they also exerted control over a native population that they saw as inferior. This seeming contradiction lies at the heart of this fine work and is a message that readers will gain from hearing. 2002, Clarion, $17.00. Ages 12 up. Reviewer: Greg M. Romaneck (Children's Literature).
E.E. Cummings
Catherine Reef
This fascinating biography of a major American poet of the 20th century relates his life to the social and political context of the times. He was called by his middle name, Estlin, and preferred that his name be written as "E. E. Cummings" using customary capitalization. While a young man at Harvard, he was already writing his unusual form of poetry and painting in the cubist style. A helpful formula for understanding his poetry is presented: "Sometimes, he pried a word open with a phrase wrapped in parentheses to show that two events or thoughts occur at the same time." He is portrayed as a delightful, entertaining boy who never grew up. His two marriages ended in divorce, and he never married his later companion, Marion Morehouse. He and his first wife had a child, Nancy, whom he acknowledged only later in life, but never fulfilled her desire for a father. In Paris and Greenwich Village, he partied with the notables of his day. His friends included Hart Crane, William Carlos Williams, and Ezra Pound. Later he settled on his family's farm. At 56, having published several books of poetry, he began to win prizes and have financial security. His mother had continually furnished support. This book is a gem for anyone interested in this poet, his poetry, or his times. 2006, Clarion Books/Houghton Mifflin Company, $21.00. Ages 14 to adult. Reviewer: Carlee Hallman (Children's Literature).
Learning from Biography
- Every biographical subject has experienced personal challenges. If we look at how these people coped and overcame, then we may learn lessons to apply to our own lives. Catherine also explores how writers and other artists have used their creativity to deal with troubling social issues (e.g., Walt Whitman's poems on the Civil War; Gordon Parks's photographs of segregation). Questions are welcome. Upper Elementary School and Middle School.
Developing a Portrait through Biography
- A biography is more than an accumulation of facts. Catherine discusses the art of creating a biography: how the biographer creates a vivid setting, fleshes out the subject, presents the subject's work (especially pertinent to her biographies of authors and composers), chooses illustrations, and makes other aesthetic decisions. This talk can also be tailored to a particular subject (e.g., Creating a Biographical Portrait of Sigmund Freud). Questions are welcome. Middle School and High School; Adults.
The Art of Writing Nonfiction
- Catherine discusses the process of writing a work of nonfiction, from research to finished book. She discusses choosing a topic or person as the focal point of the book, working with and selecting primary sources, defining the setting and viewpoint of the book, the importance of accuracy, choosing illustrations, and writing style. Questions are welcome. Upper Elementary, Middle School and High School.
Catherine will conduct up to 4 presentations in a day. She prefers one to two classes at a time for a total of up to 50 students. Presentations last from 40 to 50 minutes. Her presentations are designed for upper elementary, middle school, high school, and adults. She will conduct small workshops or make presentations to larger groups at conferences.
Costs: $500 for a half day (1 or 2 presentations); $750 for full day (maximum of 4 presentations); travel, lodging and other expenses to be paid by the booking organization.
To learn more about Catherine and her publications please visit www.childrensbookguild.org/catherine-reef.
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