Duffy's Rocks (Pitt Golden Triangle Books) - Softcover

Fenton, Edward

Softcover

ISBN 10: 082295706X ISBN 13: 9780822957065

Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1999

Synopsis

Feeling imprisoned by life in a grimy town of poor immigrant families near Pittsburgh during the 1930s, young Timothy Brennan sets out to find his father who abandoned him many years earlier

About this title

About the Author:

Edward Fenton (1917-1995), the author of Duffy's Rocks, was born in New York City, but lived mainly in Italy and Greece. His writing included works for both children and adults, but his best known works are those for younger readers. Fenton translated two books by Aliki Zei, both of which won the Batchelder prize for translation. It is said that a friend of Fenton's from New York invited him to McKees Rocks for a family wedding , and from that visit and discussions about the friend's childhood, the story for Timothy Brennan developed. Although Fenton never lived in Pittsburgh, his understanding of the ethnic richness of the city is clear in his depiction of the Brennan family and their neighbors. In his approach to writing stories for younger readers, Fenton claimed that "Children hunger for plot. The recognition of this desire for a story is another way of saying that they require form. . . . They are absolutely logical and impossible to deceive. They know when the Emperor is wearing no more than his underdrawers."

Dr. Margaret Mary Kimmel is professor in the department of Library and Information Science where she teaches children's literature and courses related to the provision of information services to young people. With Mark Collins, Dr. Kimmel co-edited Mr. Rogers Neighborhood: Children Television and Fred Rogers, and For Reading Out Loud with Elizabeth Segal. Active in many professional associations, Dr. Kimmel is a member of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh Board of Trustees. Kimmel received the Chancellor's Award for Distinguished Service in 1996.

Review:

"A poignant portrait of a young man struggling with his identity and his future! This tale is a masterful study of cultural perceptions in a backdrop rich with ethnic diversity." -- Dr. Molly S. Kinney, Consultant for Children, Parents and Family Literacy, Georgia Department of Technical and Adult Education, Office of Public Library Services

About this edition

• Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Press
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 082295706X
• ISBN 13: 9780822957065
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 240