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E.B. WHITE: SOME WRITER! AUTHOR: Beverly Gherman / PHOTOGRAPHER: photographs from
the E.B. White Collection at Cornell University Library E.B. White: Some Writer! begins with White's birth, in 1899, and boyhood years in Mount Vernon, New York, and ends with his death, in 1985, at his North Brooklin, Maine, saltwater farm. Readers will learn about White's passions—writing, animals, Maine, farming, sailing—as well as his fears—not being able to write something important or to meet writing deadlines, speaking in public, getting sick, not being able to provide for his family. Elwyn Brooks White's love for Maine and his Maine connections are stressed throughout the book. Starting as a boy, E.B. White visited Great Pond (one of the Belgrade Lakes) each August with his family. White continued visiting Maine until he bought a saltwater farm in North Brooklin, Maine, in 1933. Then White commuted between his work in New York City and the farm, spending more and more time in Maine, until he eventually moved there. White did much of his writing, including Charlotte's Web, in his small boat house. White treasured the words of Henry David Thoreau and carried Walden with him everywhere. In 1963, White was nominated for the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Kennedy. After Kennedy's assassination, White actually was presented the medal, at Colby College in Waterville, by Maine Senator Edmund Muskie. White often felt ill and his hay fever was particularly bad on his farm, but White was quoted as saying, "I would really rather feel bad in Maine than good anywhere else." E.B. White: Some Writer! is a highly readable and thoroughly enjoyable biography. After getting to know E.B. White the man and the writer, Mainers will be proud to claim "the father of Charlotte's Web" as one of their own. LEARNING ACTIVITIES 1. Make two timelines—one of world events (e.g., World War I, the Great Depression, World War II) and one of E.B. White's life (using information from E.B. White: Some Writer!). Then compare the two timelines. How did world events seem to influence E.B. White's life and writings? Do you think White's writings had any influence on the world? 2. E.B. White was afraid to speak in public. He may have been an eloquent writer, but he never gave himself a chance to become an eloquent speaker. Write a persuasive essay trying to convince E.B. White that he should have given more speeches. Try to be specific, clear, and brief with your advice. 3. E.B. White loved Maine and the world loved E.B. White. Design a plan for a Maine memorial of E.B. White. Your memorial plans should highlight White's Maine connections. Where would your memorial be placed? How would you let E.B. White fans know about your memorial? ABOUT THE AUTHOR Beverly Gherman wrote her first biography when she was in fourth grade. At that time, if she didn't know any facts about her subject, then she just made them up. Later in life, Gherman returned to writing biographies, but this time she enjoyed diving into the research. Her biographies have featured Georgia O'Keefe, Agnes de Mille, Sandra Day O'Connor, Dr. Roentgen, and Robert Louis Stevenson. Gherman made her first trip to Maine while doing her research for E.B. White: Some Writer! She visited White's saltwater farm and interviewed White's son, Joel, who was a boatbuilder. Gherman found Maine to be "an addictive place," just as E.B. White's books have always been to her. Gherman has two grown children and two grandchildren. She lives with her husband in San Francisco. |
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