How can someone go from being a civilian
mechanic, fixing PT-19s to becoming a well-known young adult author? Ouida Sebestyen
did and is now nearly famous. She is most recognized for her book Words by
Heart for which she won many awards. You wouldn't believe that a "hippie"
who drives a Volkswagen bus, and in her spare time practices carpentry, has
written so many wonderful young adult books, such as: The Girl in the Box,
Out of Nowhere, and many others.
Ouida Sebestyen finds different things
in life very important, like writing books for young adults that are meaningful.
It seems that in her writing she concentrates on relationships because they
are a very large part of her life.
Ouida was born February 13, 1924
to proud parents James and Byrd Dockery. At the time James Dockery was a teacher
and Byrd a housewife (May, 107: 466). She was an only child surrounded by loving
parents and relatives. She grew up very close to her father which made it very
sad when he died of cancer. As a child Ouida grew up with a very strong sense
of security in her family but was not so secure of herself at school and found
socializing very painful. Sebestyen hated school because of that but loved to
read and learn. At home she lived a very protected life which is probably why
she had such a hard time at school (Junior Discovering Authors).
On December 22, 1960 at 36 Sebestyen
started her own family by marrying Adam Sebestyen, a Hungarian refugee, whom
she met while traveling (Junior Discovering Authors). In 1961 Sebestyen gave
birth to her only child, Corbin Sebestyen, who, as she talks about him, seems
to be the best thing that ever happened to her. Five years later, Ouida divorced
Adam. The author's marital status effected where she lived, and Sebestyen (who
kept the same last name after the divorce) lived mainly in Texas and Colorado
(Monseau13).
Ouida Sebestyen went through many
careers before she becoming a writer. Her first real part-time job was working
at a hamburger stand. Her next job took some training and in 1942, after the
training she became a civilian mechanic, fixing PT19's at Victory Field, a training
field. This career was followed by a job cleaning houses, and a next job running
her own day care center. (Junior Discovering Authors)
An author has to decide what the
book will be about before writing the actual book. Ouida Sebestyen focuses her
books on character development. That is why it is important to know where it
is that Sebestyen gets her ideas for her characters. Most of her ideas come
from the people around her and from parts of herself. Sebestyen also focuses
on family relationships in her stories. She bases these relationships on those
of her childhood. (Monseau13)
Sebestyen doesn't spend all of her
time just writing books. In fact she has a very interesting hobby as well as
some regular ones. She enjoys sewing, gardening and traveling, as well as spending
time with her son. Her strange hobby is carpentry, which she probably finds
humorous herself (Junior Discovering Authors).
Most of Sebestyen's books are directed
toward young adults, and that is why her characters are young adults. Sebestyen
focuses on relationships because that is what she believes life is about. "I
write to celebrate life, growing, and human family." (May, 107: 466) This again
shows how important family is to Sebestyen.
Ouida Sebestyen has written many
books and even some plays, but she is most famous for her first published novel,
Words by Heart. This was an "instant success" (May, 107: 466) as Sebestyen
put it herself, which made her "financially secure." (Junior Discovering Authors)
Even though Sebestyen wrote a book that made her not have to worry about money
for a while, she continued to write books for young adults and was very happy
with her life.
Not only did Ouida gain some wealth
for her book but also some awards. Ouida has a whole list of awards for her
book such as The International Reading Association Award and many others. Sebestyen
also received awards and recognition for IOU's, her third book, and nomination
for the Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Award for her fifth book, The Girl
In the Box. (Junior Discovering Authors)
Ouida Sebestyen summarizes; "I wrote
for thirty years before Words by Heart became an instant success, and
hope that my Cinderella story encourages other would-be writers to keep trying"
(May, 107: 466). We can tell that Sebestyen never gave up and tried her best
to look at life optimistically and with a caring open heart.
CRITICAL COMMENTS ON HER BOOKS
Everyone is faced with conflicts,
everyday. Words by Heart by Ouida Sebestyen is a story of Lena, a twelve
year old black girl growing up in a southwestern town. The conflicts that she
is faced with are involving race, and she must do what is right, not what she
may want to do. As historical fiction, it takes place in the nineteen tens in
a town where the population is mostly white. Lena's family is treated like slaves,
and discriminated against only because they are blacks and the town is pre-dominantly
white. Even at school Lena is made fun of and treated unfairly because of her
race. Lena's father is sent out of town to fix a fence for a nearby neighbor
who pays their family to work for them. This brings up another conflict for
Lena, in which she must make a hard choice.
This book was slow in the beginning
and an easy read, but it brings up an important problem, still partly faced
in our modern day society. It teaches you to look beyond skin color and into
one's heart. The title was obviously appropriate.
Whoever said that a dog is a man's
best friend knows a thing or two about relationships, and that is exactly what
Out of Nowhere by Ouida Sebestyen is about. The story is that of Harley,
a teenage boy who feels unwanted by his own mother who is continuously getting
a new boyfriend. So while running away, Harley has a lucky break when he meets
May, an old woman whose husband recently left her. May is very kind and takes
Harley, and his other newfound friend, Ish a pit bull, back to her house. There
they meet up with some other new friends. This will be a summer Harley will
never forget.
This is a story of friendship and
the reader almost feels like a friend to the characters. I recommend this book
to anyone who ever felt unwanted at sometime or another, and we know we all
have. This story teaches us that even when you think no one cares, somebody
always does.
AUTHOR'S STYLE AND CONVENTIONS
An author tends to use similar conventions
from one book to another, which is clearly shown in the two novels Words
by Heart and Out of Nowhere written by Ouida Sebestyen. First, she
uses point of view to her advantage to help her develop the characters
in great detail. Second, she uses realistic details to create an exciting
and entertaining plot and to develop characters. Lastly, Sebestyen uses
setting to add to the realistic parts of the book.
In the book, Words by Heart
the point of view is very important. The author uses a third person point
of view, meaning that the story is told by the author, and not by the main character
or a minor character. First, this helps the reader to relate to the characters
in a better way and make the story more realistic. Second, she does it so that
the reader can know what all the characters are feeling and thinking. Lastly,
the author uses this device of third person point of view to give her views
on the topics in the story.
This quote gives a good sense of
how the author shows what the characters are thinking. It also shows how the
author develops the characters. Indeed, that same device is used
in the book Out of Nowhere for similar reasons. The one reason that is
different is that the author uses it more to develop characters and their actions
that wouldn't have been given if this book were written in a dairy form.
This shows action as well as feelings
by showing how the character feels about the action.
Realistic details are common in Sebestyen's
books. In Words by Heart she includes historical facts as she tells the
story. Furthermore, she uses this so that the reader can respond and feel a
bond with and to the characters.
This is a part in the book where
the father and stepmother are talking over the little girl about something that
she couldn't image, that people didn't want them there. This shows how realistic
the book is because the readers feel like they're right there with the characters,
perhaps even that they are the characters.
Sebestyen uses realistic detail in
Out of Nowhere so the reader can relate to the character better. Since
this is a story of relationships it is important for the reader to feel like
he or she is a part of the relationship.
To summarize, this shows one of the
relationships between May and Singer. Another part of the book that shows character
development is a section in which Harley, the main character, is speaking to
his mother about how he's doing on his own.
That sums up how realistic details
are used to show a relationship as well as to help develop the characters.
The last stylistic device that Sebestyen
uses is a well-developed setting. In fact, if the book Words by Heart
didn't take place where it did, there would either be no story or a totally
different one. By this, it is meant that where and when the story takes place
is important to the story. The author develops the setting through characters'
actions and words. For example, here is a quote that shows how the author tells
the reader this in the very beginning. The quote comes from the book jacket
because it a sums up the importance of the setting.
Along with the quote from earlier
that stated more specifically the following, "'Oh, they like us here we're not
any different from them out here'" (Sebestyen, Words by Heart.19). These
show how important setting is to the story, and how much it has to do with the
plot.
Similarly, there is an importance
of the setting in Out of Nowhere. The setting is important though it
is not brought up that often. Setting comes in only for a short time and a short
part of the book but without these minor details of setting, the story would
be completely different.
This quote shows the importance of
minor setting details. If the house didn't need fixing Harley would have never
gone with May. "She was going to win.
Papa would look straight at her, proud. Not the way he did now, tired and quick
as if there were no need really to see her because she was like she had always
been. When she won, he would see how she really was, how grown-up and - well,
different now." (Sebestyen, Words by Heart. 6)
"Suddenly he was saying
to himself, ' No, it's okay. I want Ish put to sleep. So tell them to just put
Ish to sleep. It's just easier; it's better. So tell them'" (Sebestyen, Out
of Nowhere. 152).
"Well, when? Tonight you
knew what might happen, but you said, Oh they like us here we're not any different
from them out here, and I stayed quiet while she won over a white boy, and you
still hadn't told her what she needs to know!'" (Sebestyen, Words By Heart.19).
"'This is shocking to me,'
May said to the girl. 'My mother kept this house spotless when I lived here.
I can't - this - look what he's done to it'" (Sebestyen, Out of Nowhere.
54).
"'And they're treating
you good, your friends?' she asked. 'Is it a family?' He thought about it. 'Yeah,'
he said, surprising him-self. 'A family.' 'Well, then wish me as much luck as
you're having.' 'I do,' he said. Meaning it, in spite of everything" (Sebestyen,
Out of Nowhere. 151-152).
"No black family had ever
lived in Bethel Springs before, and here was the knife, pinning its black shadow
to the cloth, saying people didn't want them there" (Sebestyen, Words by
Heart book jacket).
"'Well, Harley, you're
cheaper than a psychiatrist. And it's true the house has been rented a long,
long time and will need cleaning - maybe even repairs.' Unexpectedly she smiled
at him. 'Do you do windows?' 'I never did. But I never did any of this.' He
smiled back. 'Then we might as well give it a try'" (Sebestyen, Out of Nowhere.
36-37).
CONCLUSION
Ouida Sebestyen's biggest contribution
to the field of writing is her book Words by Heart, although her other
books are also wonderful contributions and an inspiration to other writers.
I personally recommend the books that I read to do this project to someone that
doesn't mind an easy read, because they are very well developed in many ways.
I also recommend her book The Girl in the Box which I read prior to this
report and it became one on my favorite list. Sebestyen was an interesting author
and an even more interesting person.
WORKS CITED
Junior Discovering
Authors. CD-ROM. Detroit, MI: Gale Research, 1994.
May, Hal, ed. Contemporary Authors.
Vol. 107. Detroit, MI: The Book Tower, 1983.
Monseau, Virginia. Presenting
Ouida Sebestyen. New York: Twayne Publishers, 1995.
Sebestyen, Ouida. Out of Nowhere.
New York: Scholastic, 1994.
Sebestyen, Ouida. Words by Heart.
New York: Atlantic Monthly Press, 1968.
Sebestyen, Ouida. The Girl in
the Box Boston, MA: Little Brown,1988.
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Created March 31, 1997, Last Updated April 8, 1997