41-590: Looking Back may refer to: Books [ edit ] Looking Back (book) , an autobiography by Lois Lowry Looking Back , a book by Ambeth Ocampo Music [ edit ] Looking Back (Tone Damli album) (2012) Looking Back (John Mayall album) , or its title song Lookin' Back (Hank Locklin album) , (1969) Looking Back (Leon Russell album) (1973) Looking Back (Toyah album) (1995) Looking Back (Stevie Wonder album) (1977) Looking Back (The Cherry Slush album) Lookin' Back ,
82-762: A Doctorate of Letters by Brown University in 2014, St. Mary's College , University of Southern Maine , Elmhurst College , Wilson College, and Lesley University . Number the Stars Number the Stars is a work of historical fiction by the American author Lois Lowry about the escape of a family of Jews from Copenhagen, Denmark , during World War II . The story revolves around ten-year-old Annemarie Johansen, who lives with her mother, father, and sister Kirsti in Copenhagen in 1943. Annemarie becomes
123-435: A 1971 song by Bob Seger "Lookin' Back", a 1981 song by Rich Dodson "Lookin' Back", a song by E-40 from Revenue Retrievin': Overtime Shift See also [ edit ] Lebensrückblick ( Looking Back ), a 1951 autobiography by Lou Andreas-Salomé " Looking Back to See ", a 1954 song by The Browns Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with
164-464: A 2009 album by Bob Baldwin Looking Back , an album by Cinderella Lookin' Back , an album by The 4 Seasons Lookin' Back , an album by Ken Medema Looking Back – The Best of Daryl Hall + John Oates (Daryl Hall and John Oates album) (1991) Songs [ edit ] "Looking Back" (Nat King Cole song) , 1958 "Looking Back" (Aksel Kankaanranta song) , 2020 " Lookin' Back ",
205-611: A book of poetry, called On the Horizon , charting her childhood memories of life in Hawaii and Tokyo, and the lives lost during the attack on Pearl Harbor and the bombing of Hiroshima. During the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, American publishing company Scholastic Corporation asked Lowry to write a new introduction to Like the Willow Tree , a story of a young girl living in Portland, Maine, who
246-489: A book that will be discussed, debated and challenged for years to come...a perfect teen read." She's also won a Boston Globe-Hornbook Award , an Anne V. Zarrow Award , a Golden Kite Award , and a Hope S. Dean Memorial Award. In 2011 she gave the May Hill Arbuthnot Lecture ; her lecture was titled "UNLEAVING: The Staying Power of Gold". She has been awarded honorary degrees from six universities, including
287-645: A close relationship. Lowry's father was an army dentist, whose work moved the family all over the United States and to many parts of the world. Lowry and her family moved from Hawaii to Brooklyn , New York, in 1940, when Lowry was three years old. They relocated in 1942 to her mother's home town in Carlisle, Pennsylvania , when Lowry's father was deployed to the Pacific during World War II . Lowry began reading at three years old, and after first grade, she skipped second at
328-525: A handkerchief, and returns home. Henrik returns to Denmark later that evening from Sweden. He reveals to Annemarie that many Jewish people, including the Rosens, were hiding in his boat to be smuggled into Sweden. He also explains that the handkerchief in her package contained the scent of rabbit blood, which attracted the Nazi dogs, and the strong odor of cocaine, which numbed their noses and prevented them from tracking
369-639: A part of the events related to the rescue of the Danish Jews , when thousands of Jews were to reach neutral ground in Sweden to avoid being relocated to concentration camps . She risks her life to help her best friend, Ellen Rosen, by pretending that Ellen is Annemarie's late older sister, Lise, who was killed in a car crash . However, her former fiancé, Peter, who is partially based on the Danish resistance member Kim Malthe-Bruun , continues to help them. The story's title
410-407: A relationship with Howard Corwin, a retired physician. Lowry's son Grey, a USAF major and flight instructor, was killed in the crash of his fighter plane in 1995. Lowry acknowledged that it was the most difficult day of her life, and she said, "His death in the cockpit of a warplane tore away a piece of my world, but it left me, too, with a wish to honor him by joining the many others trying to find
451-496: A theme running through all of her work is "the importance of human connections." By 2000, eight of her books had been challenged in schools and libraries in the United States. In particular, The Giver received a diversity of reactions from schools in America after its release in 1993. While some schools adopted it as a part of the mandatory curriculum, others prohibited the book's inclusion in their classroom studies. According to
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#1732876831614492-435: A way to end conflict on this very fragile earth." As of 2023, Lowry divides her time between Maine and Naples, Florida, and she still remains an active writer and speaker. Lowry first began her career as a freelance journalist. In the 1970s, she submitted a short story to Redbook magazine, which was intended for adult audiences, but was written from a child's perspective. An editor working at Houghton Mifflin who read
533-412: A wooded path in the direction of her uncle's boat. She is halted by Nazi soldiers with dogs. When they question Annemarie about what she is doing out so early, she lies that she is bringing a meal to her uncle. The soldiers do not believe her and one of them searches through the basket. However, they eventually let her go, and Annemarie makes it to her uncle's boat. She gives Henrik an envelope that contains
574-431: A young age. The novel is told from the perspective of a young girl who is sent to live with her grandfather during World War II , which is also based on her own experiences of having her father deployed during World War II. Of all the books she has published, Autumn Street is considered to be her most autobiographical. In the same year of publishing Autumn Street , Lowry also published her novel Anastasia Krupnik ,
615-461: Is across the lake from Sweden , a neutral country where Jews aren't persecuted. When they arrive, Henrik tells Annemarie that her Great-Aunt Birte has died, and a huge casket is placed in the middle of the living room. Annemarie doesn't believe she has a Great-Aunt Birte, but Henrik encourages her to be brave and keep this secret to herself, even from Ellen. The next evening, many people come to mourn "Aunt Birte", to Annemarie's puzzlement. Nazis come to
656-419: Is an American writer. She is the author of several books for children and young adults, including The Giver Quartet , Number the Stars , and Rabble Starkey . She is known for writing about difficult subject matters, dystopias , and complex themes in works for young audiences. Lowry has won two Newbery Medals : for Number the Stars in 1990 and The Giver in 1994. Her book Gooney Bird Greene won
697-565: Is taken from a reference to Psalm 147:4 in which the writer relates that God has numbered all the stars and named each of them. It coincides into the Star of David , which is worn by Ellen Rosen on her necklace and is a symbol of Judaism . The novel was awarded the Newbery Medal in 1990 as the previous year's "most distinguished contribution to American literature for children." Lowry traveled to Copenhagen to conduct research and interviews for
738-483: The Christmas Club savings program in 1910. Initially, Lowry's parents named her "Cena" for her Norwegian grandmother, but upon hearing the news, her grandmother telegraphed and instructed Lowry's parents that the child should have an American name. Lowry was the middle child. She had an older sister named Helen, and a younger brother named Jon. Helen died of cancer in 1962, but Lowry and her brother still share
779-669: The New York Times in 2012, The Giver had been perennially near the top of the America Library Association's list of banned and challenged books since its publication. In a 2012 review of Son , the New York Times said the 1993 publication of The Giver had "shocked adult and child sensibilities alike". In 2020, Time magazine described The Giver as "a staple of both middle school curricular and banned book lists." According to biographer Joel Chaston, Lowry's most critically acclaimed works are Rabble Starkey , Number
820-790: The Newbery Medal in 1990 for her novel Number the Stars , and again in 1994 for The Giver . For Number the Stars , Lowry has also received the National Jewish Book Award in 1990, in the Children's Literature category, and the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award in 1991. In 1994, Lowry was awarded the Regina Medal . In 2002, her book Gooney Bird Greene won the Rhode Island Children's Book Award. Lowry has been nominated three times for
861-657: The University of Southern Maine in Portland, Maine , in 1972. After earning her bachelor of arts, she continued at the university to pursue graduate studies. In 1977, at 40 years old, Lowry's first book, A Summer to Die , was published. In the same year, she and Donald Lowry were divorced. Two years later she met Martin Small in Boston and was in a relationship with him for over 30 years, until his death in 2011. From 2014 she has been in
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#1732876831614902-465: The 2002 Rhode Island Children's Book Award. Many of her books have been challenged or even banned in some schools and libraries. The Giver , which is common in the curricula in some schools, has been prohibited in others. Lowry was born on March 20, 1937, in Honolulu , Territory of Hawaii , to Katherine Gordon Landis and Robert E. Hammersberg. Her maternal grandfather, Merkel Landis, a banker, created
943-589: The Bible, which describes the Lord God numbering the stars. Annemarie's mind begins to wander since she is unfamiliar with the psalm. After finishing, Peter opens the casket and gives the warm clothing and blankets stored inside it to the Jewish families, who were masquerading as Great-Aunt Birte's "friends.' They leave in smaller groups to avoid drawing attention to themselves. Ellen says goodbye to Annemarie and her mother. Early in
984-803: The Franklin School in Carlisle. After World War II ended, Lowry moved with her family to Tokyo , Japan , where her father was stationed from 1948 to 1952. Lowry attended seventh and eighth grades at the American School in Japan , a school for dependents of those involved in the military. She returned to the United States when the Korean War began in 1950. Lowry and her family lived in Carlisle again in 1950, where she attended her freshman year in high school before moving to Governors Island , New York, when her father
1025-810: The Jews. Several revelations are made, including that Peter is in the Danish Resistance. It is also revealed that Lise had not died from a car crash but from being run over by a car because she was part of the Resistance. Denmark is liberated two years after the war's end. Since then, Peter has been executed by the Nazis and is buried in an unmarked grave. Annemarie finds Ellen's Star of David necklace and after her father fixes it for her, she decides to wear it until Ellen comes back to Denmark. Critical and popular reactions were positive. Kirkus Reviews said that "...like Annemarie,
1066-491: The Johansens' apartment, believing the Rosens might be hiding there. To conceal Ellen's identity, Annemarie rips off her Star of David necklace. Ellen is passed off as Annemarie's sister, with her parents providing old photos of Lise to prove this. The soldiers are suspicious of their story, but leave anyway. Annemarie, Ellen, and Kirsti leave with Annemarie's mother the next morning the next morning for Uncle Henrik's house, which
1107-555: The Redbook story suggested to Lowry that she should write a children's book. Lowry agreed and wrote her first book A Summer to Die, which was later published by Houghton Mifflin in 1977 when she was 40 years old. The book featured the theme of terminal illness , which is based on Lowry's own experiences with her sister Helen. Lowry continued to write about difficult topics in her next publication, Autumn Street (1979), which explores themes of coping with racism , grief , and fear at
1148-524: The Stars , and The Giver . Biographer Joel Chaston described her as "clearly one of the most important twentieth-century American writers for children". Robin Wasserman, a writer for The New York Times , said "In many ways, Lowry invented the contemporary young adult dystopian novel", pointing out that in 1993 it was "unusual and unsettling" for children's literature to address topics of political oppression, euthanasia, suicide, or murder. Lowry won
1189-418: The annual award in 2007 for The Giver (published 1993). The citation observed that " The Giver was one of the most frequently challenged books from 1990 to 2000" — that is, the object of "a formal, written attempt to remove a book from a library or classroom." According to the panel chair, "The book has held a unique position in teen literature. Lowry's exceptional use of metaphors and subtle complexity make it
1230-638: The biennial international Hans Christian Andersen Award , the highest recognition available to creators of children's books. She was a finalist in 2000, a U.S. nominee in 2004, and a finalist in 2016. In 2007, she received the Margaret Edwards Award from the American Library Association for her contributions writing for teens. The ALA Margaret Edwards Award recognizes one writer and a particular body of work for "significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature". Lowry won
1271-579: The book. She took the photo of ten-year-old Anna Caterina Johnson, the Swedish girl used for the cover (shown in infobox), which was used on many editions of the book. Annemarie Johansen and Ellen Rosen, two ten-year-old best friends living in Nazi-controlled Copenhagen , Denmark , during World War II , and Annemarie's younger sister Kirsti, are stopped on the street on their way home from school by German soldiers. Annemarie tells her parents about
Looking Back - Misplaced Pages Continue
1312-484: The first installment in the Anastasia series. The series, which touches on serious themes with a humorous approach, continued through to 1995. Lowry published Number the Stars in 1989, which received multiple awards, including the 1990 Newbery Medal . Lowry received another Newbery in 1994, for The Giver (1993). After publishing The Giver , she went on to publish another three companion novels that take place in
1353-421: The house and see start questioning the family. They explain that Great-Aunt Birte has died, and they are carrying out traditional rituals. When the Nazis order the casket to be opened, Mrs. Johansen lies that Great-Aunt Birte had typhus , a contagious disease, and the Nazis leave without further questions. After they leave, the wake continues. Peter, who is present, reads to the group the beginning of Psalm 147 from
1394-525: The incident when she returns home. She is told to be more careful, especially because Ellen is Jewish. The Germans soon announce that they will be "relocating" Denmark's Jewish population. At the local synagogue, the Nazis take the names and addresses of every Jewish family in Copenhagen. Ellen's parents flee Denmark with Annemarie's brother-in-law, Peter. Ellen is forced to stay with the Johansens and masquerade as Lise, Annemarie's late older sister, despite being half her age. One early morning, three soldiers enter
1435-461: The morning, Annemarie sees her mother crawling in the distance because she had broken her ankle. After helping her mother back to the house, Annemarie finds a packet of great importance to the Resistance , which Henrik had dropped when he accidentally tripped on a flight of stairs. Mrs. Johansen tells Annemarie to fill a basket with food and the packet, and run as fast as she can. Annemarie runs off onto
1476-485: The reader is protected from the full implications of events--but will be caught up in the suspense and menace of several encounters with soldiers and in Annemarie's courageous run as a courier on the night of the escape." In addition to winning numerous awards, the book has been one of the best-selling children's books of all time. According to Publishers Weekly , it was the 82nd best selling children's book of all time in
1517-438: The same universe: Gathering Blue (2000), Messenger (2004), and finally Son (2012), which tied all three of the previous books together. Collectively, they are referred to as The Giver Quartet . The New York Times described the quartet as "less a speculative fiction than a kind of guide for teaching children (and their parents, if they're listening carefully) how to be a good person." In early 2020, she released
1558-546: The title Looking Back . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Looking_Back&oldid=1215493035 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Looking Back (book) Lois Ann Lowry ( / ˈ l aʊər i / ; née Hammersberg ; born March 20, 1937)
1599-482: The university in 1956 after her marriage to Donald Grey Lowry, a U.S. Navy officer. The couple moved several times from San Diego to New London, Connecticut, to Key West, Florida, to Charleston, South Carolina, to Cambridge, Massachusetts and finally to Portland, Maine. They had two daughters, Alix and Kristin, and two sons, Grey and Benjamin. While raising her children, Lowry completed her degree in English literature at
1640-464: Was assigned to First Army Headquarters there. Lowry briefly attended Curtis High School , on Staten Island , then graduated from high school at Packer Collegiate Institute in Brooklyn Heights , New York, attending from 1952 to 1954. She then attended Pembroke College , which became fully merged with Brown University in 1971. There she met her future husband, Donald Grey Lowry. Lowry left
1681-554: Was orphaned during the 1918 Spanish flu epidemic . The book was first published in 2011, before being reissued by Scholastic in September 2020. Throughout her works, Lowry has explored several complex issues, including racism, terminal illness, murder , the Holocaust , and the questioning of authority , among other challenging topics. Her writing on such matters has accumulated both praise and criticism. The Chicago Tribune has said