1. Chris Crutcher

2. A real story about a real person, written by that person.
Autobiography
A real story about a real person, written by that person.

3. Who is Chris Crutcher? Born on July 17, 1946 in Dayton Ohio
Father a WWII bomber pilot
Mother a homemaker
Grew up in Cascade, Idaho, a logging town north of Boise. 
He graduated from Eastern Washington State College -- now Eastern Washington University -- with a BA in psychology and sociology. 
He later earned his teaching credential and taught primary and secondary school in Washington State and California.

4. Cascade, ID 1960

5. A Coming-of-Age Story or Novel
The main character undergoes adventures and/or inner turmoil
Leads to their growth and development as a human being.
List some examples of coming-of-age stories you have read.

6. Coming of Age
For some characters, their coming of age is through coming to grips with the reality of cruelty in the world--with war, violence, death, racism, and hatred
Others come of age while dealing with family, friends, or community issues.

7. Childhood If you could breathe,” Crutcher says, “you could play.”
The recruitment of nearly every male adolescent in Cascade was necessary to populate a viable team.
His brother John was an authentic jock and a stellar academic.
Even without athletic prowess, Crutcher participated in football, basketball and track.

8. School
The only book Crutcher remembers ever reading was “To Kill a Mockingbird” By Harper Lee
One reason was because he was the younger brother of a very smart older brother.
The other reason is that he never felt a connection to anything he was assigned to read.

9. Working as an Adolescent
When he wasn’t at school or practice, Crutcher often manned the pumps at the family service station
He learned the value of hard work, the ecstasy of junk food, and the true reach of his father’s powerful intellect.
“I saw him as a God,” Crutcher explains, “but he was 6’5” so I also saw him as BIG.”

10. Current Work
Crutcher still works as a therapist and child protection advocate.
Didn’t begin writing until he was in his 30’s.
His life experiences in rural Idaho, in urban Oakland, in education and in mental health keep his fiction rooted in real life.
“Crutcher writes with heart-wrenching realism,” according to People Magazine with “superb plotting, extraordinary characters and crackling narrative,” Publisher’s Weekly said.

11. Banned and Challenged Books
A challenged book is a book that a person or a group has attempted to remove from the library shelves and/or a school classroom because of objections regarding the book’s content.
A banned book
has been
successfully
removed from the
library shelves
and/or school
classrooms.

12. Why are books banned? Profane language
Sexual, racially discriminatory, or violent content
Political and/or religious differences
A variety of other reasons
Chris Crutcher has had his books repeatedly challenged and banned across the country. His books have been on the American Library Association Top Ten Most Frequently Challenged Books list multiple times, a fact he is proud of.
He won an award in 2005 from the National Coalition Against Censorship “for his courageous novels for young adults and his outspoken defense of free speech.”
“A champion for free speech, Chris Crutcher continuously fights for intellectual freedom. He loudly proclaims the rights of high school students to feel visible and to find and read the books they need most, in spite of censors.”

13. Words In-Context
One thing to remember about Crutcher is that he doesn’t throw in “bad words” at random. He isn’t trying to sensationalize things.
Any time he uses “bad words”, he does it because it fits with the context of what is going on in the story. He has said that by taking out those words, his characters are less real. Including them gives the situation more impact.

14. Quotes by Crutcher
“Inappropriate language is always a target. I can’t speak for other writers, but I use language for realism and for humor. I try to be aware of the teenage mind and the teenage perspective. Many censors actually zero in on the language itself, devoid of context. You can’t legitimately criticize anything if you’re not willing to take context into account.”
“The generation gap is constantly addressed when we look at the struggles between adolescents and adults. I believe much of that gap is created because we, as adults, are afraid to talk about what is important to adolescents, and they are naturally—developmentally—skeptical about talking with us. If they knew we could listen, that gap could be narrowed. Talking about stories, talking about a character’s issues instead of more personal, closer-to-home issues, is a great way to get the conversation started.”

15. Chris Crutcher on Censorship
“Censors often say that in difficult times they want kids to keep their innocence as long as possible, and books like mine and many other authors’ talk about issues that destroy that innocence. But they never seem to know at what point innocence turns to ignorance. A five-year-old who believes in Santa is cute. A fourteen-year-old who believes in Santa is likely to get a bloody nose.”

16. Pre-Reading Quick-write
As we prepare to begin reading and discussing Chris Crutcher’s autobiography, I want you to think of an event or something that happened in your life that you felt was a “coming-of-age” experience. Take a few moments to think.
Next, write a brief journal entry about your coming of age experience: a tough time/change that you went through that helped you to grow up or see the world in a new way. It doesn’t have to be some big, drastic change, but can be something simple.
This assignment should be at least a page.

17. Awards
The American Library Association has named eight of his young adult books, to date, “Best Books for Young Adults”
Four of his books appeared on Booklist’s Best 100 Books of the 20th Century, compiled in 2000 – more than any other single author on the list.
The ALAN Award in 1993
The NCTE SLATE Intellectual Freedom Award in 1998
The Margaret A. Edwards Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000
The Writer Magazine’s Writers Who Make a Difference Award in 2004.

18. Selected Works by Chris Crutcher
Running Loose, 1983;
Stotan!, 1986;
The Crazy Horse Electric Game, 1987;
Chinese Handcuffs, 1989;
Athletic Shorts: Six Short Stories, 1991;
The Deep End, 1991;
Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes, 1993;
Ironman, 1995;
Whale Talk, 2001;
King of the Mild Frontier, 2003;
The Sledding Hill, 2005,
Deadline, 2007. 

19. Essential Questions
How does Mr. Crutcher’s coming-of-age in the 1960s differ from a teen’s coming-of-age today?
What societal changes have taken place in the last fifty years to change the definition of coming-of-age?
What dangers do teens face today that teens in the 1960s did not face?