Every Saturday morning, I go grocery shopping, and on the drive I listen to either Car Talk or Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me!, depending on how early I’ve gotten up (yes, I know, my life is full of glamor and excitement). This morning, I turned on the radio part way through Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me! where they were chatting with a guy they introduced as the most prominent children’s book author who is also a felon. I’d missed the part where they actually said his name, which may have made it even more engrossing.
He starts by telling his story and it’s like when you are at a party and everyone is chatting, but as one person keeps adding anecdotes that get stranger and stranger, everyone else gradually stops talking and are just hanging on this one guy’s words. I don’t want to give any of it away because it is really worth it to hear it in his own words here.
(Looking up the link, the author is Newbery Honor recipient Jack Gantos, who I’m not actually familiar with, and the interview is a recast from January, but if you haven’t heard it before, it is well-worth a listen and is only 11:22 minutes.)
—Anna
Biblio-therapy 
Ha-ha-ha! That’s awesome. Gantos had quite the life. I bet it wasn’t nearly as funny at the time, but now it’s pretty darned hilarious. Also, I note that this particular part of his life is skipped over entirely in his Amazon.com biography. Hee.
Wow, I looked him up and I think Skyler would LOVE his books! He seems to not be afraid to delve into things like elementary kids on psych meds “Its not his fault his new meds were duds.” and other typically avoided topics in kid lit. Here is a description of one:
Sixteen-year-old Walker has accidentally discovered that two female classmates are lovers. When a rabid evangelical preacher arrives in their town, a witch-hunt is launched against gay students and Walker, for some reason, is the prime target. Walker knows the quickest way to divert the attention would be to give away the girls’ secret—but should he sacrifice their peace of mind for his? A powerful, unusual and thought-provoking read from an award-winning author.
That is really impressive for a young readers book! I might have to check it out and if Skyler reads it, I would be very interested in her thoughts on it. She could even write up a little review of it, if she wanted!