Natalie Bober's Autobiography
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I stumbled into the role of biographer quite by accident. Early in the spring of 1972, I developed a problem that ultimately kept me off my feet for six months. It was then that I chanced upon an article in Writer Magazine about writing biographies for teenagers. I had always wanted to write, but I had never had the nerve to try. I was shy and introverted as a child, and I never thought I could. (Link to photo of Bober as a child) Now, following the step-by-step suggestions in the article, I produced William Wordsworth: The Wandering Poet. When it was named to the Child Study Association List "Best Books of the Year 1975," I was off and running, figuratively and literally!(link to photo of Bober outside Dove's Cottage) Since then, writing lives has been an exciting adventure. I never know where my research will lead me. It has taken my husband and me to many parts of the world, and has introduced us to some remarkable people. (link to photo of Bober and husband) I was even a consultant as well as a "talking head" on Ken Burns's television documentary on Thomas Jefferson. As a result of that, we were invited to an extraordinary evening at the White House with President and Mrs. Clinton. As I reflect on the 30 years that my career as a writer has spanned, and search for the greatest influence on that career, it immediately becomes apparent that it was my mother who deserves much of the credit. The hours she sat with me as a child, in spite of a successful career of her own, patiently teaching me to do the same kind of careful, meticulous research and writing that she did in her profession, have been the cornerstone on which my life as a biographer has been founded. She set a wonderful example, and passed on to me a legacy of research and writing that has now been passed down to my children and my children's children. In fact, two of my granddaughters have worked closely with me, giving me the benefit of their perspectives. One has contributed significantly to my research; the other created this extraordinary website for me. And it was my son who, while reading the manuscript of my first biography of Thomas Jefferson, recognized before I did that I was falling in love with Abigail Adams, and encouraged me to tell her story. (link to photo of Bober's children) Yet when I graduated from college in 1951, I had no sense at all of where I would be today. Over the years, in addition to writing, I have taught, edited, conducted workshops, and lectured. But what provided me with the most happiness, were the ten years that my daughter and I owned and operated a children's book store. Indeed,
my love affair with books began with my first summer job -at age 16 - just after
I had graduated from Hunter College High School - working in the stacks at the
main branch of the New York Public Library. How I loved the smell and the feel
of the old books! From then on, I was certain that books would always be a thread
that was tightly woven into the fabric of my life. Little did I know then that
I would one day be writing books that would have a special niche on those shelves! |
