Doublespeak is language that deliberately obscures,disguises,distorts,or reverses the meaning of words. Doublespeak may take the form of euphemisms,in which case it is primarily meant to make the truth sound more palatable. It may also refer to intentional ambiguity in language or to actual inversions of meaning. In such cases,doublespeak disguises the nature of the truth.
Go Ask Alice is a 1971 book about a teenage girl who develops a drug addiction at age 15 and runs away from home on a journey of self-destructive escapism. Attributed to "Anonymous",the book is in diary form,and was originally presented as being the edited "real diary" of the unnamed teenage protagonist. Questions about the book's authenticity and true authorship began to arise in the late 1970s,and Beatrice Sparks is now generally viewed as the author of the found manuscript–styled fictional document. A therapist,Sparks went on to write numerous other books purporting to be real diaries of troubled teenagers. Some sources have also named Linda Glovach as a co-author of the book. Nevertheless,its popularity has endured,and as of 2014 it had remained continuously in print since its publication over four decades earlier.
The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) is a United States professional organization dedicated to "improving the teaching and learning of English and the language arts at all levels of education. Since 1911,NCTE has provided a forum for the profession,an array of opportunities for teachers to continue their professional growth throughout their careers,and a framework for cooperation to deal with issues that affect the teaching of English." In addition,the NCTE describes its mission as follows:
The Council promotes the development of literacy,the use of language to construct personal and public worlds and to achieve full participation in society,through the learning and teaching of English and the related arts and sciences of language.
Antjie Krog is a South African writer and academic,best known for her Afrikaans poetry,her reporting on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission,and her 1998 book Country of My Skull. In 2004,she joined the Arts faculty of the University of the Western Cape as Extraordinary Professor.
Chris Crutcher is an American novelist and a family therapist. He received the Margaret A. Edwards Award from the American Library Association in 2000 for his lifetime contribution in writing for teens.
Weetzie Bat is the debut novel of Francesca Lia Block,published by HarperCollins in 1989. It inaugurated her Dangerous Angels series for young adults.
ALAN,The Assembly on Literature for Adolescents is a teachers organization in the United States,an independent assembly of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). Founded in November 1973,ALAN is made up of teachers,authors,librarians,publishers,teacher-educators and their students,and others who are particularly interested in the area of young adult literature. ALAN,which is self-governing,holds its annual meetings during the NCTE annual convention in November and also publishes The ALAN Review.
George Hillocks Jr. was an emeritus professor in the Department of Education,with a joint appointment in the Department of English Language and Literature at the University of Chicago. He received in 2011 the James R. Squire Award of the National Council of Teachers of English for having "a transforming influence and [making] a lasting intellectual contribution to the profession." He also received many other major awards. His teaching career included the preparation of English teachers in the Master of Arts in Teaching program,and the mentoring of Ph.D. students in the doctoral program,at the University of Chicago. After retiring from the University he continued to present seminars and workshops for writing teachers across the US. His primary research interests centered on the teaching of writing,literature,and language in middle and high school English classes,and on large-scale writing assessment. When not teaching and writing,he was an accomplished bagpipe player,performing frequently for Chicago audiences and in international competitions.
Raymond Keith Gilyard is a writer and American professor of English who teaches and researches in the fields of rhetoric,composition,literacy studies,sociolinguistics,and African American literature. Interested in the complex interplay among race,ethnicity,language,writing,and politics,his primary interest lies in identifying intersections of African American English and composing practices. Advocating African American English as a legitimate discourse,Gilyard has been a prominent voice in the movement to recognize ethnic and cultural discourses other than Standard English as valid. As a literary scholar and creative writer,his interests have been in the interplay among African American literature,rhetorical criticism,and bio-critical work.
Dale Allender is a Black American educator. He is an Associate Professor of language and literacy in the Department of Teaching Credentials at California State University-Sacramento where he teaches courses in Academic Literacy,Ethnic Studies and Racial Social Justice Education. Allender is known for his work on Expanding the Canon,a television series on teaching multicultural literature produced in collaboration with Thirteen/WNET and AnnenbergCPB.
Confessions of a Teenage Baboon is a young adult novel by Paul Zindel,published in 1977. The semi-autobiographical book tells of Chris,the son of a nurse who works with terminally ill patients,and his coming to terms with his selfhood and his mother.
The Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award,presented by The Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of the National Council of Teachers of English (ALAN),is an annual award in the United States for a book that exemplifies literary excellence,widespread appeal,and a positive approach to life in young adult literature. It is named for Amelia Elizabeth Walden who died in Westport,Connecticut in 2002 and was a pioneer in the field of Young Adult Literature. The national award is presented annually to the author of a title selected by ALAN's Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award Committee.
Cherokee Bat and the Goat Guys (1993) is the third book in the Dangerous Angels series by Francesca Lia Block. It focuses on Cherokee,the daughter of Weetzie Bat,and her friends as they start a band,find success,and deal with the corruption of their spirits.
Kathleen Blake Yancey is the Kellogg W. Hunt Professor of English at Florida State University in the rhetoric and composition program. Her research interests include composition studies,writing knowledge,creative non-fiction,and writing assessment.
Alan Maynard Wald is an American professor emeritus of English Literature and American Culture at the University of Michigan,Ann Arbor,and writer of 20th-century American literature who focuses on Communist writers;he is an expert on the American 20th-Century "Literary Left."
Homeira Qaderi is an Afghan writer,activist and educator. Her name is also written in English as Homeyra.
Don Lee Fred Nilsen is an American linguist and humor scholar. He is Professor of Linguistics in the Emeritus College at Arizona State University. He has published extensively on semantics,deep cases,and humor. Together with his wife Alleen Nilsen,Nilsen is co-founder of the International Society for Humor Studies and served as its executive secretary. Alongside Alleen Nilsen,he was also Co-President of American Name Society.
Jen Bryant is an American poet,novelist,and children's author.
Alice Lightner Hopf (1904-1988) was an American writer who wrote young adult science fiction under the name of A. M. Lightner and youth nature books under the name of Alice Hopf. Two of her non-fiction works received awards from the National Science Teachers Association:Biography of a Rhino (1972) and Misunderstood Animals (1973).
Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers is a book list created annually by the Young Adult Library Services Association. The list identifies fiction,nonfiction,and graphic novels that may encourage teenagers who dislike reading to read.
