You Have to Be Carefully Taught
When I was a kid in the Bronx in the ’60s, racism was as American as apple pie, at least in my family. They were second-generation Irish, struggling to make…
“McGuigan demonstrates a wonderful talent for creating emotionally complex characters, believable situations, and closely observed, realistic settings.” – Michael Cart, Booklist
About Mary Ann
Mary Ann McGuigan’s young-adult fiction is about teens trying to make sense of the chaos grown-ups leave in their wake. Reviewers call her novels powerful and compelling, and they’ve been ranked among the best books for teens by the Junior Library Guild, the New York Public Library, and the Paterson Prize. Her novel Where You Belong was a finalist for the National Book Award, and Mary Ann has served on the foundation’s panel of judges.
She writes fiction for grown-ups too. Her short stories appear in literary journals such as North American Review, The Sun, and Prime Number. Pieces, her composite novel, includes stories nominated for the Pushcart Prize and Sundress Publications’ Best of the Net.
Mary Ann taught English and later became a business writer and editor, mainly for Bloomberg L.P. Born in the Bronx, she attended high school and college in Jersey City and now lives in Metuchen, NJ.
What’s Happening
It’s 1963. They’re marching in Washington—Even people from the Bronx
—including Fiona’s friend David and his mother! [From Morning in a Different Place, Bronx 1963, Fiona learns that her friend David Silverman went to the March on Washington with his…
Fiona is white. Yolanda is black. Their friendship breaks the rules.
And if Fiona wants to be accepted by her newfound friends, she’ll have to end it. She knows what she should do, but heroics don’t come easy to an outcast….
Author Visits
The historical events depicted in Mary Ann’s novels make them excellent vehicles for using fiction to discuss continuing social issues: interracial friendship, civil rights, overcoming poverty, teenage drinking, homelessness, domestic violence, and alcoholism.
She tailors her visits to schools, libraries, and bookstores to discuss the themes most important to them.
