Esther's Fans (7)

Esther Forbes

Author profile

born

June 28, 1891 in Westborough, Massachusetts , The United States

died

August 12, 1967

gender

female

genre

Children's Books, Historical Fiction

About this author

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Esther Forbes was born in Westboro, Massachusetts in 1891, as the youngest of five children. Her family roots can be traced back to 1600s America; one of her great-uncles was the great historical figure and leader of the Sons of Liberty, Sam Adams. Her father was a probate judge in Worcester and her mother, a writer of New England reference books. Both her parents were historical enthusiasts.

Even as a little child, Forbes displayed an affinity for writing. Her academic work, however, was not spectacular, except for a few writing classes. After finishing high school, she took classes at the Worcester Art Museum and Boston University, and later, Bradford Academy, a junior college. She then followed her sister to the University of Wisconsin wh...more Esther Forbes was born in Westboro, Massachusetts in 1891, as the youngest of five children. Her family roots can be traced back to 1600s America; one of her great-uncles was the great historical figure and leader of the Sons of Liberty, Sam Adams. Her father was a probate judge in Worcester and her mother, a writer of New England reference books. Both her parents were historical enthusiasts.

Even as a little child, Forbes displayed an affinity for writing. Her academic work, however, was not spectacular, except for a few writing classes. After finishing high school, she took classes at the Worcester Art Museum and Boston University, and later, Bradford Academy, a junior college. She then followed her sister to the University of Wisconsin where Forbes wrote extensively for the Wisconsin Literary Magazine. After developing her writing skills, she returned to Massachusetts where she began working for Boston's Houghton Mifflin. As a reader of manuscripts, Forbes used this experience to advance her own writing career. Her first novel, O Genteel Lady! was published in 1926 to critical praise. With its selection by the newly formed Book-of-the-Month Club, the novel gained popular appeal as well. That year, Forbes also married Albert L. Hoskins, Jr., a Harvard Law School student.

As Forbes continued to write and gain notoriety, her marriage suffered because her husband disapproved of her career. They divorced in 1933. After several other novels, Forbes began her research of Paul Revere with her mother, who was then in her mid-eighties. When the historical biography, Paul Revere and the World He Lived In won the Pulitzer Prize in History, Forbes recognized her mother's immense contributions. During the process of researching Paul Revere, Forbes became fascinated with the large role young apprentices played in the war. Thus, she wrote Johnny Tremain, a historical novel of a young boy growing up in the time of the Revolutionary War. With poignant character development and a keen sense of history, it contained the elements for lasting popularity. It was published as "A Novel for Old and Young." In 1944, it won the Newberry Award, the top award for children's literature and became an instant children's classic. Forbes continued to turn out award winning books, most notably, The Running of the Tide, which was commissioned as a movie but never filmed. While working on a book about witchcraft in seventeenth-century Massachusetts, she died in 1967 of rheumatic heart disease.

Forbes literary achievements, awards, and recognition speak for themselves in regards her place in letters. Johnny Tremain is still read widely in schools and its popularity makes it one of the few lasting classics of American children literature.(less)

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Books by Esther Forbes

Average rating: 3.50 · 13,041 ratings · 965 reviews · 13 distinct works

	Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes, Lynd Ward (Illustrator) 3.50 avg rating — 12,880 ratings — published 1943 — 42 editions	My rating:
	Paul Revere and the World He Lived In 4.23 avg rating — 66 ratings — published 1942 — 6 editions	My rating:
	A Mirror For Witches 4.11 avg rating — 36 ratings — published 1970 — 2 editions	My rating:
	America's Paul Revere 4.33 avg rating — 9 ratings — 2 editions	My rating:
	Literature Connections: Johny Tremain and Related Readings 3.55 avg rating — 11 ratings — published 2005 — 4 editions	My rating:
	Rainbow on the Road 3.67 avg rating — 3 ratings — published 1954	My rating:
	The running of the tide 3.67 avg rating — 3 ratings — published 1948	My rating:
	The General's Lady 3.00 avg rating — 3 ratings — published 1938	My rating:
	Glencoe Literature Library Study Guide for Johnny Tremain with Related Readings 4.33 avg rating — 3 ratings — 2 editions	My rating:
	Johnny Tremain: Curriculum 2.67 avg rating — 3 ratings	My rating:

More books by Esther Forbes…

Quotes by Esther Forbes

“We give all we have, lives, property, safety, skill...we fight, we die, for a simple thing. Only that a man can stand up.”
― Esther Forbes, Johnny Tremain

11 people liked it

“How old are you Johnny" she asked.
Sixteen."
And what's that-a boy or a man?"
He laughed. "A boy in time of peace and a man in time of war.”
― Esther Forbes, Johnny Tremain

tags: american-war-of-independence

7 people liked it

“If you can't do, you'd best shut up about it.”
― Esther Forbes, Johnny Tremain

3 people liked it

See all Esther Forbes's quotes »

Polls

HISTORICAL FICTION POLL "A"
There will be a series of polls to begin putting together a potential reading list for the "historical fiction folder". I have divided the books into groups of 15 books apiece. Make sure to choose your favorite from each poll and make sure to vote in each of these polls so that we can generate a list according to priorities and interests.

Michael Shaara

KILLER ANGELS BY MICHAEL SHAARA

9 votes, 29.0%

THE TALE OF TWO CITIES BY CHARLES DICKENS

5 votes, 16.1%

LES MISERABLES BY VICTOR HUGO

4 votes, 12.9%

DOCTOR ZHIVAGO BY BORIS PASTERNAK

4 votes, 12.9%

WAR AND PEACE BY TOLSTOY

2 votes, 6.5%

ROB ROY BY WALTER SCOTT

2 votes, 6.5%

THE MAN WHO MADE VERMEERS - UNVARNISHING THE LEGEND OF MASTER FORGER HAN VAN MEEGEREN

1 vote, 3.2%

IVANHOE BY WALTER SCOTT

1 vote, 3.2%

THE GOOD EARTH BY PEARL S. BUCK

1 vote, 3.2%

Esther Forbes

JOHNNY TREMAIN BY ESTHER FORBES

1 vote, 3.2%

BEN HUR BY LEW WALLACE

1 vote, 3.2%

The Cid, Cinna, The Theatrical Illusion (Penguin Classics)

Pierre Corneille

THE CID BY PIERRE CORNEILLE

0 votes, 0.0%

Richard II (Oxford School Shakespeare Series)

RICHARD II BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

0 votes, 0.0%

GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING BY TRACY CHEVALIER

0 votes, 0.0%

The Name of the Rose Including Postscript

THE NAME OF THE ROSE BY UMBERTO ECO

0 votes, 0.0%

31 total votes

12 comments

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Esther's Fans (7)

Esther Forbes

Author profile

combine editionsBooks by Esther Forbes

Quotes by Esther Forbes

Polls

Topics Mentioning This Author

combine editions
Books by Esther Forbes