Visit with Tanya Lee Stone

http://www.tanyastone.com/

Today we're visiting with author Tanya Lee Stone, whose latest non-fiction book, THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE BARBIE, was released by Viking on 10/14/10!



Barbie just might be the most famous doll in the world. She’s represented fifty different nationalities. She’s stepped into the always-fashionable shoes of more than one hundred careers. She has been played with, studied, celebrated, and vilified for more than fifty years. And she has unquestionably influenced generations of girls—whether that influence has been positive or negative depends on who you ask.

When award-winning author Tanya Lee Stone started asking girls, boys, men, and women how they feel about Barbie, the first thing she discovered is how passionate people are about her. Here are a few things they said:

"Barbie is really only a reflection of the girl holding her. My generation of 'Barbie girls' is now entering the world and we seem to be doing just fine." --Sara, age 17

"Barbie, I hate you!" --Luci, age 15

"How Barbie looked was never the issue. Not to the girls who loved her. It was what she taught us that mattered. And what she taught us was that, like Barbie, we could be anything we wanted to be." --Meg Cabot

"Barbie has been the #1 most destructive force on the self-image of women all over the globe!" --Dr. Carole Lieberman

THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE BARBIE is part biography—both of the doll and of her inventor, Ruth Handler—and part exploration of the cultural phenomenon that is Barbie. Filled with personal anecdotes, memories, and opinions from people of all ages, and featuring original color and black and white photographs, this book is for anyone who understands that we’re all living in a Barbie world.

Starred Review from School Library Journal: "...Stone reveals the pathos behind so many relationships of girls with Barbie...The author maintains her signature research style and accessible informational voice..."

Starred Review from Kirkus: "Sibert Medalist Stone tantalizes...Direct quotes from women and girls showcase the variety of feelings that Barbie engenders, and the author weighs in occasionally and effectively."

Starred Review from Booklist: "Stone has done her homework...voices add sparkle."

Review from BCCB: “Stone calmly covers Barbie’s creation by Ruth Handler, the formation of Mattel, and the doll’s unpromising launch among sexpot-resistant buyers at a national toy fair. From there on, though, the gloves come off….teen book clubs might want to nominate this as a fiery nonfiction selection”

Publishers Weekly: “fascinating and balanced account”

"Love Barbie or hate her, what I admire about Tanya's book is that she takes an even eye to Barbie's global phenomenon and delicately lets readers explore their own complicated relationships to this very complicated doll." --Jess Weiner, self-esteem expert and author of Life Doesn't Begin 5 Pounds from Now

"History writers don't get better than Tanya Lee Stone. The Good, the Bad, and the Barbie is balanced, funny, provocative -- and most of all, important for anyone wanting to understand girlhood in America." --National Book Award finalist E. Lockhart "

**I had the chance to ask Tanya a few questions about her life and writing, and I hope you enjoy her answers as much as I did!

If you could bring any character from one of your books to life, who would it be and why?

Amelia Earhart. The obvious answer would be to find out what actually happened to her once and for all. But what I really want to talk to her about is that letter she wrote to G.P. Putnam the night before they were married in which she was gut wrenchingly honest and basically told him not to expect her to stay faithful and that if their marriage didn’t work out, she trusted they would remain friends. What a bold move for a woman at that time—for anyone, really! I so admire that she followed her truth no matter what.

Twitter your newest or upcoming release in 140 characters or less.

Holy Belly Buttons! The Good, the Bad, and the Barbie: a how-to-manual about being a strong, sparky, awesome girl! –Lauren Myracle

You have the chance to spend the day with any character from one of your favorite books. Who would you choose and why?

I would choose Leslie, from THE BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA because she was exactly the kind of person I would have been friends with and maybe then I could have gone with her to the castle while Jess was at the museum and things might have turned out differently.

What was your favorite book growing up as a teen?

I read a ton, so I didn’t just have one. But I remember some of the books I adored in high school—A CONFEDERACY OF DUNCES, FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS, STILL LIFE WITH WOODPECKER, and WUTHERING HEIGHTS.

When you were young, what did you want to be when you grew up?

A teacher or a marine biologist or a librarian or an explorer.

Your favorite subject in high school – and your least favorite.

English was definitely my favorite subject and chemistry was my least.

The one book everyone in the world should read.

I’m not one to tell people what to read, but I can tell you that one of the most elegantly structured and beautiful books I have read in a while is TINKERS, by Paul Harding.

The book you wish you had written.

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s THE BASIL AND JOSEPHINE STORIES.

You’ve invented a new national holiday. What is it called, and what does it celebrate? (Plus, would we get the day off of school and work??)

National Celebration of Chocolate Day. And yes, we would have to have the day off in order to visit all of the shops concocting delicious chocolatey treats to taste!

What is your astrological sign? How closely does it match your personality?

I am a Capricorn. I think it matches me pretty closely.

You’re going off your diet for one day and only eating food from restaurants. What do you eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner? (Include the restaurant each meal comes from.)

For breakfast I would go to Mirabelle’s for heuvos rancheros. For lunch, Sakura for either a bento box with fish, rice, and sushi or a bowl of udon with sushi on the side. For dinner, I would like pasta with clams, mussels, scallops, and calamari. Ben & Jerry’s Cinnamon Bun ice cream for dessert, please.

What is your ultimate vacation destination?

Ooh, that’s a tough one. Can I only pick one? I’m torn between Paris, Sydney, or a beach in the Caribbean where no one other than my loved ones can find me.

The world has suffered from a one-day only loss of power. You have no cell phone, computer, lights, or anything else that requires a computer, cell battery, or electricity. What do you spend the day doing?

Playing with our kids, reading, snuggling under blankets, eating chocolate-chip cookies we baked before the power went out!

If you weren’t an author, what job would you be doing?

I would be doing musical theater on Broadway. You didn’t say it had to be plausible!

You get the chance to star in an upcoming film release. What movie would you star in for your acting debut? (If you can’t choose an upcoming film, you can choose a past release.)

I would like to have played Lillian Hellman in Julia.

Your publisher has instructed you to write a new series based on an endangered species. What animal do you choose?

Sea otters. Have you ever seen them lie on their backs and crack open clams? Too funny and adorable.

A movie is being made of ONE of your books. Which book is it, and who will star as the main characters?

A BAD BOY CAN BE GOOD FOR A GIRL. Abigail Breslin as Josie, Selena Gomez as Nicolette, and Taylor Swift as Aviva.

Remember those “classics” that you were made to read in high school English class? What was your favorite, and which title should students never have to be subjected to reading?

High school kids should never have to read THE ODYSSEY! My favorite was THE SCARLET LETTER.

Someone tells you that you’ll never publish another book that you write. Do you still keep writing?

Yes. Why on earth would I listen to them?!

A group of teens ask you the best way to become a published writer. How do you answer the question?

Read everything you like. Give books you don’t like a fighting chance (maybe 50 pages), and write every day. And always remember: process over product. It doesn’t matter if what you’re writing today doesn’t turn into the next best novel. What matters is that you get more and more skilled at getting what is in your head and heart on to paper. And last but not least—don’t listen to ANYONE who tells you you’re not good enough.

**Thanks so much to Tanya for visiting with us today! Be sure to check out her website, listed above, or you can also find her at her Blog, on Facebook, at I.N.K. (Interesting Nonfiction for Kids, where she posts monthly), or you can email her directly at tanyastone@tanyastone.com.

Tanya will be stopping by later today, so be sure to leave any comments or questions you have for her in the comments section!