From China to St. Charles: Whitney Stewart takes young readers on a journey around the world By Peg Kohlepp In many ways, New Orleans children's author Whitney Stewart's new biography, "Deng Xiaoping: Leader in a Changing China" (Lerner, $25, grades 5-8), presented her biggest writing challenge yet. And in light of the current state of relations between the United States and China, it may also be her most timely volume. Stewart's book investigates the role of Deng Xiaoping in the opening of relations between the United States and China in the late 1970s, offering lessons in recent Chinese political history and insights for analyzing current events. This is the fourth in a series of biographies of world leaders -- the Dalai Lama, Sir Edmund Hillary and Aung San Suu Kyi are previous subjects -- for younger readers. She is also the author of a new novel, "Jammin' on the Avenue." Stewart, who is passionate about international human rights issues and her Tibetan Buddhist beliefs, faced special personal and professional challenges with the biography of Deng Xiaoping, who participated in the 1950 invasion of Tibet and in orchestrating the 1989 massacre of student protesters in Tiananmen Square. But his life story intrigued her and her publishers. "It was hard to put aside, personally and emotionally, what he did in Tibet and Tiananmen Square," Stewart said. "It was very tough to be objective, but to be objective was one of my goals. I really wanted to read from a Chinese point of view what happened between 1900 and now, to understand what his leadership meant for the Chinese people. "Although I did not find him as a person ethically or spiritually inspiring, I did find him interesting for his ability to sustain himself after being dumped out of government so many times. That he could have come back like that four times demonstrates that he must have had some special qualities of character. And to work alongside Mao Zedong -- that in itself would have been one of the hardest challenges of his life." In this book, as in her previous biographies, Stewart explains complex political histories through one individual's pathway. One difference should be noted: This book lacks a certain sense of the subject's personality. "It was very frustrating," Stewart said. "This is the first subject I was not able to interview, nor could I arrange interviews with his children or other contemporaries who could have given details that would have fleshed out his character and personality. The Chinese don't let out much personal information about their leaders. Deng gave very few interviews so I didn't even have his own words to work from. The other issue that made it difficult was, the little bit of personal information that did exist was untranslated. It was all in Chinese, which I can't read. " Stewart credits the generosity of China experts and Chinese friends who answered questions, translated works and helped her verify the validity of facts and the reliability of sources. The book includes a glossary, prominent persons/pronunciation guide, index and selected bibliography. Stewart's book describes how China in Deng's lifetime went through profound political and cultural changes, from imperial rule to foreign invasions to Communist revolution and pro-democracy demonstrations. Deng weathered numerous radical political attacks and was especially adept at observing and gauging the continually changing political climate. He was not afraid of bloodshed for the Communist cause and felt that human rights were less important than maintaining a stable nation. Ultimately, his most important contribution was in looking for practical solutions to China's economic problems, the book concludes. It also recognizes his role in replacing the radical ideology of the Cultural Revolution with the goal of an economically sound China achieved through rapid educational and technological advancement and the expansion of international relations. In a complete change of pace, Stewart's other new book this season, "Jammin' on the Avenue," is a novel and travel guide set in New Orleans. In this engaging book for middle-grade readers, a young musician travels from Massachusetts to New Orleans for a guitar contest. For this, Stewart turned to experts closer to home: her husband, Hans Andersson, and son Christoph. "It really was a family collaboration," Stewart said. "My son and husband both play guitar so I've been immersed in guitar lore for a number of years. It was my husband's idea to center the story around a guitar competition and my son made a number of suggestions that helped the plot along." Her background as a travel agent served her well in convincing the publishers to let her take on this work of fiction. "I love to travel and love to travel with my son Christoph. I also knew how to write a travel piece. It was so much fun to write about New Orleans. Sometimes I would just look up and down my street, checking out what flowers were in bloom. To check out what I smelled and heard. Christoph and I went to all our favorite places. It was important to see what he liked most in these places and take into account the child's perspective in the book." New Orleanians will recognize many of the characters -- Cindy Dike of Maple Street Book Shop, storyteller Coleen Salley, guitar instructor Perrin Isaac -- who appear as themselves in the book. Stewart said she enjoyed placing real people she knew in this imagined situation. These days, Stewart is finishing up a biography of Empress Dowager Tzu Hsi (Cixi) and a sequel to "Jammin' on the Avenue" set in San Francisco to be called "Blues Across the Bay." With research and writing, Stewart makes connections across distance and history, bringing the varied characteristics of leadership to life for children. She practices what her young character Eric in "Jammin' on the Avenue" observes: "If you pay attention to the little moments in your life, you will see your future. You will be the person you were born to be, and not someone molded by others." What: Whitney Stewart signs 'Deng Xiaoping: Leader in a Changing China' and reads from 'Jammin' on the Avenue.' When: 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Saturday. Where: Maple Street Children's Book Shop. |
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