​AWC Library | Author of the Month: Jodi Picoult 

Jodi Lynn Picoult was born on May 19, 1966 in Nesconset on Long Island in New York. She lived with her mother, father, and little brother. Her childhood was one that all parents dream of having for their children. When Jodi was 13 years old her family moved to New Hampshire. She went to Smithtown High School East and then went to Princeton University where she studied writing. In 1987, she graduated from Princeton and went on to Harvard University where she earned a master's degree in education.

In 2003, Jodi was awarded the New England Bookseller Award for fictional writing. With over a dozen novels written since 1992, Jodi has also had several of her books turned into movies. The 2004, My Sister's Keeper has been made into a featured film. The Pact was made into a Lifetime movie in 2002 and starred Megan Mullally. Also, in 2008, The Tenth Circle was made into a television movie. There isn't really a specific book that made Jodi famous. People usually learn of her books from seeing them on television or reading them in book clubs. The books Jodi Picoult has written include: 1992 - 'Songs of the Humpback Whale', 1993 - 'Harvesting the Heart' 1995 - 'Picture Perfect' 1996 - 'Mercy' 1998 - 'The Pact' 1999- 'Keeping Faith', 2000- 'Plain Truth' 2001- 'Salem Falls' 2002- 'Perfect Match' 2003- 'Second Glance' 2004- 'My Sister's Keeper' 2005- 'Vanishing Acts' 2007- 'Nineteen Minutes' 2007-'Wonder Woman: Love and Murder', 2008- 'Change of Heart' 2009- 'Handle with Care' 

Jodi has been given numerous awards over the years for her novels. Some of which include a Waterstone's Author of the Year award from the UK, an Alex Award from the Young Adult Library Services Association, and a Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Award. 

Jodi is a very interesting person. She wrote her first book, "The Lobster Which Misunderstood" when she was 5 years old and when she was a college student, Seventeen magazine published some of her short stories. Jodi also has had several of her novels turned into movies. Having a happy childhood has inspired Jodi to have kids of her own and to be a good mother and wife. Her son Jake was diagnosed with benign ear tumors that could have been fatal when he was 6 years old. After about ten surgeries, however, the tumors were removed and he was left with partial deafness until recently. Jodi uses this life changing event when she writes novels that deal with parents who confront medical issues. She is very passionate about her writing. It usually takes her about nine months to write one book. This is so she can do as much research as she can and make it just right. Jodi has also taught middle-school English in Concord, Massachusetts. Something she loved about teaching was making the students think hard about what they believed and why they believed it. Jodi had a very loving and caring home as a child. She was quoted as saying, "I grew up on Long Island with my parents and my little brother, the product of a ridiculously happy childhood." Her main activities, other than writing, include doing things with her husband, Tim Van Leer, and their three children, Sammy, Kyle and Jake. Also, every morning at 5:30 she goes on hikes with her friend. Jodi and her son, Jake, write a children's musical every year that is performed to raise money for a charity that benefits orphans with H.I.V. and AIDS in Zimbabwe. 

Source: www.wikispaces.com

List of available books by Jodi Picoult at Al Waha Club Library:

• Change of Heart
• Keeping Faith
• Mercy
• Nineteen Minutes
• Perfect Match
• Picture Perfect
• Second Glance
• The Pact
• The Tenth Circle