Emma Gelders Sterne
Encyclopedia
Emma Gelders Sterne was an author of children's books, with a historical and literary focus.
She was born in Birmingham, Alabama
on May 13, 1894, to Louis Gelders, a restaurateur, and Blanche Loeb. She grew up on nearby Red Mountain. She wrote for both her high school and college literary magazines, and graduated from Smith College
in 1916. Back in Birmingham, she got involved in the women's suffrage
movement, started a school for delinquent children, and became a newspaper columnist focusing on "women's issues".
In 1917, she married Roy M. Sterne, a lawyer. They had two daughters, Ann and Barbara, and moved to New York. She sold her first story in May 1923, and quickly produced two book for the popular All About series. She studied writing at Columbia University
and the New School for Social Research. She joined the ACLU, the NAACP, and the Democratic party, and identified herself as an atheist, raising concerns among her family and friends that she had become a Communist.
She continued writing for the rest of her life, focusing on history and children's literature, which she managed to combine in her historical adaptations for children, such as the legends of King Arthur
, the biography Amarantha Gay, M.D., or Long Black Schooner: The Voyage of the Amistad
. Topics related to social justice, such as Native American history and slavery, were recurring themes in her 44 books.
From 1959 to 1966, she and her younger daughter Barbara Lindsay wrote the Kathy Martin series (about a nurse and amateur sleuth) of young adult novels, published under the pseudonyms of Emily Brown (Sterne) and Josephine James.
She died in San Jose, California
on August 29, 1971.
She was born in Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
on May 13, 1894, to Louis Gelders, a restaurateur, and Blanche Loeb. She grew up on nearby Red Mountain. She wrote for both her high school and college literary magazines, and graduated from Smith College
Smith College
Smith College is a private, independent women's liberal arts college located in Northampton, Massachusetts. It is the largest member of the Seven Sisters...
in 1916. Back in Birmingham, she got involved in the women's suffrage
Women's suffrage
Women's suffrage or woman suffrage is the right of women to vote and to run for office. The expression is also used for the economic and political reform movement aimed at extending these rights to women and without any restrictions or qualifications such as property ownership, payment of tax, or...
movement, started a school for delinquent children, and became a newspaper columnist focusing on "women's issues".
In 1917, she married Roy M. Sterne, a lawyer. They had two daughters, Ann and Barbara, and moved to New York. She sold her first story in May 1923, and quickly produced two book for the popular All About series. She studied writing at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
and the New School for Social Research. She joined the ACLU, the NAACP, and the Democratic party, and identified herself as an atheist, raising concerns among her family and friends that she had become a Communist.
She continued writing for the rest of her life, focusing on history and children's literature, which she managed to combine in her historical adaptations for children, such as the legends of King Arthur
King Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
, the biography Amarantha Gay, M.D., or Long Black Schooner: The Voyage of the Amistad
Amistad
"Amistad" is a Spanish noun meaning "friendship". It may refer to:Ships* Amistad/Amitie, an 18th century schooner that transported Acadians from France to Louisiana....
. Topics related to social justice, such as Native American history and slavery, were recurring themes in her 44 books.
From 1959 to 1966, she and her younger daughter Barbara Lindsay wrote the Kathy Martin series (about a nurse and amateur sleuth) of young adult novels, published under the pseudonyms of Emily Brown (Sterne) and Josephine James.
She died in San Jose, California
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
on August 29, 1971.
Partial bibliography
- All About Peter PanPeter PanPeter Pan is a character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie . A mischievous boy who can fly and magically refuses to grow up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood adventuring on the small island of Neverland as the leader of his gang the Lost Boys, interacting with...
(1924) - All About Little Boy BlueLittle Boy Blue"Little Boy Blue" is a popular English language nursery rhyme, often used in popular culture. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 11318.-Lyrics:The most common version of the rhyme is:...
(1924) - Loud Sing Cuckoo (1930)
- Amarantha Gay, M.D. (1933)
- Drums of Monmouth (1935)
- The Calico Ball (1936)
- Some Plant Olive Trees (1937)
- European Summer (1938)
- The Pirate of Chatham Square (1939)
- America Was Like This (1940)
- We Live To Be Free (1942)
- Printer's Devil (1952)
- Long Black Schooner: The Voyage of the Amistad (1953), reprinted as The Slave Ship
- Let the Moon Go By, a Book of Tall Tales (1955)
- Blood Brothers: Four Men of Science (1959)
- I Have a Dream (1965)
- They Took Their Stand (1968)
- His Was the Voice: the Life of W.E.B. Du BoisW.E.B. Du BoisWilliam Edward Burghardt Du Bois was an American sociologist, historian, civil rights activist, Pan-Africanist, author, and editor. Born in Massachusetts, Du Bois attended Harvard, where he was the first African American to earn a doctorate...
(1971)
Kathy Martin books
with Barbara Lindsay- A Cap for Kathy (1959)
- Junior Nurse (1960)
- Senior Nurse (1960)
- The Patient in 202 (1961)
- Assignment in Alaska (1961)
- Private Nurse (1962)
- Search for an Island (1963)
- Sierra Adventure (1964)
- Courage in Crisis (1964)
- Off-Duty Nurse (1964)
- An Affair of the Heart (1965)
- Peace Corps Nurse (1965)
- African Adventure (1965)