Tawni O'Dell
Encyclopedia
Tawni O'Dell is an American
novelist.
Born and raised in Indiana
, Pennsylvania
, U.S.
, she graduated from Northwestern University
with a degree in journalism. She lived for many years in the Chicago
area before moving back to Pennsylvania, where she now lives with her two children and her husband, literary translator Bernard Cohen.
O'Dell's three novels to date are set in the coal towns of Western Pennsylvania
. Back Roads was selected by Oprah's Book Club
and has sold over two million copies.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
novelist.
Born and raised in Indiana
Indiana, Pennsylvania
Indiana is a borough in and the county seat of Indiana County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 14,895 at the 2000 census.The borough and the region as a whole promotes itself as the "Christmas Tree Capital of the World" because the national Christmas Tree Grower's Association was...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, she graduated from Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
with a degree in journalism. She lived for many years in the Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
area before moving back to Pennsylvania, where she now lives with her two children and her husband, literary translator Bernard Cohen.
O'Dell's three novels to date are set in the coal towns of Western Pennsylvania
Western Pennsylvania
Western Pennsylvania consists of the western third of the state of Pennsylvania in the United States. Pittsburgh is the largest city in the region, with a metropolitan area population of about 2.4 million people, and serves as its economic and cultural center. Erie, Altoona, and Johnstown are its...
. Back Roads was selected by Oprah's Book Club
Oprah's Book Club
Oprah's Book Club was a book discussion club segment of the American talk show The Oprah Winfrey Show, highlighting books chosen by host Oprah Winfrey. Winfrey started the book club in 1996, selecting a new novel for viewers to read and discuss each month. The Club ended its 15-year run, along with...
and has sold over two million copies.
Works
- Back Roads, novel (New York: Viking, 2000)
- Coal RunCoal Run (novel)Coal Run is a 2004 novel by the American writer Tawni O’Dell.-Plot introduction:In the coal-mining country of Western Pennsylvania outside of Pittsburgh, Coal Run is a town ravaged and haunted by a mine explosion that took the lives of 96 men...
, novel (New York: Viking, 2004) - Sister MineSister Mine-Plot introduction:In the coal-mining country of Western Pennsylvania outside of Pittsburgh, the fictional locale of Jolly Mount is home to Shae-Lynn Penrose. Two years ago, five of her miner friends were catapulted to media stardom when they were rescued after surviving four days trapped in a mine...
, novel (New York: Shaye Areheart Books, 2007) - Fragile beasts, novel (New York: Shaye Areheart Books, 2010)