ALTMAN, Linda Jacobs 1943-

(Linda Jacobs; Claire Blackburn, a pseudonym)

PERSONAL: Born January 22, 1943, in Winston-Salem, NC; daughter of Lloyd Daniel and Elizabeth (Parker) Blackburn; married Thomas D. Austin (a psychiatric technician), September 16, 1965 (divorced, 1970); married Joseph D. Jacobs (a former social worker), October 9, 1972 (divorced); married Richard Altman (a musician), April 16, 1981; children: (first marriage) Brian Vincent. Education: Attended Ventura College, Los Angeles Valley College, and University of California, Santa Barbara.

ADDRESSES: Home—Clearlake, CA. office—c/o Carolrhoda Books, Inc., 241 First Ave. N., Minneapolis, MN 55401.

CAREER: Writer.

MEMBER: Society of Children's Book Writers.

WRITINGS:

Go for Six, illustrated by Paul Snyder, EMC Corporation (St. Paul, MN), 1974.

Amelia's Road, illustrated by Enrique O. Sanchez, Lee & Low (New York, NY), 1993.

Migrant Farm Workers: The Temporary People, Watts (New York, NY), 1994.

The Pullman Strike of 1894: Turning Point for American Labor, Millbrook Press (Brookfield, CT), 1994.

Mr. Darwin's Voyage, Dillon (Parsippany, NJ), 1995.

Genocide: The Systematic Killing of a People, Enslow (Springfield, NJ), 1995.

Cesar Chavez, Lucent Books (San Diego, CA), 1996.

Life on an Israeli Kibbutz, Lucent Books (San Diego, CA), 1996.

California, Benchmark Books (New York, NY), 1997.

The California Gold Rush in American History, Enslow (Springfield, NJ), 1997.

The Decade That Roared: America during Prohibition, Twenty-first Century Books (New York, NY), 1997.

Women Inventors, Facts on File (New York, NY), 1997.

Small Dogs, Benchmark Books (New York, NY), 1998.

The Creation of Israel, Lucent Books (San Diego, CA), 1998.

Forever Outsiders: Jews and History from Ancient Times to August 1935, Blackbirch Press (Woodbridge, CT), 1998.

The Holocaust Ghettos, Enslow (Springfield, NJ), 1998.

Plague and Pestilence: A History of Infectious Disease, Enslow (Springfield, NJ), 1998.

The Holocaust, Hitler, and Nazi Germany, Enslow (Berkeley Heights, NJ), 1999.

Slavery and Abolition: In American History, Enslow (Berkeley Heights, NJ), 1999.

Arkansas, Benchmark Books (New York, NY), 2000.

Big Dogs, Benchmark Books (New York, NY), 2000.

Death: An Introduction to Medical-Ethical Dilemmas, Enslow (Berkeley Heights, NJ), 2000.

Simon Wiesenthal, Lucent Books (San Diego, CA), 2000.

The Legend of Freedom Hill, illustrated by Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu, Lee & Low (New York, NY), 2000.

Parrots, Benchmark Books (New York, NY), 2000.

Alzheimer's Disease, Lucent Books (San Diego, CA), 2001.

Hate and Racist Groups: A Hot Issue, Enslow (Berkeley Heights, NJ), 2001.

Racism and Ethnic Bias: Everybody's Problem, Enslow (Springfield, NJ), 2003.

African Mythology, Enslow (Springfield, NJ), 2003.

Human Rights: Issues for a New Millennium, Enslow (Springfield, NJ), 2003.

"holocaust in history" series; young adult nonfiction

The Forgotten Victims of the Holocaust, Enslow (Springfield, NJ), 2003.

Hitler's Rise to Power and the Holocaust, Enslow (Springfield, NJ), 2003.

The Jewish Victims of the Holocaust, Enslow (Springfield, NJ), 2003.

Resisters and Rescuers: Standing Up against the Holocaust, Enslow (Springfield, NJ), 2003.

Crimes and Criminals of the Holocaust, Enslow (Springfield, NJ), 2004.

Impact of the Holocaust, Enslow (Springfield, NJ), 2004.

"it's my state!" series; young adult nonfiction

Texas, Benchmark Books (New York, NY), 2002.

Colorado, Benchmark Books (New York, NY), 2003.

Utah, Benchmark Books (New York, NY), 2003.

under name linda jacobs; "women who win" series

Janet Lynn: Sunshine on Ice, EMC Corporation (St. Paul, MN), 1974.

Olga Korbut: Tears and Triumph, EMC Corporation (St. Paul, MN), 1974.

Shane Gould: Olympic Swimmer, EMC Corporation (St. Paul, MN), 1974.

Chris Evert: Tennis Pro, EMC Corporation (St. Paul, MN), 1974.

Laura Baugh: Golf's Golden Girl, EMC Corporation (St. Paul, MN), 1975.

Wilma Rudolph: Run for Glory, EMC Corporation (St. Paul, MN), 1975.

Evonne Goolagong: Smiles and Smashes, EMC Corporation (St. Paul, MN), 1975.

Cathy Rigby: On the Beam, EMC Corporation (St. Paul, MN), 1975.

Mary Decker: Speed Records and Spaghetti, EMC Corporation (St. Paul, MN), 1975.

Joan Moore Rice: The Olympic Dream, EMC Corporation (St. Paul, MN), 1975.

Annemarie Proell: Queen of the Mountain, EMC Corporation (St. Paul, MN), 1975.

Rosemary Casals: The Rebel Rosebud, EMC Corporation (St. Paul, MN), 1975.

Cindy Nelson: North Country Skier, EMC Corporation (St. Paul, MN), 1976.

Robyn Smith: In Silks, EMC Corporation (St. Paul, MN), 1976.

Martina Navratilova: Tennis Fury, EMC Corporation (St. Paul, MN), 1976.

Robin Campbell: Joy in the Morning, EMC Corporation (St. Paul, MN), 1976.

Barbara Jordan: Keeping Faith, EMC Corporation (St. Paul, MN), 1978.

Jane Pauley: A Heartland Style, EMC Corporation (St. Paul, MN), 1978.

under name linda jacobs; "winners all" series; young adult fiction

Ellen the Expert, EMC Corporation (St. Paul, MN), 1974.

In Tennis, Love Means Nothing, EMC Corporation (St. Paul, MN), 1974.

For One—Or for All, EMC Corporation (St. Paul, MN), 1974.

under name linda jacobs; "really me" series; young adult fiction

A Candle, a Feather, a Wooden Spoon, EMC Corporation (St. Paul, MN), 1974.

Will the Real Jeannie Murphy Please Stand Up?, EMC Corporation (St. Paul, MN), 1974.

Everyone's Watching Tammy, EMC Corporation (St. Paul, MN), 1974.

Checkmate Julie, EMC Corporation (St. Paul, MN), 1974.

God, Why Is She the Way She Is?, Concordia, 1979.

under name linda jacobs; "women behind the bright lights" series; young adult biography

Olivia Newton-John: Sunshine Supergirl, EMC Corporation (St. Paul, MN), 1975.

Valerie Harper: The Unforgettable Snowflake, EMC Corporation (St. Paul, MN), 1975.

Roberta Flack: Sound of Velvet Melting, EMC Corporation (St. Paul, MN), 1975.

Cher: Simply Cher, EMC Corporation (St. Paul, MN), 1975.

Natalie Cole: Star Child, EMC Corporation (St. Paul, MN), 1977.

Lindsay Wagner: Her Own Way, EMC Corporation (St. Paul, MN), 1977.

under name linda jacobs; "men behind the bright lights" series; young adult biography

Stevie Wonder: Sunshine in the Shadow, EMC Corporation (St. Paul, MN), 1975.

John Denver: A Natural High, EMC Corporation (St. Paul, MN), 1975.

Elton John: Reginald Dwight and Company, EMC Corporation (St. Paul, MN), 1975.

Jim Croce: The Feeling Lives On, EMC Corporation (St. Paul, MN), 1975.

Jimmy Walker: Funny Is Where It's At, EMC Corporation (St. Paul, MN), 1977.

John Travolta: Making an Impact, EMC Corporation (St. Paul, MN), 1977.

Henry Winkler: Born Actor, EMC Corporation (St. Paul, MN), 1978.

Gabe Kaplan: A Spirit of Laughter, EMC Corporation (St. Paul, MN), 1978.

under name linda jacobs; "black american athletes" series; young adult biography

Madeline Manning Jackson: Running on Faith, EMC Corporation (St. Paul, MN), 1976.

Julius Erving: Dr. J. and Julius W., EMC Corporation (St. Paul, MN), 1976.

Lee Elder: The Daring Dream, EMC Corporation (St. Paul, MN), 1976.

Arthur Ashe: Alone in the Crowd, EMC Corporation (St. Paul, MN), 1976.

under name linda jacobs

Nobody Wants Annie, New Readers (Syracuse, NY), 1984.

The King Who Wore No Crown, Random House (New York, NY), 1985.

The Witch's Spell Book, Random House (New York, NY), 1985.

Letting Off Steam: The Story of Geothermal Energy, Carolrhoda Books (Minneapolis, MN), 1986.

under pseudonym claire blackburn

Return Engagement, Bouregy (New York, NY), 1970.

A Teacher for My Heart, Bouregy (New York, NY), 1972.

Rainbow for Clairi, Bouregy (New York, NY), 1973.

Heart on Ice, Bouregy (New York, NY), 1976.

WORK IN PROGRESS: Wellspring, a young adult fantasy based upon her short story, "The Land of Living Waters."

SIDELIGHTS: Linda Jacobs Altman is a prolific writer of books for young people. Her body of work includes celebrity biographies, novels, and nonfiction books on a wide range of subjects. Her treatment of difficult issues has been praised as particularly appropriate for young audiences. Her book Death: An Introduction to Medical-Ethical Dilemmas is full of insight and information for young readers, "the impact of which will surely last long after the book is closed," stated Roger Leslie in Booklist. In another Booklist review, Leslie praised Altman's The Holocaust, Hitler, and Nazi Germany as "rich, fascinating," and "fast-paced."

Altman's fiction also frequently takes on difficult subjects. In Singing with Momma Lou, she provides information about Alzheimer's disease within the context of a story about a girl named Tamika Louella Jordan. Every week Tamika goes with her mother to the nursing home where Tamika's grandmother lives. The grandmother, "Momma Lou," suffers from Alzheimer's. She cannot remember all the special times she has shared with Tamika—in fact, the girl has to reintroduce herself every time they meet. Frustrated, Tamika struggles to find a way to help her grandmother connect to her past. This leads her to bring in scrapbooks and photo albums, showing the elderly woman pictures of her wedding, of her playing with Tamika when she was a baby, and even a picture of Momma Lou in jail following a civil rights protest. This finally sparks some response from Momma Lou, who soon has the whole nursing home singing "We Shall Overcome." "This bibliotherapeutic title will help to serve a need, and the story is straightforward and inspirational," remarked Anna DeWind Walls in School Library Journal. Cynthia Turnquest, a reviewer of Booklist, was pleased with the author's "delicate story," which features a "bittersweet conclusion" that "gives children a realistic but softened look at a devastating illness."

In The Legend of Freedom Hill, Altman focuses on two girls who are outsiders. Rosabel and Sophie both live in California during the Gold Rush days. Although Rosabel is an African American who has papers to document her free status, her mother is a runaway slave. Sophie, Rosabel's friend, is a member of the only Jewish family in town. When a slave catcher hunts down Rosabel's mother, the two girls go panning for gold, and make a valuable find. They use their money to buy freedom for Rosabel's mother and several other slaves. The serendipitous ending "stretches credibility a bit," according to Wendy Lukehart in School Library Journal, but she found the book worthwhile overall. Linda Perkins, a contributor to Booklist, noted, "Cultural and historical facts are smoothly integrated into the story, but the focus is squarely on the friendship."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

periodicals

Booklist, September 15, 1993, Hazel Rochman, review of Amelia's Road, p. 155; March 1, 1999, Shelle Rosenfeld, review of Plague and Pestilence: A History of Infectious Disease, p. 1163; April 1, 2000, Roger Leslie, review of The Holocaust, Hitler, and Nazi Germany, p. 1446; June 1, 2000, Roger Leslie, review of Death: An Introduction to Medical-Ethical Dilemmas, p. 1868; July, 2000, Hazel Rochman, review of The Holocaust, Hitler, and Nazi Germany, p. 2026; November 1, 2000, Linda Perkins, review of The Legend of Freedom Hill, p. 537; July, 2000, Hazel Rochman, review of Simon Wiesenthal, p. 2023; March 15, 2001, Stephanie Zvirin, review of Parrots, p. 1396; May 15, 2002, Cynthia Turnquest, review of Singing with Momma Lou, p. 1599.

Publishers Weekly, August 9, 1993, review of Amelia's Road, p. 476; June 3, 2002, review of Getting to the Heart of the Matter, p. 90.

School Library Journal, March, 1998, Carolyn Lehman, review of The California Gold Rush in American History, p. 226; July, 1998, Marcia W. Posner, review of The Holocaust Ghettos, p. 102; January, 1999, Laura Glaser, review of Plague and Pestilence, p. 134; March, 1999, Laura Glaser, review of Plague and Pestilence, p. 216; March, 2000, Elizabeth M. Reardon, review of Slavery and Abolition in American History, p. 244; May, 2000, Mary Mueller, review of The Holocaust, Hitler and Nazi Germany, p. 178; August, 2000, Wendy Lukehart, review of The Legend of Freedom Hill, p. 144, Linda W. Tilden, review of Death, p. 194, Leah J. Sparks, review of Simon Wiesenthal, p. 194; April, 2001, Arwen Marshall, review of Parrots, p. 129; June, 2002, Anna De-Wind Walls, review of Singing with Momma Lou, p. 80.*