Broder, Bill 1931-

PERSONAL:

Born 1931; married.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Sausalito, CA.

CAREER:

Writer and playwright.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Marin Arts Council Grant for Taking Care of Cleo.

WRITINGS:

NOVELS

The Sacred Hoop, Sierra Club Books (San Francisco, CA), 1979, published as The Sacred Hoop: A Cycle of Earth Tales, 1992.

(With Gloria Kurian Broder) Remember This Time Newmarket Press (New York, NY), 1983.

Taking Care of Cloe: A Novel, Handsel Books (New York, NY), 2006.

Also author of the play Abalone, produced in Carmel, CA.

SIDELIGHTS:

Bill Broder is a playwright and author of novels. In his third novel, Taking Care of Cloe: A Novel, Broder tells the prohibition-era coming-of-age story of Rebecca Bearwald. Rebecca and her family are the only Jewish household in a small lakeside town in Michigan. Rebecca wants to eventually leave the town, as well as the role of caretaker for her older sister, Cleo, who is autistic but bright. Narrated by Rebecca, the story revolves around Rebecca's leaving after applying to the University of Michigan and Cleo's involvement in selling bootleg liquor that she has found. "What really sustains this is not the Byzantine plot, but the precisely drawn motives behind the characters' actions," wrote a Kirkus Reviews contributor. The reviewer went on to note: "The depiction of the Bearwalds' evolution as people and as a family is pitch-perfect." Maureen Neville, writing in the Library Journal, commented: "Broder manages to weave a compelling … tale in simple, unembellished language." In a review on the Copperfield Review Web site, Robert Reilly wrote: "Broder asks us to see past the stereotypical attributes of autism to see Cleo as a well-rounded character who is in many ways more capable than the others in her family." A Publishers Weekly contributor noted that the author "offers a sensitive portrayal of adolescent angst and strives to dispel negative stereotypes about autism."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Kirkus Reviews, February 1, 2006, review of Taking Care of Cloe: A Novel, p. 97.

Library Journal, April 1, 2006, Maureen Neville, review of Taking Care of Cloe, p. 80.

Publishers Weekly, February 13, 2006, review of Taking Care of Cloe, p. 64.

ONLINE

Copperfield Review,http://www.copperfieldreview.com/ (September 24, 2006), Robert Reilly, review of Taking Care of Cleo.

Other Press Web site,http://www.otherpress.com/ (September 24, 2006), brief profile of author.