Nuzum, K.A.

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Nuzum, K.A.

PERSONAL:

Born in CO; married; children: two sons. Education: Vermont College, M.F.A.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Eastern CO.

CAREER:

Writer, 2006—. Also worked as a ballroom dancer, a master gardener, and as a radio-show host.

WRITINGS:

A Small White Scar (novel), Joanna Cotler Books (New York, NY), 2006.

SIDELIGHTS:

K.A. Nuzum's A Small White Scar, set in 1940s Colorado, tells the coming-of-age story of Will, a young Colorado cowboy who dreams of competing in the professional rodeo circuit. Will, however, is held back by his devotion to his little brother Denny. Denny is afflicted with Down syndrome and Will, charged with his care, finds his brother a burden that interferes with his dreams. At the same time, though, he is deeply connected to Denny and is intensely protective of him. When Will flees his home in an attempt to follow his dream, Denny follows him into the wilderness and, eventually, to the rodeo circuit. "Although Will is the narrator," Wendy Smith-D'Arezzo explained in her School Library Journal review, "readers also hear the voice of Denny through dialogue and through Will's projections of his brother's thoughts." In the end, stated Kliatt contributor Paula Rohrlick, "Will comes to understand how his caring for Denny has helped to make him a better person." "A confrontation with his father," declared a Kirkus Reviews contributor, "finally leads to some real communication and some solutions." "Part family tale, part adventure, part journey narrative," said Carolyn Phelan in Booklist, "this coming-of-age story has an emotional core that will touch … readers" who have never experienced a rodeo.