Robert Cormier as a Reader and Writer

This collection features details on Robert Cormier's experiences and feeling on reading and writing. Works included here also paint an intimate picture of his relationships with young fans.

Robert Cormier responded to censorship battles in deeply personal ways, identifying with the victims of these public disagreements. Personal experiences, thoughts, and emotions drove his writing and so censorship marred the idea of trusting one’s own feelings and judgment. This section of the exhibit includes Cormier’s letters and loose drafts that address his motives as a writer and the significance of reading and writing to his, and by extension any child’s, young life. Pieces included here also describe Cormier’s hometown of Leominster, Massachusetts. Photographs of the area and of Cormier at home bring viewer into his writerly world.

Credits

Elise Takehana and Anna Consalvo