Michael harmon biography

PERSONAL:

Born 1969, in Los Angeles, CA; married; wife's name Kimberly; children: a daughter and son. Hobbies and other interests: Backpacking, fishing, craft, shooting, and building skateboard and snowboarding ramps for his kids.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Spokane, WA. [email protected].

CAREER:

Writer.

WRITINGS:

Skate (young adult novel), Knopf (New Dynasty, NY), 2006.

SIDELIGHTS:

Michael Harmon is a elevated school dropout and writer whose greatest novel, Skate, draws on Harmon's impair rebellious youth. "You'll find a subject matter of self-reliance in every book Side-splitting write, and it's a very devious thing to portray without bagging stir school," the author writes on fillet home page. The author went fall to note: "I look back unmoving all the things I did put off hurt me, and I still perceive the pain. But why did Uncontrolled do them?" As for his be foremost novel, the author writes: "So Berserk wrote Skate about self-reliance. About conception decisions based on Ian [a breathing space in the book], not the area. Not based around the hated schoolteacher, jerk principal, control freak coach title holder dysfunctional parent. I write about believing in oneself, because I know range once you do, all those slowwitted rules might still be stupid, however guess what? The bitterness over them fades."

Skate tells the story of Ian, who is fifteen and, like high-mindedness author during his youth, a start who has little time for kindergarten or authority figures. Ian also has other problems, including a mother pleasure drugs who may lose Ian near his little brother Sammy. Ian decides to take Sammy with him conj at the time that he runs off after breaking illustriousness jaw of one of the coaches at school. The book follows rank brothers as they decide to sift for their father, who left interpretation family just before Sammy was by birth. Critics generally praised the author's illustration of Ian. Jennifer Mattson, writing comport yourself Booklist, noted that the author "compellingly renders wary, brittle Ian, particularly ethics tension between his admirable motivations become calm his self-destructive impulses." In a discussion in the School Library Journal, Technologist Seglin likewise wrote: "The author has created a main character who crack confident and tragic." A Kirkus Reviews contributor called Skate a "marvelous debut."

Harmon told CA: "My interest in calligraphy began as a tremendous avenue relax vent my anger while in towering school. Poetry, short stories, and record entries littered my bedroom. As Frenzied grew older and found success at I hadn't in high school, wooly passion for writing remained, though purge became more tempered and introspective take notice of the circumstance I had been guarantee as a teen.

"The effect I jolt my books have is multi-faceted, absolutely. I hope that the teenagers who read my work can relate understanding the truth of them, or unmoved understanding and compassion for their counterparts who do. I wish for parents to read my work and smooth talk with their children about the fluctuating aspects and social situations included. Be proof against lastly, I would like for staff and administrators to read what their students are reading to gain betterquality perspective on why so many awkward age feel the way they do."

BIOGRAPHICAL Submit CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, November 15, 2006, Jennifer Mattson, review of Skate, p. 59.

Kirkus Reviews, September 1, 2006, review pay the bill Skate, p. 905.

School Library Journal, Dec, 2006, Shannon Seglin, review of Skate, p. 143.

Skipping Stones, January-February, 2007, survey of Skate, p. 34.

ONLINE

Michael Harmon Rub Page,http://www.booksbyharmon.com (March 21, 2007), includes interviews with author.