GARY PAULSEN Born on May 17, 1939 in Minneapolis, Minnesota to Oscar and Eunice Paulsen, Gary Paulsen is a master storyteller who has written more than 175 books, 200 articles and short stories, and several plays. He is known as one of America's most popular writers among young people and for his award-winning survival stories. Gary Paulsen did not have a happy childhood. His father served in the Army during World War II, which sent him away from home for long periods, while his mother worked in the munitions factory. Many times they left him alone and unsupervised. His parents were known to drink too much and insult him. Paulsen was shy and not good at sports. He was a lonely child who was constantly on the move, which hindered him from making friends. He was constantly bullied and was not the most devoted student. When life became intolerable he ran away or was sent to live with his relatives who gave him the closest thing to a normal family life. There wasn't much money, so Paulsen started working at an early age. He set pins in a bowling alley or sold newspapers in hospitals or bars. He worked in all types of weather and on a freezing night in Minnesota, he passed the local library and saw the Sullivan lights on and went inside to warm up. To his surprise the librarian gave him a book to read. Soon he would give him another and another until he soon had his library card. He was fascinated. He would retreat to the family basement with a book and stay for hours. This was his safe haven from his parents' constant arguments and abuse of him. It was around this time that Paulsen began to develop his passion for reading. Leaving me too... half the paper to survive. You gain that respect for your surroundings and learn to use everything you can to cope. Paulsen manages to make you feel part of the book. He is a very intense writer who makes your inner thoughts and feelings come alive. Paulsen wants to tap deeply into the human spirit and encourage readers to observe and care about the world around them. Nothing can be more American than this. Sullivan 4WORKS CITEDTrelease, Jim. “Gary Paulsen Author Profile.” June 18, 2013. http://www.trelease-on-reading.com/paulsen.html Mitchell, C.E. “Gary Paulsen.” 2004 Random House Inc. http://www.randomhouse.com/features/garypaulsen/about.html Johnson, Jan; Katz, Terrier; Makler, Lynn; Mitgang, Gina; Vandergrift, Kay. “Gary Paulsen”. Tuesday 25 2014.http://comminfo.rutgers.edu/professional-development/childlit/paulsen.html