see page history
Overview edit
Bibliography
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(2009)
Willow
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(1998)
Acting Normal
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(1995)
Amy Loves the Rain
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(1993)
Buzby to the Rescue (An I Can Read Book)
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(1988)
Amy Loves the Wind
Unbound edit
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Interview about Willow:
Interview with Julia Hoban
CS: What inspired you to write WILLOW?
JH: I wanted to write a book for all of us with self destructive urges, a book that would take one person from a place of self harm to a place of healing, and in doing so possibly make people question their own damaging behaviors. I chose to make Willow a cutter because it is a very dramatic and obvious form of self injury, but it could just as easily have been a book about overeating or doing drugs, or even something as innocent as watching too much television.
CS: Cutting is a very sensitive issue that I’ve personally not seen or heard much about. What sort of research did you carry out for the book?
JH: I did a fair amount of reading about the “technical aspects” of the disorder. Steven Levenkron’s book “Cutting” was very helpful. One thing that may surprise people is the amount of care many cutters take with their wounds. It may seem counter intuitive, why cut yourself and then clean and bandage the cuts? But that’s a real window into the psyche of a self injurer: as Willow says cutting is not a dress rehearsal for suicide. It is most often a way of stuffing down feelings that would otherwise be too overpowering.
CS: Which scene in the book is your favorite and why?
JH: My favorite scene in the book is when Willow and Guy lose their virginity together. Prior to that scene, Willow is asked by a friend about Guy, who is he, what is his relationship to Willow? Willow’s response: “He’s someone that knows me, and someone that I know.” I really feel that everything in the book is leading up to that sentence, and I wish that every young woman and young man would feel that way about the person that they first sleep with.
Interview with Julia Hoban
CS: What inspired you to write WILLOW?
JH: I wanted to write a book for all of us with self destructive urges, a book that would take one person from a place of self harm to a place of healing, and in doing so possibly make people question their own damaging behaviors. I chose to make Willow a cutter because it is a very dramatic and obvious form of self injury, but it could just as easily have been a book about overeating or doing drugs, or even something as innocent as watching too much television.
CS: Cutting is a very sensitive issue that I’ve personally not seen or heard much about. What sort of research did you carry out for the book?
JH: I did a fair amount of reading about the “technical aspects” of the disorder. Steven Levenkron’s book “Cutting” was very helpful. One thing that may surprise people is the amount of care many cutters take with their wounds. It may seem counter intuitive, why cut yourself and then clean and bandage the cuts? But that’s a real window into the psyche of a self injurer: as Willow says cutting is not a dress rehearsal for suicide. It is most often a way of stuffing down feelings that would otherwise be too overpowering.
CS: Which scene in the book is your favorite and why?
JH: My favorite scene in the book is when Willow and Guy lose their virginity together. Prior to that scene, Willow is asked by a friend about Guy, who is he, what is his relationship to Willow? Willow’s response: “He’s someone that knows me, and someone that I know.” I really feel that everything in the book is leading up to that sentence, and I wish that every young woman and young man would feel that way about the person that they first sleep with.
