Virginia Hamilton
(1936–2002)

Virginia Hamilton has written many award-winning books for young people. Her books often combine elements of history and fantasy. Some of Hamilton's many topics include contemporary novels about young adults, stories about slavery, and collections of African American folktales.

Hamilton was born in 1936 in Yellow Springs, Ohio, where her grandfather settled after escaping from slavery on the Underground Railroad. Though daily life on the Hamilton's farm was difficult, Hamilton, who was the youngest child in her family, remembers a happy childhood. She has fond memories of playing with her siblings and of listening with great interest to the stories her relatives told. She describes her family members as "reluctant farmers but great storytellers."

Hamilton left home to attend college and stayed away for more than ten years, but she returned to Yellow Springs in her early thirties and remains there to this day. Comfortable in the land of her ancestors and surrounded by family members, Hamilton explores in her writing the experiences of African Americans of the past and of today.

Finding Success Hamilton never had any doubts about her career goals. "I started writing as a kid," she says. "It was always something I was going to do." After earning scholarships and studying at Antioch College and Ohio State University, Hamilton moved to New York to become part of the art world.

While studying in New York, Hamilton met and fell in love with Arnold Adoff, a young poet. They got married in March 1960 and continued to live in New York while they started their family.

In 1967, Hamilton published Zeely, her first novel. It was an unusually successful first novel, in part because of its realistic portrayal of African American characters. Hamilton's second novel, The House of Dies Drear (1968), is a mystery set in modern times about a house that was once a stop on the Underground Railroad. In it, Hamilton blends information and stories about slavery into an intriguing, suspenseful tale. Hamilton continued to write novels that combine genres and explore elements of African American history. She also began to collect and retell the tales she heard as a child. She selected her favorites and published them in collections such as The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales (1985) and In the Beginning: Creation Stories From Around the World.

A reviewer once asked Hamilton what she was trying to accomplish with each book. Her reply was quick and to the point: "You're not trying to 'accomplish' anything but tell a good story, and my books are full of good stories."

Hamilton has received almost every major award in the field of children's literature, including the Hans Christian Anderson Medal, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal, and an NAACP Image Award. She is also a four-time winner of the Coretta Scott King Award, which honors authors and illustrators of African descent. The award commemorates Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and his widow, Coretta Scott King, for their determination in working for peace and world brotherhood. It recognizes writers who do the same though their work.

Hamilton has written many stories about slavery and about the daring escapes of slaves, such as her grandfather, who used the Underground Railroad as a way out of the South. The Underground Railroad was a loosely organized system that helped slaves escape to freedom. Though it was neither underground nor a railroad, its activities had to be carried out in secret, and the fugitive slaves often traveled by night to avoid detection. Railway terms were used to refer to parts of the system. For example, the various routes were called lines, stopping places were called stations, and those who helped the slaves along the way were called conductors.

Most active in helping slaves escape were former slaves such as Harriet Tubman, Northern abolitionists (people who opposed slavery), and church leaders, such as Levi Coffin, a Cincinnati Quaker. Professional slave catchers, who were paid to seize fugitive slaves, made the work dangerous. The exact number of slaves who escaped by using the Underground Railroad is not known, though estimates range from 40,000 to 100,000. Harriet Tubman alone is believed to have led more than 300 slaves to freedom.

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