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Anne Inez McCaffrey

by Ella from San Francisco

"Because we build the worlds we wouldn't mind living in. They contain scary things, problems, but also a sense of rightness that makes them alive and makes us want to live there."
Anne McCaffrey with a fire-lizard and a queen egg. (I drew this picture by copying various pivtures off the internet.  I also used descriptions from Anne's own books.)
Anne McCaffrey with a fire-lizard and a queen egg. (I drew this picture by copying various pivtures off the internet. I also used descriptions from Anne's own books.)

Anne McCaffrey is my hero. There are many reasons for this. She has “the sight”, something I’ve always longed for. She writes poems, novels, is a great horsewoman, and is independent. I have often dreamed of being just like her. I want to be a creative and well-known author. I want my own ranch. I want to be an independent woman. She lived through hard and terrible times, divorce, the Great Depression, loneliness. If I could have the qualities of anyone in this world, it would be those of Anne McCaffrrey.

Anne Inez McCaffrey was born on April 1, 1926 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Her father was a military man, and her mother, Anne Dorothy, was different from many of her time. Anne Dorothy worked, part-time, and had a strange gift referred to as “the sight”. The sight warned her to take out all the family money right before the stock market crash that began the Great Depression, thus the McCaffrey family of five (Dad, Mom, Hugh, Anne, and Kevin) was spared many of the horrors of that time.

As a child Anne was spoiled, and she didn’t have any friends. Even her brothers avoided or teased her. Anne comforted herself in animals and books, and she became closely attached to horses. Over the years Anne changed from a spoiled brat into an energetic woman, and she was eventually accepted into Radcliffe College. She graduated after studying various subjects including cartography, Celtic folk legends, Chinese philosophers, U.S. foreign policy, English literature, and Russian. The results of these studies often appeared later in her work.

On January 14, 1950 Anne McCaffrey married H. Wright Johnson. Their marriage was happy for a while, they had three children (Alec, Todd, and Georgeanne-“Gigi”) and took in refugee Josef Kaldi, but Johnson never supported her reading or writing science fiction. They later divorced, and Anne took Todd and Gigi to Ireland with her. Alec rejoined them for periods of time, and eventually became Anne’s right hand man.

Robinton, one of Anne's most beloved characters. (www.robinwood.com)
Robinton, one of Anne's most beloved characters. (www.robinwood.com)

While in Ireland Anne also pursued her dream of horses. She opened a horse ranch that became an immediate success. Anne’s life with horses was often reflected in her books, and many of her characters were based on real-life events and people. Though she faced many challenges (such as the fact she was getting older), Anne kept writing.

While her life swirled around her, Anne’s books were becoming famous. She became the first women to win the Hugo award (an award given to certain science-fiction writers) and became known for her strong independent female heroines, a change from the time. She also put the people and characters before the machinery, something that previous writers had never done. Slowly, Anne began reshaping science fiction. She attended many conventions, went on tours, and gave talks. My favorite book of hers is Dragonsinger.

Anne has been inspirational to me, and I wish her the best of luck for the rest of her life. Her books are passageway into a world much like our own, but filled with the mythical that all children wish for.

Page created on 7/10/2009 12:00:00 AM

Last edited 7/10/2009 12:00:00 AM

The beliefs, viewpoints and opinions expressed in this hero submission on the website are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs, viewpoints and opinions of The MY HERO Project and its staff.

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Bibliography

Trachtenberg, Martha. Anne McCaffrey. 40 Industrial Road: Enslow Publishers, Inc., 2001. 112