Tamora Pierce

Who is Tamora Pierce? Tamora Pierce is a wonderful inspirational author whom has inspired many aspects of my life through her books. Ms. Pierce is certainly the most inspirational author (she has been on the best sellers list for months at a time) I have discovered. In the depths of every library, I have seen Ms. Pierce's books, but of course I never realized that her books would change my view of many problems, as well as make me an avid problem solver in the process.  All of Tamora Pierce's books are fantasy or science fiction of some sort.    

Tamora Pierce, actually pronounced Tamara, (just like camera' because the nurse who filled out Tamora Pierce's birth certificate thought that Tamara was such a fancy name for someone born in coal country in the nineteen fifties). The nurse who misspelled Tamora Pierce's name was actually doing her a service. As it turns out, Ms. Pierce dislikes the name Tamara which mean "graceful and a palm tree" or is the name of a  Russian saint and Tamora Pierce is none of these things. Tamora Pierce was the oldest child in a long line of proud hillbillies; on one side of her family, and on the other side of the family there were those family members who tried their hardest to hide their hillbilly roots in the past. 

Moreover, Tamora Pierce was five years old when her  younger sister Kimberly was born. Kimberly was the sister, Tamora based the character "Alanna" in The Song of the Lioness Quartet off of. Then a year later Tamora's other sister Melanie was born.  Tamora Pierce's mother went to school, while her father worked at a telephone company. When Tamora was younger her family was poor but at the time she did not realize it. When Tamora Pierce was younger there was never a lack of reading material in the house. She once stated that "Books are still the main yardstick by which I measure true wealth," which are true words indeed as Tamora Pierce has gained wealth from writing many books. Tamora Pierce started writing in the fifth grade because one day while she was doing dishes she was telling herself a story and her father suggested she write it down. A year later her teacher introduced her to the Lord of the Rings Trilogy and Tamora from that point on was hooked to fantasy and science fiction books of any kind, which would explain why all her books are fantasy. Tamora tried writing versions of the books she read, but to her they were all missing something and she realized that they were missing female teenage warriors. In the tenth grade, Tamora lost her way with her writing and even though she was a smart young woman at the time,  she had to rethink becoming a writer. She found an alternative which was helping families who were poor or have money problems just like hers had.    

With her mind set, she applied for the University of Pennsylvania. College made Tamora realized what she liked, and did not like as well as many other things. In 1976 Tamora lived with her boyfriend in Kingston, New York and was invited to move to Idaho to live with her father and stepmother because in the sixth grade her parents got divorced (Lived with her mom and sisters until college). While Tamora was in Idaho she became the house mother in a group home for teenage girls. This was strange because she was sending out The Song of the Lioness  to the New York Literary agency  at the time. Although it was not yet a book meant for teenage girls but adult women but after suggestions from various publishers, Tamora edited her first copy of The Song of the Lioness into a book for teenage girls. Not too long after, Tamora moved to Manhattan and went to work for the New York literary agency, where she worked for a few years and became friends with one woman who then became her agent when she decided to publish her book which turned her into a known author.

Tamora Pierce has written many books for young adults. Most of her characters are teenage girls with particular obstacles to overcome. All of Ms. Pierce's character possess heroic traits that  Ms. Pierce herself has. Those traits are perseverance, courage, smarts, inner beauty, thoughtfulness, and fear because everyone needs to be fearful of something to become brave or courageous. Tamora Pierce is my hero through her stories and her struggles to become the accomplished writer that she is. She is the most wonderful hero a young woman can have and I am glad that she is mine. Ms. Pierce's many books have truly changed my views of things I hate or hated once before.