Theodore Taylor (author)

Early life

Taylor was born in Statesville, North Carolina where he lived until he was 10. He then resided in Craddock, North Carolina. He dropped out of high school at age 17 and began writing for a living.

Career

During World War II Taylor served in the United States Merchant Marines. He served in the United States Navy during World War II.

Taylor worked as a press agent connected with the American film industry and wrote on the side. Early in his career he wrote fiction and non-fiction works aimed at adults. It was not until The Cay he started writing works aimed at youths.

Notable works

''The Cay''

Main article: The Cay

The Cay, Taylor's story of a racially prejudiced white boy stranded with a black man, has become perhaps the most beloved of his young adult novels. It took only three weeks to complete and has seen worldwide sales of around four million. Taylor based the character of the boy in his book on a childhood friend, named Phillip. "The one thing I remembered about [him] was that his mother had taught him to hate black people and to hate them with a passion," Taylor told a reporter from the Los Angeles Times in 1997*.* In the book, the boy sheds his racist views as he learns to admire and respect the black man who had rescued him from the ocean, especially after he goes blind. For a short period of time The Cay was banned and was classified as racist.

''Timothy of the Cay''

Main article: Timothy of the Cay

In 1993, Taylor wrote and published the follow-up to The Cay, which he titled Timothy of the Cay. It describes the life of Timothy before his encounter with Phillip Enright, the narrator of The Cay, and what happened to Phillip after he was rescued, by which time Timothy had been dead for almost two months.

Other works

Another work by Taylor, The Maldonado Miracle was adapted into a film starring Salma Hayek.

Another work by Taylor, “Rogue Wave”, an adventure story.

References

References

1. Adam Bernstein. (October 30, 2006). "Obituary: Theodore Taylor, 85; Author of 'The Cay'". The Washington Post.
2. Stewart, Jocelyn Y.. (October 28, 2006). "Theodore Taylor, 85; wrote 'The Cay' and other novels for the young".
3. Stewart, Jocelyn Y.. (2006-10-28). "Theodore Taylor, 85; wrote 'The Cay' and other novels for the young".
4. "Banned Books 2022 - the Cay".