Schmatz, Pat
Entry updated 12 September 2022. Tagged: Author.
(? - ) US author of children's and Young Adult books. Mrs. Estronsky and the U.F.O. (2001) is primarily about growing up but includes a UFO encounter. In Circle the Truth (2007), an irruption of gentle surrealism – the geography of the young protagonist's home changes or seems to change by night – leads to even-handed exploration of faith, Religion and the nature of reality. Schmatz's tale of greatest sf interest is Lizard Radio (2015), set in a Near Future Dystopia whose authoritarian government requires teenagers to attend summer camps that instil conformity. In particular, Gender identification is enforced, with transitioning permitted (see Transgender SF) but same-sex relationships and grey-area sexuality forbidden; the "bender" protagonist's thoughtcrime is her refusal to identify as either female or male. This slangy, character-driven novel won the James Tiptree Jr Award. [DRL]
Pat Schmatz
born Wisconsin, USA
works (selected)
- Mrs. Estronsky and the U.F.O. (Port Orchard, Washington: Blue Works, 2001) [pb/photographic]
- Circle the Truth (Minneapolis, Minnesota: Carolrhoda Books, 2007) [hb/photographic]
- Lizard Radio (Somerville, Maine: Candlewick Press, 2015) [hb/]
links
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