On Tuesday, we shared our review of Paperboy by Vince Vawter, a super special book about a boy with a stutter who takes over his friend's paper delivery route one summer and learns more than he could have ever expected about the unique people in his community but moreso about himself.
Today, we are ecstatic to welcome Vince Vawter to answer some of our burning questions about Paperboy! Random House Children's Books has also offered to give away a copy of Paperboy. To enter, see the form at the bottom of the post. Without further ado, here is our interview with Vince!
TMT: Paperboy is based on your experiences as a child with a
stutter. The main character’s story has a lot to do with overcoming his
struggle with stuttering but also with gaining confidence and self-esteem in
general. Can you share more about how a stutter might impact a person?
Vince Vawter: A person who
stutters and tries to hide it, especially an adolescent, has a hard time being
himself/herself. The person seeks to compensate by concentrating on secondary
skills. In my case, it was athletics. There also is the confusion of having the
outward appearance of being normal, but then all normality vanishing when
talking is attempted. When this
happens many times a day, day in and day out, the psyche is undoubtedly
affected. There also is a heavy “why me” quotient. Talking is so easy for most
of the people on the planet (some might say too easy). “Why have I been singled
out?” is the inevitable question. Some adults, while they still might possess a
stutter, outgrow the self-imposed shame. In some circles, it is called “letting
go.” After all, stuttering is what you do when you try not to stutter.
TMT: In the author’s notes you mentioned that the book was more
memoir than fiction. What parts of the story were added that did not happen to
you?
Vince Vawter: The only
character in the book who does not have a counterpart in my childhood is Mr.
Spiro. Halfway through writing the book, I realized that Mr. Spiro actually is
the present-day Vince Vawter. All the narrative action in the book has some
basis in fact. For instance, while I did not witness a stabbing, I did watch a
junk man die under the hedges in our backyard. I did not accompany Mam to a “juke
joint,” but Mam’s predecessor, unbeknownst to my parents at the time, would
haul me off to a similar place during the day where I would be served milk and
she would partake of other libations. That’s the reason Mam took her place. The
speech events (fainting, biting through my tongue, thumbtack wounds, throwing
up) are all happenings from my childhood. I did substitute on a Press-Scimitar
newspaper route and I did have a pretty good fastball. And I did love Mam with
all my heart. I never have thought of her a “housekeeper.” She was my dearest
friend and more of a “soul keeper.” There was a question about my biological
father, but this didn’t come about until many years later – 50 to be exact.
TMT: Paperboy is your first book but you worked and wrote for
newspapers for 40 years. How was the transition from writing and working for a
newspaper to writing and publishing a novel?
Vince Vawter: The process
was more complicated than I had ever imagined. The first challenge was to learn
to show and not tell. I also had trouble introducing a fictional overlay to a
true story. When should I invent and when should I stick to the facts? It was a
constant struggle. Mr. Spiro finally helped me out on that one when he told the
paperboy that more truth can be found in fiction.
TMT: The voice in Paperboy is very specific because it is how the
narrator would have typed the story. Why did you choose to tell your story this
way?
Vince Vawter: While I did
bang around on an old typewriter as a boy, I didn’t attempt to write stories.
When I started writing my narrative, it occurred to me I wished I had put my
thoughts down on paper as a child. I found that the typewriter was an easy
conveyance for me to return to my adolescence. I began each writing session
with the thought: “What would the paperboy have typed about . . . “ It seems my
old, arthritic fingers could almost feel the boy’s 11-year-old fingers on the
typewriter keys.
TMT: It seems like the story with Mr. Spiro is not completed. Are
you planning a sequel?
Vince Vawter: The thought
frightens me, but I did leave Mr. Spiro at loose ends for that very reason. You
are perceptive. My agent says that my readers will let me know if they want a
sequel. I’m listening.
TMT: At first glance, Paperboy seems to be only about a child
overcoming stuttering, but there are deep topics such as race relations,
education, loss of hearing, and philosophy all within a historical fiction
background. What compelled you to tackle so many tough issues?
Vince Vawter: The first
incarnation of Paperboy was for
a general audience. My agent and then my editor convinced me to redirect it to
a younger audience. I didn’t think it could be done and still retain all the
sub-themes, but somehow I found the path. My mentors kept telling me to have
faith in my readers. I continue to believe the novel can be read on several
different levels with each reader bringing something different and carrying
away something different. You left out one topic -- attention deficit disorder.
The paperboy says that thoughts went around in his head like the pinball in the
machine at the drugstore. While there is no empirical evidence, I believe there
is some connection between ADD/ADHD and stuttering. The answer will be in the
genetic code.
TMT: Many authors contend that to be a great author you have to be
a reader. Do you agree or disagree? Why or why not?
Vince Vawter: I certainly
agree, but I think you have to be a special type of reader. I tend to read at
two different speeds, much too fast and excruciatingly slow. I speed read for
information, but when I find myself drawn to a certain style of writing, I put
it into low gear and read at a crawl, sometimes reading aloud to myself. I can
hear the paperboy’s voice much better when I read it aloud.
Vince Vawter: Reading
is . . . a close second to breathing, it being difficult to exist without
either. Writing is . . . the path to understanding.
We are so glad Vince shared the story in Paperboy and then some insight into his life as a reader and writer with us here at Teach Mentor Texts. To win a copy of this great book, please complete the following form.
Be sure to visit these other great blogs on the Paperboy blog tour!
May 7th: Teach Mentor Texts
May 8th: Random Acts of Reading
May 9th: Teach Mentor Texts
May 10th: Ms. Yingling Reads
May 13th: The Children’s Book Review
May 14th: Nerdy Book Club
and
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