These books focus on events that dealt with rising above the adversity and discrimination that certain groups faced (O’Brian). Some of Stanley’s other works include Digger, Hurry Freedom, Cowboys & Longhorns, and I am an American (O’Brian).

These greatly influenced his writing style and which genre he would focus on. When Stanley was at California State University, Bakersfield, he taught history courses, such as the American West, the American Indian and Californian History(O’Brian). Easy access to directly interview staff members and former students of Weedpatch helped paved the way for Stanley to find a closer connection to the book as well as the experience that each one of these children faced (O’Brian). Having worked and lived in Bakersfield, Stanley was most likely influenced to write about the history that was in his own backyard with numerous resources available to him (O’Brian). Stanley could relate to the Okie students because he felt the same way they did when he was in school: insecure and without a place. They were given the name “Okies” because the locals were frustrated at the increasing immigration rates. It helped give a more vivid description of the “Okies,” who were immigrants from states surrounding Oklahoma and were called discriminative names by native Californians. Although not directly stated, his experience with his counselor was channeled into his writing. In1992, his wife suggested that he should write to young children and he wrote Children of the Dust Bowl which was published and became a hit (O’Brian). Around the 1980s, he wrote about what he liked: fishing (O’Brian). Stanley did not intend to become a children’s/young adult author.

He furthered his education and later graduated at the University of Arizona with a BA and PhD in history (“Jerry Stanley”). The turning point in his life and career was when he decided to quit the service to enroll into a junior college (“Jerry Stanley”). The day of his expulsion, his counselor put him down more so by saying “Stanley, you’re so dumb you couldn’t finish school even if you tried (O’Brian).” Stanley joined the Air Force in California and later earned a high school diploma just to prove to those who doubted him that he could succeed (O’Brian). As a matter of fact, he detested it and was later expelled from high school (Stanley,86).

Even though Stanley eventually became a writer, school was not of particular interest to him. Jerry Stanley was born in Highland Park, Michigan in 1941, but was raised in Detroit (Stanley, 86).

I am an american by jerry stanley