SL_Spotlight_Jenni_Walsh_0221_v2_Spotlight 2 / 22 / 21 10 : 26 AM Page 1 s S P O T L I G H T Defying History Jenni L . Walsh , a “ Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life . ” writer of historical Jenni L . Walsh can certainly relate to this truism . She spends her days — and , more often , her nights — in the glow novels featuring of her computer , dreaming up vivid characters and the tribulations those characters need to grow , learn , and change strong female the world around them . Walsh , a Chester County native who now lives in Yardley , once enjoyed a fruitful career as a copywriter in New characters , tells York and wrote fiction in her spare time . Now she writes novels for a living . Her specialty : historical fiction starring stories the history strong female protagonists . In recent years , for example , her novels Side by Side and Becoming Bonnie delved into the books have largely largely untold story of Bonnie Parker , of the infamous tandem Bonnie and Clyde . She penned her latest book , I Am Defiance , about a young girl trying to find her way in Adolf Hitler’s Germany , for overlooked . middle - grade readers . We spoke with Walsh about her new novel , the kinds of stories that interest her , and the BY BILL DONAHUE importance of remembering our past . think it is possible to repeat . Jewish people I Am Defiance is about It’s important for today’s kids to see other [ during the Holocaust ] were compared to children their age being kind to people who a young girl named fleas and called subhuman . I told my aren’t like them and who others may be Brigitte who comes Q & A daughter about this and she was baffled . putting down . The Holocaust is a very ele - of age in Nazi Ger - vated situation compared to what kids many . What did you like most about this experience oday . The fact that Brigitte t Your novels are rooted in historical fic - character ? makes positive choices to help other Brigitte is only 12 at the outset of the novel . … tion — particularly women and girls in people , it’s important for kids to see that . I She’s almost living in this bubble , even as historical fiction . Bonnie Parker is one hope her choices inspire others to do the she’s surrounded by all this hate and wrong - example . Why do you want to tell these same . doing and persecution . Her eyes are slowly kinds of stories ? The White Rose was a real - life resist - opened . Her sister [ Angelika ] contracts polio , I am definitely interested in women who ance group composed primarily of stu - which the family tries to hide . Then the family haven’t yet had a strong voice . We’ve heard dents . One student , Sophie Scholl , led the receives leaflets from a resistance group Bonnie’s story before — the film , the minis - movement . She was very young , so I think called the White Rose , which could endanger eries — but it’s always told from the per - it’s very inspiring for children to see other the family because , at this time , anyone who spective of Clyde ; she always gets lumped kids not much older than themselves received these leaflets could be considered in with him . Her story that we’ve been told making a big difference in the world . sympathetic [ to the resist - is so far from real life . I almost wanted to Sophie sacrificed a lot for the White Rose , ance ] . It’s hard for her to right the wrongs that have been said about including her life . learn about the resistance her , not that she was an innocent . She and the terrible things her made some terrible decisions , but there are country has done when also things about her that haven’t been It’s not your first time writing about the she’s been accurately portrayed . living in this Second World War ( Hettie and the sheltered bubble . She London Blitz : A World War II Survival begins to learn that every - What led you down the path to being a Story ) . Do you have a particular interest thing she has been taught writer ? in this time in world history ? was completely false . I am interested in a lot of history in general . I have two young children , now ages seven ler Kids today can relate to that . As we get to My husband is a history buff , too , so we and five , and it was too much to do a 40 - Zieg middle school , our bubbles start to expand . have that in common . I find World War II to hour workweek of copywriting and taking pril Even as Brigitte’s eyes are opening and her be endlessly interesting . We question how care of the children . I enjoy telling stories , A by bubble is bursting , it’s great for her to have something like the Holocaust could ever and I love the freedom . I’m happiest when ph an older sister and dad to help educate her in happen , and it makes us question if it could I’m sitting down at the computer and doing ogra things like kindness and taking a stand . ever happen again . It’s one reason we need what I love . When it comes to children hot these kinds of books , to shine a spotlight on and novel writing , normally I work at night p or our past ; the next generation can’t imagine when everyone is asleep . My daughter jokes Why is it important for young minds to uth that such bad things happened and doesn’t that I’m a vampire . ? read stories like this ? A SUBURBANLIFEMAGAZINE.COM FEBRUARY 2021 88 |