Q&A with Emma Bland Smith

 

 

 

Emma Bland Smith is the author of the new children's book Growing Up in the Shadow of Alcatraz. Her other books include The Gardener of Alcatraz. Also a librarian, she lives in San Francisco. 

 

Q: You’ve written about Alcatraz before--what inspired you to write your new book, Growing Up in the Shadow of Alcatraz?

 

A: The publisher, Capstone (The Gardener of Alcatraz is from Charlesbridge) approached me. They wanted to publish a nonfiction book about the children of the employees on Alcatraz. Since I presumably already a head start on research with my previous book, they thought I might be a good fit.

 

I was delighted! It was fun to write about this little-known, happy side of Alcatraz. Most people don't realize that on the same very small island as several hundred federal inmates, there also lived dozens of families and over 100 children.

 

Q: How did you research the book, and what did you learn that particularly surprised you?

A: To research it, I sought out every book about Alcatraz I could find. Especially helpful were the memoirs written by former prison guards or even by adults who had lived on Alcatraz as children. I would scour these for great tidbits.

 

I learned all sorts of juicy things, like the times kids had an unexpected interaction with an inmate (one even met Al Capone in the infirmary!). 

 

For me, I think the most fascinating aspect of growing up on Alcatraz was the fact that you had to take a small ferry over choppy water every day to get to school in San Francisco. When it was very, very foggy, adults on the island would bang pots and pans to help guide back in the returning ferry boat!

 

Another eye-opening story was that when the infamous "Battle of Alcatraz" (an inmate takeover) began, all the kids who were at school on the mainland had to remain in San Francisco for three days, until it was over. 

 

Meanwhile, on the island, there were all kinds of things to keep the families happy, like dances, socials, talent shows, even a soda fountain and a bowling alley. Life on Alcatraz was fun!

 

Q: The book also includes a variety of photographs--how did you choose those?

 

A: Capstone actually took care of the photos! That's a first for me, and I have to admit it was a bit of a treat, as securing rights for photos is a lot of work.

 

I did think a lot about the photos as I wrote the book, though. Capstone used a lot, and I'm so glad they did, because the photos really bring it all to life. I especially love the various snapshots of kids on an old cannon—that seemed to be a favorite place to pose! 

 

Q: Especially given that Alcatraz has been in the news recently, what do you hope readers take away from the book?

 

A: Alcatraz will never be a prison again. It closed because it was extremely inconvenient and expensive to run, and the building was falling apart.

 

But what stuck with me from learning about its 29 years as a federal prison was the common humanity of its inhabitants. The children were very real and very human—but so were the prisoners.

 

A few inmates mentioned that they liked seeing the kids play on the island, and hearing them sing carols at Christmas. It reminded them of the outside world and gave them hope. The children were so far from the tough felons of Alcatraz, and yet very, very close.

 

We all share so much and thinking about people in different circumstances from our own builds empathy and compassion.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I just finished a series of five early fiction early readers for ABDO, called Dogs Save the Day. Each one features a different working dog—guide dog, search and rescue dog, therapy dog, herding dog, and livestock guardian dog. It was so fun to write!

 

I'm also working on a picture book biography about a female cook in New Orleans in the early 1900s, from Calkins Creek.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: I definitely recommend visiting Alcatraz if you're in San Francisco. (Check out the gardens if you go!) But if you can't get tickets, a great back-up plan is to take the ferry to Angel Island, a much bigger island very close by, that is a nature preserve. You'll still get a fantastic view of Alcatraz and the city, and lots of great hiking, but with almost no crowds.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Emma Bland Smith.