Joyce Viola Hansen (born October 18, 1942) is an American writer and retired schoolteacher. She has earned recognition for her books for children and youth, particularly her

historical fiction Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other ty ...

and

non-fiction Nonfiction, or non-fiction, is any document or media content that attempts, in good faith, to provide information (and sometimes opinions) grounded only in facts and real life, rather than in imagination. Nonfiction is often associated with be ...

works about

African-American history African-American history began with the arrival of Africans to North America in the 16th and 17th centuries. Former Spanish slaves who had been freed by Francis Drake arrived aboard the Golden Hind at New Albion in California in 1579. The ...

Life

Hansen was born in

the Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

, New York City on October 18, 1942. Her parents were Austin Victor, a photographer, and Lilian Dancy Hansen. She earned a bachelor's degree in English from

Pace University Pace University is a private university with its main campus in New York City and secondary campuses in Westchester County, New York. It was established in 1906 by the brothers Homer St. Clair Pace and Charles A. Pace as a business school. Pac ...

(1972) and a master's degree in English from

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

(1978). For 22 years, she worked as a teacher in New York City public schools, before retiring in 1995. After retirement she lived with her husband in South Carolina and wrote.

Fiction

Hansen has said that her writing is motivated by a drive to increase interest in reading among her students and others who are underrepresented in children's literature. Her first novel was ''The Gift-Giver'' (1980), about a group of friends living in the Bronx. She wrote two sequels to the book, ''Yellow Bird and Me'' (1986) and ''One True Friend'' (2001). In addition to novels set in contemporary urban settings, Hansen has written several works of historical fiction about African-American history, including books about

slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

and the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

. ''Which Way Freedom?'' (1986), her first work of historical fiction, was named a Coretta Scott King Honor Book. The book, about a Black teenager serving with the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

in the Civil War, was the first of a trilogy of books that included ''Out From This Place'' (1998) and ''The Heart Calls Home'' (1999). Her novels ''The Captive'' (1994) and '' I Thought My Soul Would Rise and Fly: The Diary of Patsy, a Freed Girl'' (part of the ''

Dear America ''Dear America'' is a series of historical fiction novels for children published by Scholastic Corporation, Scholastic starting in 1996. By 1998, the series had 12 titles with 3.5 million copies in print. The series was canceled in 2004 with its ...

'' series of books) were also named Coretta Scott King Honor Books.

Non-fiction

Hansen has also written several non-fiction books for youth about African-American and African history. '' Women of Hope: African Americans Who Made A Difference'' (1998) features short biographies of thirteen influential Black women, including neurosurgeon

Alexa Canady Dr. Alexa Irene Canady (born November 5, 1950) is a retired American medical doctor specializing in pediatric neurosurgery. She was born in Lansing, Michigan and earned both her bachelors and medical degree from the University of Michigan. Afte ...

, astronaut

Mae Jemison Mae Carol Jemison (born October 17, 1956) is an American engineer, physician, and former NASA astronaut. She became the first black woman to travel into space when she served as a mission specialist aboard the Space Shuttle ''Endeavour''. Je ...

, and activist

Fannie Lou Hamer Fannie Lou Hamer (; Townsend; October 6, 1917 – March 14, 1977) was an American voting rights, voting and women's rights activist, Community organizing, community organizer, and a leader in the civil rights movement. She was the co-foun ...

. ''

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...

'' called the book "inspirational" and "effective as art and as history". With Gary McGowan, Hansen wrote ''Breaking Ground, Breaking Silence: The Story of New York's African Burial Ground'' (1998). The book, which was named a Coretta Scott King Honor Book, detailed the 1991 discovery and excavation of a

burial ground A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a buri ...

for slaves and free blacks in New York City. Also with McGowan, Hansen wrote ''Freedom Roads'' (2003), a non-fiction account of the

Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was a network of clandestine routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early- to mid-19th century. It was used by enslaved African Americans primarily to escape into free states and Canada. T ...

, which ''Kirkus'' called "well-written, well-documented, imaginatively arranged". Hansen's 2004 book, ''African Princess: The Amazing Lives of Africa's Royal Women'', profiles six prominent women, including

Hatshepsut Hatshepsut (; also Hatchepsut; Egyptian: '' ḥꜣt- špswt'' "Foremost of Noble Ladies"; or Hatasu c. 1507–1458 BC) was the fifth pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt. She was the second historically confirmed female pharaoh, aft ...

Amina Aminatu (also Amina; died 1610) was a Hausa Muslim historical figure in the city-state Zazzau (now city of Zaria in Kaduna State), in what is now in the north-west region of Nigeria. She might have ruled in the mid-sixteenth century. A controver ...

, and Elizabeth of Toro. A ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' review called the book " ticulously researched" and "rich with detail, drama and intrigue".

Selected works

Fiction

* ''The Gift-Giver'' (1980) * ''Home Boy'' (1982) * ''Yellow Bird and Me'' (1986) * ''Which Way Freedom?'' (1986) * ''Out From this Place'' (1988) * ''The Captive'' (1994) * '' I Thought My Soul Would Rise and Fly: The Diary of Patsy, a Freed Girl'' (''

'' series, 1997, 2011) * ''The Heart Calls Home'' (1999) * ''One True Friend'' (2001) * ''Home is with Our Family'' (2010)

Non-fiction

* ''Between Two Fires: Black Soldiers in the Civil War'' (1993) * ''Breaking Ground, Breaking Silence: The Story of New York's African Burial Ground'' (with Gary McGowan, 1998) * '' Women of Hope: African Americans Who Made A Difference'' (1998) * ''Freedom Roads: Searching for the Underground Railroad'' (with Gary McGowan, 2003) *'' African Princess: The Amazing Lives of Africa's Royal Women'' (illustrated by Laurie McGaw, 2004)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hansen, Joyce 1942 births Living people Writers from the Bronx 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American women writers Pace University alumni New York University alumni American children's writers 20th-century African-American women writers 20th-century African-American writers 21st-century African-American women writers 21st-century African-American writers