Author Catherine Ryan Hyde

By Julia F., Northampton, MA

http://www.teenink.com/nonfiction/interviews/article/259220/Author-Catherine-Ryan-Hyde/

Catherine Ryan Hyde is the ­critically acclaimed author of more than 40 published stories and 16 novels. Her novel Pay It Forward was adapted into a major motion picture. Hyde is the founder of the Pay It Forward Foundation, which aims to educate and inspire students to change the world. Her latest novel, Jumpstart the World, tells the story of an ­isolated girl who befriends a ­transgender man.

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What makes you want to explore gender identity issues in this novel?

I grew up with a transgender sibling. So this has been in my experience for quite some time. I can't help feeling that we're afraid of what we don't know. And it feels as though if people just knew a little bit more about this situation, it would be less severe. If you know anything about GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender) issues, you know that the abuse, bullying, and suicide rates are terrifyingly high. I think they're four times higher for gay teens than straight teens. Thirty-two percent of transgender individuals attempt suicide. That's almost one in three, which is horrifying.