Salisbury, Graham
“I never thought I would be a writer as a young person,” confides Graham Salisbury. “My intent at that time was to be a rock and roll star.” Young Graham’s aspirations changed and he remembers that “My dream later was to be an elementary school principal–throughout my life I have been interested in young people.” The idea of writing for young people seems natural in retrospect but Salisbury did not become a writer until he became a reader. He was thirty years old when he picked up the book that changed his life. “Alex Haley’s Roots was the first book where I had that vicarious experience of becoming the character,” he recalls.
Graham was lucky enough to meet the legendary author. “He gave me advice I never forgot: ‘If you are going to be a writer, add to the good in the world because we really need it.” These wise words stuck with Salisbury: “I took that to heart–it’s the motto I work by.”
Of all the awards that have come his way, perhaps the one that means the most is the Scott O’Dell award which is specifically given for historical fiction. The future winner remembered an early visit to the bookstore when he was first blown away by all the wonderful books for kids like him. He picked one with an especially appealing cover and after he finished the book, he knew. He wanted to be a writer. The book that stood out on that faraway day? The Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell. “Winning that award was a shining moment for me,” says Graham Salisbury gratefully.
Recalling his childhood, Graham confesses that “I raised myself, basically. My mother was overwhelmed.” Graham’s father had died in World War II. “Fatherlessness created a huge hole in my life, I had to figure out character and ethics on my own.” That deep understanding underscores the motto Alex Haley suggested. “My big mission as a writer is to reach those boys and girls, the strugglers, the fatherless, the homeless.” Hearing from the children who have been touched by his books have been the biggest blessings of his life.
That connection to marginalized children is what put Calvin Coconut into a single parent family. In these middle grade novels, Salisbury portrays the complicated interaction between Calvin and his Mom and her boyfriend, as well as how they all get along with his real dad. “This serves two purposes,” explains the author. “It gives kids something with reality-based fiction and it gets me into elementary schools as a speaker.” That young person who aspired to be an elementary school principal affirms that “4th, 5th, and 6th graders are ground zero for me.”
Another Ground Zero that figured largely in Graham’s childhood was Pearl Harbor. Growing up in Hawaii, a descendant of the first missionaries, the history of the islands, and especially the tumultuous World War II years, continues to exert a pull on the author. Salisbury’s books on the Japanese American experience in Hawaii during the war have won numerous awards not only because of his writing skill but also because of his relentless research.
Under the Blood Red Sun is the first in his series of five. “I am just now revising Island of Two Suns, which takes place in the Philippines–I’m really excited about this book!,” exclaims the author. “These men went through so much and worked so hard. Everyone distrusted them, sending [the Japanese Americans] to camps and yet, even through all that, so many Japanese American men volunteered to prove their loyalty. They sacrificed so much to improve the lives of their families.” The author was also struck by their deep humility. “Their own family members had no idea their grandpas had gone through so much.” Yet, Graham displayed an equally deep sensitivity to the storytellers as well as the stories. “The first thing I would say when researching Eyes of the Emperor, was to acknowledge that these stories were theirs and not mine, and I would ask their permission to tell the stories.”
In addition to collecting the stories of the soldiers–and thereby saving an important piece of oral history–Salisbury also spent time in the library and online. The research yielded the subjects who formed the backbone of the story he wanted to tell and in the end, he managed to interview eight of the 14 soldiers who were part of the program.
One can have mountains of research and dozens of interviews but it can be a small fact that really makes the history come alive. “My editor calls it the ‘pigeon moment’,” he explains. “It is primary research that reveals a powerful piece of information no one knows about.” While researching Eyes of the Emperor, he found the first such moment through talking with a man who was a young boy on Oahu. The now elderly man vividly remembered the day he was told by a government official that he must kill all of his pet pigeons. The date was December 8, 1941.
By capturing that experience of loss, Salisbury provides a window into a child’s grief and helps other children understand some of the pain. Salisbury has indeed added to the good in the world. Alex Haley would be proud.
– Interviewed by Ellen Myrick, August 2012
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