Rosa Guy's novels have brought her acclaim and international recognition as one of today's most perceptive authors writing on the lives of black Americans. Best known for her award-winning young adult novels, her humble beginnings in Harlem were a motivating factor in attaining success as a writer. "Whether ... to act or write or do something! It was a driving force in me. It was a driving force in that orphan, out there on the streets ... who needed something through which to express herself, through which to become a full-bodied person."¹

Specifics about Guy's early years are limited. Two dates of birth, September 1, 1925 and September 1, 1928 appear in standard biographical sources, but she declines to verify either one. She was born in Trinidad, West Indies, the second of two daughters of Henry and Audrey Cuthbert. "I was born in Trinidad, a British colony at that time. How proud we were...