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Ordinary People Author Biography

Judith Guest does not stray too far from her own personal experiences and background in creating her fictional works. Like the characters in novels such as Ordinary People, she is from a white, well-to-do family and lives in the suburbs. Born March 29, 1936, in Detroit, Michigan, she is the daughter of a businessman and a housewife. Her insight into her male adolescent characters may stem from her experience raising three sons with her husband, or from her employment as a teacher in public schools.

Guest began writing at the young age of twelve, but she never showed her family her work. Later, in college, she was intimidated by the thought of taking creative writing classes at the University of Michigan. Instead, .she majored in education, receiving her bachelor's degree in 1958. The summer after she graduated, she married Larry Lavercombe, a business executive. While teaching at elementary schools...
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