Laurie Halse Anderson, a New York Times best-selling author, joined Monticello and the Virginia Festival of the Book Sunday to discuss her newest book, “Rebellion 1776.” In her talk, Anderson laid out her process for writing novels, which she said she hopes will allow young readers to connect with fictional characters from the 18th century and learn to enjoy history in the process. She also reflected on her takeaways after years of researching the American Revolutionary Period, as this year marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Anderson has written young adult novels set in Revolutionary America for more than 25 years, and four novels in historical fiction. They began with “Fever 1793,” published in September 2000, followed by the “Seeds of America” trilogy from 2008 to 2016. “Rebellion 1776” follows Elsbeth Culpepper, a 13-year-old whose father went missing during the Siege of Boston, seeking shelter and work in a wealthy household. Aside from her novels in historical fiction, Anderson also wrote “Speak,” a New York Times Bestseller about a young survivor of sexual assault. The discussion, hosted in celebration of Women’s History Month, was moderated by Jane Kamensky, former history professor at Harvard University.
Anderson explained that her inspiration for writing her new novel came while she was sick with COVID-19 during the 2020 pandemic. An episode of the HBO miniseries “John Adams” where the characters were vaccinated led her to research the history of the Smallpox epidemic in Boston in the summer of 1776. Anderson said her research painted a picture of a community “devastated” by mortal disease and that she saw parallels between the experiences of young people in Boston in 1776 and those grappling with the impacts of the pandemic in 2020…