Looking Back: A Book of Memories

Be the first to write a review
Pick Up In Store

Pick Up in Store

Reserve and pick up in 60 minutes at your local store

Paperback (Reprint)
$12.78
BN.com price
$14.95 List Price (Save 15%)
Marketplace (New and Used)
from
$0.01
$14.95 List Price (Save 100%)
Usually ships in 1-2 business days
All (27)  
Used (16)  
New (11)  
Close
Sort by
Page 1 of 3
Showing 1 – 10 of 27 (3 pages)
$0.01
(Save 100%)
Better World Books
Seller since 2006

Feedback rating:

(50880)

Condition:

New — never opened or used in original packaging.

Like New — packaging may have been opened. A "Like New" item is suitable to give as a gift.

Very Good — may have minor signs of wear on packaging but item works perfectly and has no damage.

Good — item is in good condition but packaging may have signs of shelf wear/aging or torn packaging. All specific defects should be noted in the Comments section associated with each item.

Acceptable — item is in working order but may show signs of wear such as scratches or torn packaging. All specific defects should be noted in the Comments section associated with each item.

Used — An item that has been opened and may show signs of wear. All specific defects should be noted in the Comments section associated with each item.

Refurbished — A used item that has been renewed or updated and verified to be in proper working condition. Not necessarily completed by the original manufacturer.

Acceptable
Shows definite wear, and perhaps considerable marking on inside. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy!

Ships from: Mishawaka, IN

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$0.01
(Save 100%)
Better World Books
Seller since 2006

Feedback rating:

(50880)

Condition: Good
Former Library book. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase ... benefits world literacy! Read more Show Less

Ships from: Mishawaka, IN

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$1.99
(Save 87%)
Blue Cloud Books
Seller since 2010

Feedback rating:

(2520)

Condition: Acceptable
Blue Cloud Books ??? Hot deals from the land of the sun.

Ships from: Phoenix, AZ

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$1.99
(Save 87%)
RiverCityBooks
Seller since 2008

Feedback rating:

(2244)

Condition: Acceptable
very worn/creased cover. ACCEPTABLE with noticeable wear to cover and pages. Binding intact. We offer a no hassle guarantee on all our items. Orders are generally shipped no later ... than next business day. We offer a no hassle guarantee on all our items. Read more Show Less

Ships from: Tualatin, OR

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$1.99
(Save 87%)
AtlantaBookCompany
Seller since 2009

Feedback rating:

(8060)

Condition: Good
Book shows minor use. Cover and Binding have minimal wear and the pages have only minimal creases. A tradition of southern quality and service. All books guaranteed at the ... Atlanta Book Company. Our mailers are 100% recyclable. Read more Show Less

Ships from: Atlanta, GA

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$1.99
(Save 87%)
Silver Arch Books
Seller since 2010

Feedback rating:

(1295)

Condition: Acceptable
Selection as wide as the Mississippi.

Ships from: St Louis, MO

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$1.99
(Save 87%)
New Chapter Recycling
Seller since 2010

Feedback rating:

(3285)

Condition: Like New

Ships from: Lakewood, WA

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$3.94
(Save 74%)
Extremely_Reliable
Seller since 2007

Feedback rating:

(3184)

Condition: Good
Buy with confidence. Excellent Customer Service & Return policy.

Ships from: Richmond, TX

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
$4.95
(Save 67%)
Priority Booksellers
Seller since 2011

Feedback rating:

(65)

Condition: Very Good
PAPERBACK Very Good 0385326998 Text and pages clean and new. Shelf wear on edge and cover (OP31)

Ships from: Milpitas, CA

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$4.95
(Save 67%)
Imelda's Books
Seller since 2012

Feedback rating:

(0)

Condition: Very Good
PAPERBACK Very Good 0385326998 Text and pages clean and new. Shelf wear on edge and cover (OP31)

Ships from: Santa Clara, CA

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
Page 1 of 3
Showing 1 – 10 of 27 (3 pages)
Close
Sort by
NOOK Book (eBook)
$9.86
BN.com price
$17.00 List Price (Save 42%)

Available on NOOK devices and apps

  • Nook Devices
  • NOOK
  • NOOK Color
  • NOOK Tablet
  • Tablet/Phone
  • NOOK for iPad
  • NOOK for iPhone
  • NOOK for Android
  • NOOK for Android (Tablet)
  • NOOK Kids for iPad
  • PC/Mac
  • NOOK Study
  • NOOK for PC
  • NOOK for Mac

Want a NOOK? Explore Now

More About This Book

Overview

"I would like to introduce you to this book. It has no plot. It is about moments, memories, fragments, falsehoods, and fantasies. It is about things that happened, which caused other things to happen, so that eventually stories emerged." Children as well as adults often ask Lois Lowry where the ideas for her stories came from. In this fascinating, moving autobiography, the Newbery Medalist answers this and many other questions. Her writing often transports readers into her own world. She explores her rich history through family pictures, memories, and recollections of childhood friends. She details pivotal moments that affected her life, inspired her writing, and that magically evolved into rich and wonderful stories that one is reluctant to put down. Lowry fans, and anyone interested in the writing process, will tremendously enjoy this poignant trip through a remarkable writer's past.

Using family photographs and quotes from her books, the author provides glimpses into her life.

Editorial Reviews

Andrea Higbie
...[L]ife for Lowry, as for most everyone else, is never just one big happily-ever-after; there are bumps, dips, valleys...."Time goes on," she wrote in her very first novel, A Summer To Die, "and your life is still there, and you have to live it." —The New York Times Book Review
Publishers Weekly
Introducing each section of this memoir with an excerpt from one of her novels, the author "unfolds her history in a glorious arc, invisibly threading its parts into a unified whole. Her connection of the everyday details of her life to the larger scope of her work adds a new dimension to her novels," said PW in a boxed review. All ages. (Mar.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|
More Reviews (6) Fewer Reviews
From The Critics
"Imagine sitting on a sofa with a friend listening with fascination while she tells you about the pictures in her photo album. That is the feeling once has when browsing through this book of Lowry's family snapshots and reading her lively commentary on them. . . . The author's voice comes through strongly as she shares both her happiest and saddest times. . . . Much more intimate and personal than many traditional memories, this work makes readers feel that Lowry is an old friend."
KLIATT
"Memory," wrote Cicero, "is the treasury and guardian of all things." Lois Lowry shares her memories, accompanied by a treasury of family photos, with humor, pathos, and for one so self-conscious as a child, remarkable candor. Her story begins in 1910 with a photo of her grandmother and her mother, a "four-year-old girl with hair ribbons in her curls," who wants to have two little girls when she grows up. She has Helen in 1934 and Lois in 1937. Lowry is herself a tireless photographer of family, so the reader is treated to baby pictures of several generations, as well as accompanying anecdotes, interspersed with quotes from Lowry's books. Pets and favorite clothes are also featured, though not much about her work as an author. Lowry shares the birth of her children, her divorce, her new romance, and her grandchildren. The major themes of Lowry's novels are apparent in her memoirs—family, courage, love, and loss. Sadly, Lowry lost her son Grey in a plane crash in 1995 when he was 36. The reader shares Lowry's life in points of light from a flashbulb, frozen in the emulsion on a piece of film. The experience is complete and healing, a treasury of life. KLIATT Codes: JSA—Recommended for junior and senior high school students, advanced students, and adults. 1998, Random House/Delacorte, 181p, 23cm, $12.95. Ages 13 to adult. Reviewer: Janet Julian; English Teacher, Grafton H.S., Grafton, MA, May 2000 (Vol. 34 No. 3)
Children's Literature
Lowry's books are loaded with versatility, creativity, emotional tones, and interesting perspectives. These same qualities hold true in this selection. The book is partly inspired by her fans' wondering about what has inspired her books. Writers are asked this question all the time, but Lowry is a pensive listener and this question sent her on a backwards journey reviewing her life's "moments, memories, fragments, falsehoods, and fantasies." Short vignettes are highlighted by photographs which help to explain her life and writings. They also initiate thoughts about parallels between herself and her mother, communicate the sadness and joys she's experienced, generate what-ifs, and capture who she is. Each piece is short, beautifully crafted, and poignant. 1998, Delacorte, Ages 9 to 12, $16.00. Reviewer: Susie Wilde
Children's Literature
This recipient of two Newbery Medals has delighted us with over twenty-five books. Now she shares her life with us in a unique autobiography. It includes many family pictures in which she jumps back and forth in time as her story unfolds. It adds an extra dimension to her books because we know her as a daughter, a sister, a wife, a mother and a writer. The joys and the sadness, the triumphs and the disappointments reach out to us, eager readers. Each chapter begins with a quote from one of her books and serves as a jumping off point for the memories that follow. Creative writing teachers will want their students to see how Lowry's own experiences flesh out her characters and their problems. Her creativity makes each story a work of art.
Children's Literature
As a two-time winner of the Newbery medal, Lowery serves up a book that is quite different from her numerous other books written during the last 20 years. This one offers a personal glimpse into her life. However, it is not a typical biography, rather it is reminiscences that have been triggered by looking at a series of pictures mostly taken during her early years. The experiences, according to Lowery, are what provide the fuel and fodder for the books that she has written. The truth of this is demonstrated through the quotes from her books that precede each picture. Lowery has given each episode an intriguing title and succeeds in tantalizing readers with her recollection of the event-what happened and how she felt. While this book will certainly appeal to Lowery fans, it may also inspire nascent writers.
Andrea Higbie
...[L]ife for Lowry, as for most everyone else, is never just one big happily-ever-after; there are bumps, dips, valleys...."Time goes on," she wrote in her very first novel, A Summer To Die, "and your life is still there, and you have to live it." -- The New York Times Book Review

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780385326995
  • Publisher: Random House Children's Books
  • Publication date: 3/28/2000
  • Edition description: Reprint
  • Pages: 192
  • Sales rank: 616,117
  • Age range: Up to 18 years
  • Lexile: 0900L (what's this?)
  • Product dimensions: 7.73 (w) x 9.05 (h) x 0.49 (d)

Meet the Author

Lois Lowry
Lois Lowry

Lois Lowry is known for her versatility and invention as a writer. She was born in Hawaii and grew up in New York, Pennsylvania, and Japan. After several years at Brown University, she turned to her family and to writing. She is the author of more than thirty books for young adults, including the popular Anastasia Krupnik series. She has received countless honors, among them the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award, the California Young Reader’s Medal, and the Mark Twain Award. She received Newbery Medals for two of her novels, NUMBER THE STARS and THE GIVER. Her first novel, A SUMMER TO DIE, was awarded the International Reading Association’s Children’s Book Award. Ms. Lowry now divides her time between Cambridge and an 1840s farmhouse in Maine. To learn more about Lois Lowry, see her website at www.loislowry.com.

Introduction

How Do You Do (An Introduction)

When I was a child - very shy, very self-conscious - I was sometimes taken by my mother to events at which I would be introduced to adults who swooped at me with toothy smiles and unanswerable questions. I had a tendency to look at the ground, scrunch the hem of my dress in my hand, chew on a strand of my own hair, and scuff one shoe against the other during those painful moments.

"Look up!" my mother used to tell me. "Hold your shoulders straight! Look people in the eye! Say, 'fine, thank you, how are you?"

I tried, but it was excruciating. I wasn't fine at all, holding out my nail-bitten hand for a stranger to shake. I was paralyzed, mute, and hoping for a trap door to open beneath me so that I could disappear with a whoosh into some dark cavern where I could curl up with a book until the grownups stopped their socializing.

I still don't like introductions very much. Have you met my nephew, who once scored the winning touchdown for a college in the Midwest? I'd like you to meet Aunt Emma, who is visiting from Seattle, where she raises hybrid peonies. May I present Ogden Weatherbee, who invented the gyrating oscilloscope? I know you will enjoy making the acquaintance of Miss Smirkling, who does wonderful charcoal portraits of miniature poodles as a hobby. And here is Cousin Florence, with her triplets!

Trap-door time!

But I am all grown up now, so I have learned to stand up straight and hold out my hand. Here I am, looking right in the eye. I would like to introduce you to this book. It has no plot. It is about moments, memories, fragments, falsehoods, and fantasies. It is about things that happened, which caused other things to happen, so that eventually stories emerged.

At Boston's Logan Airport, in Terminal C, there is a kinetic sculpture: a sculpture that moves. Even though Terminal C has a food court, seafood restaurant, a bookstore, and even a beauty parlor, it is the always-in-motion, pinging, dinging sculpture that commands the attention of everyone: travelers, toddlers, and trash collectors.

A ball sets off from the top (ding!) and makes its way through tubes, across intersections, down lifts and stairs and slides; along the way it bumps into another ball (chime!) and sets that one rolling around corners and along passages, and eventually it, too, collides (ping!) with another and sends it on its way.

Everything that happens causes something else to happen. Just like life.

A dog bites a mailman and the mailman drops his bag and scatters some letters on the lawn. One disappears under a bush and is lost. Maybe it was a love letter. Maybe the woman who failed to receive the letter decided to heck with it and went to law school - or to Australia - or to a therapist; and because of that, the man who sent the letter (but received no reply) decided to buy a dog to keep him company; and then he took the dog to obedience classes, where it met a dog who had bitten a mailman, and...

Well, you get the idea.

Stories don't just appear out of nowhere. They need a ball that starts to roll.

Kids ask me all the time: "How do you get ideas?"

When I try to answer, in a general way, they zero right in. "Yes," they say, "but how did you get the idea for-"

Here, in this book, I have tried to answer some of the questions. I looked back, in order to do so, through snapshots of my own past. Here are some of the balls - ping! - at the moment when they start their trip down that complicated passageway that is called life but that also, magically, becomes fiction along the way.

I have given them titles. Strange, evocative titles, some of them, like "Looming Huge," and "Opening a Trunk." They may make you look back and recapture memories of your own. From the memories may come stories. Tell them to your friends. To your family. Tell them to me, won't you? Now that we've been properly introduced?

How do you do!

Customer Reviews

Be the first to write a review
( 0 )

Rating Distribution

5 Star

(0)

4 Star

(0)

3 Star

(0)

2 Star

(0)

1 Star

(0)

Your Rating:

Review Guidelines
Add Recommendations
Your Name: Create a Pen Name or Leave Anonymously

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Our reader reviews allow you to share your comments on titles you liked, or didn't, with others. By submitting an online review, you are representing to Barnes & Noble.com that all information contained in your review is original and accurate in all respects, and that the submission of such content by you and the posting of such content by Barnes & Noble.com does not and will not violate the rights of any third party. Please follow the rules below to help ensure that your review can be posted.

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

We highly value and respect everyone's opinion concerning the titles we offer. However, we cannot allow persons under the age of 13 to have accounts at BN.com or to post customer reviews. Please see our Terms of Use for more details.

What to exclude from your review:

Please do not write about reviews, commentary, or information posted on the product page. If you see any errors in the information on the product page, please send us an email.

Reviews should not contain any of the following:

  • - HTML tags, profanity, obscenities, vulgarities, or comments that defame anyone
  • - Time-sensitive information such as tour dates, signings, lectures, etc.
  • - Single-word reviews. Other people will read your review to discover why you liked or didn't like the title. Be descriptive.
  • - Comments focusing on the author or that may ruin the ending for others
  • - Phone numbers, addresses, URLs
  • - Pricing and availability information or alternative ordering information
  • - Advertisements or commercial solicitation

Reminder:

  • - By submitting a review, you grant to Barnes & Noble.com and its sublicensees the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use the review in accordance with the Barnes & Noble.com Terms of Use.
  • - Barnes & Noble.com reserves the right not to post any review -- particularly those that do not follow the terms and conditions of these Rules. Barnes & Noble.com also reserves the right to remove any review at any time without notice.
  • - See Terms of Use for other conditions and disclaimers.
Search for Products You'd Like to Recommend

Recommend other products that relate to your review. Just search for them below and share!

Create a Pen Name

Your Pen Name is your unique identiy on BN.com. It will appear on the reviews you write and other website activities. Your Pen Name cannot be edited, changed or deleted once submitted.

Your Pen Name can be any combination of alphanumeric characters (plus - and _), and must be at least two characters long.

Continue Anonymously

We're sorry, but penname is already taken.

Please select one of the following:
Your Pen Name can be any combination of alphanumeric characters (plus - and _), and must be at least two characters long.

Continue Anonymously

penname is available!

By visiting the BN.com website or marking a purchase on BN.com, a User is deemed to have accepted the Terms of Use.

Continue Anonymously

Welcome, penname

You have successfully created your Pen Name. Start enjoying the benefits of the BN.com Community today.

If you find inappropriate content, please report it to Barnes & Noble
Why is this product inappropriate?
Comments (optional)
500 character limit