Pearl S. Buck, Pennsylvania’s Classic Writer
The Pearl S. Buck House in Perkasie is about halfway between Philadelphia and Allentown. Its website provides information about the author and her work in a fresh contemporary style. We suggest going to https://pearlsbuck.org and then select “About Us” and “About Pearl S. Buck” from the drop-down menu.
Pearl Buck’s The Good Earth speaks to power, justice, and beauty unlike any novel before it or any novel since, with appeal for high school students on up. It won a Pulitzer Prize in 1932 and a Nobel Prize for Literature in 1938. The stage version was made into a feature film in 1937 that was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director.
If you have any historic association with or interest in 1920s-era China, this novel may be especially meaningful for you. Even if you don’t, the story has a universal quality and remains a must-read.
About the Author (1892-1973)
According to pearlsbuck.org, “As early as the 1930s, she was a vocal supporter of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. She fought prejudice wherever she found it. In 1949, moved by the plight of children fathered, and often abandoned, by American servicemen in Asia she founded the Welcome House adoption program. It was the first adoption agency specializing in the placement of biracial children, which continues today.* In 1964, she created the Pearl S. Buck Foundation as a child sponsorship organization to help children in their own countries with health, education and job training. The Pearl S. Buck Foundation transformed into what is now Pearl S. Buck International.”
“The secret of joy in work is contained in one word–excellence. To know how to do something well is to enjoy it.” –Pearl Buck
For Younger Readers
Young readers who enjoy time travel books would do well to check out Pearl Buck: Jewel of the East, part of The Treasure Chest series by Ann Hood, and visit the fun website at www.treasurechestseries.com.
More
Read more about Pearl S. Buck in our West Virginia section.
On the Path
This is the eighth stop on our Pennsylvania Author Adventures Trail.
Patricia Smart
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