ABOUT

MEET SHARON

Sharon G. Flake is the author of the groundbreaking novel, The Skin I’m In which brought a bold dimension to literature for young readers. Now considered a modern classic, the book is used in classrooms worldwide and studied by experts in education and literature. Flake has authored over a dozen books, with more than 1.8 million in print globally.  Her work has been translated into multiple languages including Korean, Italian, French and Portuguese.   “My goal is to get young people reading,  with well-written, fast paced, character driven novels  that young people  see themselves in, no matter where they live on the planet..”

Why she writes

Sharon’s great-grandfather wrote poetry, or so the family says. As for Sharon, the path to writing wasn’t so intentional—it was more of a stumble than a stride. During college, she changed majors often, seemingly daily, until eventually landing on English writing. Taking a class here and there, she discovered not only a natural talent for it but a genuine love as well.

Born in the inner city, Sharon sets most of her novels in that familiar environment. She grew up on a small block where everyone knew everyone else, and that close-knit community left a lasting impression. There’s so much untold about the people who live in such places. That’s part of why Sharon writes—to breathe life into stories and characters that are too often misjudged based on zip code, skin color, habits, or occupation.

From a young age, Sharon understood that her neighborhood was something special. High expectations came with growing up there. The community produced school superintendents, doctors, world travelers, teachers, plumbers, truck drivers, women like Sharon’s mother who scrubbed floors, police officers, entrepreneurs, number runners, nurses, and more. It was – and still is – a rich, complex world, no matter what outsiders might assume. This place shaped Sharon and the stories she tells. Because of those roots, both her neighborhood and Sharon herself have gone on to touch the world, impacting millions of young people.

Stories travel with us, no matter where we go. Sharon believes it’s up to each of us to tell them – in our own way, in our own time – whether through the written or the spoken word.

Awards and Recognitions

Kirkus Prize Finalist

NAACP Image Award finalist

Coretta Scott King Honor Award Winner

Junior Library Guild Gold Selection

Whippoorwill Award  Winner

Kirkus Review Top Ten Book  of the Year

100 Books Every Teenage Girl Should Read

 Booklist Editors’ Choice Award

VOYA Top Fiction for Middle School Readers

American Library Association Best Book for Young Adult Readers

American Library Association  Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers

Booklist Top Ten Books for Youth

New York City Public Library Top Ten Books for the Teen Age

Detroit Library Book of the Year/Author of the Year 

Texas Library Association Top 20 Highly Recommended Books to Read

Bank Street Best Children’s Books of the Year

Booklist Top Ten Romance Novels

YMCA Racial Justice Speak Out Award

 New Pittsburgh Courier Fifty Women of Excellence Award

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh One Community One Book

SHARON BY THE NUMBERS

When Sharon left home for college at seventeen, she had no idea she would become an author. That turned out to be a good thing—had she known, she might have been far too afraid to take the journey. As an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, she changed her major many times. Somewhere along the way, however, she discovered that she loved writing—and that she was good at it. She eventually chose English Writing as her major. Recently, a university asked to archive her papers, including letters from editors and fans, drafts of her work, her novels and short stories in print, newspaper articles written about her, magazine articles she has written, and more. Collecting 22 years’ worth of papers is a lot of work, but Sharon is doing it, taking one step at a time—the same way she approaches writing a novel.

If you think Sharon left college and stepped into a glamorous job, you’d be mistaken. She took the first job she was offered. On weekends, public transportation didn’t run to the area where the job was located, and the bus also didn’t operate during certain hours. But that job taught her something important: she is hardworking, determined, and dependable. When she gives her word, she does her best to keep it. Having made a commitment to her employer, she arranged rides with colleagues when necessary to ensure she got to work. And what was that first job? Sharon worked as a houseparent, supporting teenage girls—helping them get ready in the mornings, making sure they got to school on time, assisting with homework, and more. A year later, she moved on to a new role, where she remained for eight years, serving as a child advocate for young people in foster care.

Sharon was forty-two years old when she wrote The Skin I’m In. The first editor who read the manuscript purchased it. Today, there are over 1.5 million copies of her books in circulation around the world. How does she know? Educators have shared with her that they teach her books year after year to each new incoming class. That amounts to countless students reading the same stories in classrooms across the country. Sharon is deeply grateful to the educators and students who engage with her work and reach out to her about it. She’s also thankful for the opportunity to tell stories that people enjoy reading and teaching—stories that have the power to change lives.

Sharon’s daughter inspired her to write The Skin I’m In—and to write consistently. Her daughter came into the world dark-skinned and beautiful, and Sharon instantly fell in love. Today, she has twelve novels in print, with more on the way. Most recently, her work earned the Whippoorwill Book Award, and she was one of six finalists for a $50,000 literary prize sponsored by Kirkus Reviews.

STAY INSPIRED
SIGN UP NOW!

Want sneak peeks, exclusive content, and behind-the-scenes insights into my latest books? Sign up for my newsletter and be the first to know what’s coming next!