The Spider’s Web

Author's Bio:

Laura E. Williams was born in Seoul, Korea. She has lived in Belgium, Hawaii, and, for a few months, on a sailboat on the Caribbean. In 1983 Laura graduated from Denison University with a double major in English and Art, and in 1988, she graduated from Trinity College with an M.A. in literary writing. She also earned a masters in education degree from St. Joseph College. She is the author of Behind the Bedroom Wall (Milkweed) and The Long Silk Strand (Boyds Mills). A teacher of high-school English for eight years, she lives in Ohio.

Quotes:

“An engaging, frightening tale of a 13-year-old who almost misses her chance to do the right thing. . . . Williams makes the oppressor the narrator of her tale. It makes Lexi and Ursula human, gives insight to their actions. It also drove the point home to me, as a parent, that talking to, staying in touch, with our children is vital.” —Mary Lou Sneyd, The Cleveland Plain Dealer

“Williams returns to the subject of Nazism and its effects on youths, this time setting her story in modern-day America, juztaposing the thoughts of a teenage “skinhead' against the memories of a former Hitler Youth. . . . The characters and action are drawn with large, movie-of-the-week-style strokes.” —Publishers Weekly

“Lexi knows the slogans, the hateful words, and how to do the “Heil Hitler' salute, but she doesn't really understand what being a neo-Nazi means. . . . For her, hanging out with Serge and Mick and Devon means that she has friends for the first time in her life. . . . In a dramatic conclusion, Lexi learns the hard way the damage that hate and anger can do. This book provides an unusual perspective on this issue, but is not preachy or overly political.”—Kliatt

“A well-written story about the relationship between a young skinhead and an old lady. . . . This novel of a troubled young adult shows how destructive hate can be.”—School Library Journal