Congratulations to Carleton alum and English major Leah Bassoff ’94 on the publication of her Young Adult novel Lost Girl Found, which she co-authored with Laura DeLuca. Ms. Bassoff was kind enough to speak with the editors of The Second Laird Miscellany about the book, what inspired her to write it as well as her memories of being a student at Carleton.
You can find a review of Lost Girl Found and see information on how to purchase the it at https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/leah-bassoff/lost-girl-found/
Q. Tell us a little bit about the book and what inspired you to write about this particular topic?
A. Sometimes you go out searching for a story, and sometimes a story comes and finds you. My parents were very involved with a group of Lost Boys from Southern Sudan who had been resettled in Colorado. When the first Lost Girl arrived in Boulder, there was a great deal of amazement, as, quite frankly, no one knew that any girls had survived the civil war in Southern Sudan.
“So much has been written about the Lost Boys, but nothing has been written about the girls. Someone should tell their story,” my mom and I both agreed. I never thought that someone would be me, though. I was working on a completely different book at the time
(a book of funny essays on motherhood that got shopped around but never published,) and I did not fancy myself a journalist. Yet as a few more girls ended up in Colorado, and as I began to work with them and hear their stories, the idea of writing a book wouldn’t leave me. I ended up teaming up with an anthropology professor and writing a book which, though it started out as nonfiction, turned into a young adult novel.
Q. What attracted you to the English major?
A. I definitely went through a major-of-the-month phase at Carleton. I suppose this is a beautiful part of the liberal arts experience. I went from wanting to be a religion major to an anthropology major to an African-American studies major to an English major. (I always knew I wasn’t going to be a math major, though.) My father was an English professor, and so I think I actually steered clear of the English major for a while until embracing my inevitable fate. In truth, I had some amazing English classes at Carleton. Professor Kofi Owusu, for example, had a huge influence on me. He introduced me to Chinua Achebe, someone whose book I actually reference in my novel.
Q. One question we always like to ask our alums is ‘what skills have you gained from studying literature and how have those skills influenced your career’. Perhaps the answer to that seems obvious given that you are a writer but are there any particular skills you honed while a student that are unique to the spirit of Carleton and the liberal arts?
A. I think people who love books want to embrace all aspects of book making. My first job out of college was working as an assistant editor for Penguin Publishing. As an editorial assistant, you are often the first reader for many manuscripts, and, though I had to slog through a lot of schlock, I actually discovered a few authors we ended up publishing, which was absolutely thrilling. At some point I started volunteering for an adult literacy program at night. Watching adults who had never learned to read and write take the amazing journey towards literacy was inspiring. I realized I wanted to be teaching full time, which is what I ended up doing. In other words, so many of the life choices I have made have centered, in some way or another, around books and reading.
Q. What is one piece of advice you wish you would’ve received after graduating?
A. If you decide to move to New York city with three other Carleton friends (two guys and one woman,) and if a realtor rents you a one-bedroom apartment and tells you that you can just slap up some drywall in order to create a second bedroom, don’t believe him. (I did end up sharing a one-bedroom apartment with three other friends from Carleton for an entire year. We are all best friends to this day. It goes to show you: Carleton blood is thicker than water.
Q. If you could have one Carleton related “do-over,” what would it be?
A. Being the type of person who constantly puts my foot in my mouth, I have so many embarrassing moments from Carleton. I remember we were assigned a book to read the summer before we arrived at Carleton. Not only did I read the book, but I showed up to the discussion with notes. You know it is bad when even your fellow Carls are telling you what a nerd you are. Then there was the time I told my parents I was studying Taoism, only I pronounced it with the “T.” When my dad said, “Do you mean Taoism (and he gave it the correct pronunciation of Dow-ism,) I said, “Oh yeah, I think I’m studying that too.” I believe my dad slapped his head and said, “Where is my money going?”
Q. Are you working on any new projects at the moment?
A. My hope is to write another YA book, although I must say teaching middle school and raising two tween boys keeps me plenty busy.