Hadley Irwin


Hadley Irwin was the pseudonym of a writing team of young adult literature], consisting of Lee Hadley and Annabelle Irwin, both Iowa State University English professors. The pair started writing together in 1979. Their 1985 book Abby, My Love is considered to be the first in children's literature to deal with incest/child sexual abuse.

Themes

Hadley Irwin wrote so called 'problem novels' about teenagers, aimed at young adults, for example about alcoholism, racism, antisemitism, incest/child sexual abuse and suicide. Aside from this primary theme, Irwin often portrays the elderly as human beings with their own hopes, fears, and problems. Books are often set in Iowa, the home state of both Hadley and Irwin. A final theme has to do with the relationships between parents and children.
According to The New York Times, the novel Abby, My Love was the first novel in children's literature to deal with incest/child sexual abuse. The main character of the book is a girl who is sexually abused by her father.
In spite of the heavy subjects, the books are written with humor, and the main theme is coming of age, and relations between people. Their historic novels are based on facts.
The book We Are Mesquakie We Are One describes the history of the Meskwaki accurately, according to expert Adeline Wanatee.

Reception

According to The New York Times Book Review, The Lilith Summer is "a sympathetic novel of teen-age distress", "in no way a liberationist tract" and "The story is warm and the writing exemplary".
According to Publishers Weekly, Hadley Irwin's "themes are thoughtfully developed and well worth pondering", and Kim/Kimi is "a drama that Irwin spices with naturally amusing episodes".
Some of Hadley Irwin's books have been adapted for the screen. Their books sold steadily in the United States as well as in Europe and in Japan.
Abby, My Love, which focuses on incest, was adapted as a CBS Schoolbreak Special in 1988.

Awards

Hadley Irwin received several literary awards for their books: