Sometimes You Have to Lie: The Life and Times of Louise Fitzhugh, Renegade Author of Harriet the Spy

Like many 1970s kids HARRIET THE SPY was a must read book right up there with Judy Blume. And like Judy Blume’s heroines I was envious of Harriet’s freedom as a NYC city kid vs my stricter Michigan suburban childhood. But I never knew anything about her creator. Thanks to Leslie Brody’s biography of Harriet’s creator Louise Fitzhugh I now know Ms. Fitzhugh was closer in spirit to Patricia Highsmith then the grandmotherly persona I imagined. From a Southern childhood worthy of a Truman Capote character to a character in post World War II New York City, Louise Fitzhugh was true to herself no matter how shocking it might seem. She was a thriving artist who created a book that charmed children and horrified most adults. And she even took a swipe at Kay Thompson’s Eloise with her own Suzuki Beane (and yes I stopped reading to check out Suzuki Beane which is sadly out of print and quite expensive on the second hand market-some quirky hip publisher put Suzuki Beane on your radar for a much needed reissue please). She only left behind a few books compared to her contemporaries Kay Thompson and Dare Wright but unlike those two ladies? Louise Fitzhugh has never stopped charming new generations of children.