Jessamyn West (1902-1984) (full name: Mary Jessamyn West) was a Quaker who wrote numerous stories and novels, notably The Friendly Persuasion (1945). The Religious Society of Friends, commonly known as Quakers, or Friends, is a religious community founded in England in the 17th century. ...

Much of her work concerns Indiana Quakers. Although she was born in Indiana, she left the state at the age of six. Asked about this in an interview, she said "I write about [Indiana] because knowing little about it, I can create it." Comparing herself to other authors that created fictional universes, she remarked "Roth wrote The Breast. Would you ask him how he could do this since he had never been a breast? Adams wrote Watership Down. Would you ask him how he could do this since he admitted his rabbit knowledge came from a book about rabbits? ... And those hobbits!... I am a bigger risk-taker than these others. The Hoosiers can contradict me. No rabbit, hobbit, or breast has been known to speak up in reply to their exploiters." Philip Roth (born March 19, 1933) is a Jewish-American novelist who is best known for his sexually explicit comedic novel Portnoys Complaint (1969) and for his late-90s trilogy comprising the Pulitzer Prize-winning American Pastoral (1997), I Married a Communist (1998), and The Human Stain (2000). ... The name Richard Adams may refer to: Richard Adams, author Richard Adams, founder of Traidcraft Richard Adams, songwriter This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Watership Down was the title of Richard Adamss first and most successful novel, named after a hill in the north of Hampshire in England where Adams grew up. ... J. R. R. Tolkien in 1916. ...

When The Friendly Persuasion was published, New York Times book reviewer Orville Prescott called it "as fresh and engaging, tender and touching a book as ever was called sentimental by callous wretches... There have been plenty of louder and more insistent books this year, but few as sure and mellow as The Friendly Persuasion."

The novel was adapted into a 1956 movie, Friendly Persuasion, starring Gary Cooper and directed by William Wyler. It was nominated for an Academy Award as "best picture." Her experiences as the movie's script writer are described in her autobiographical book To See the Dream. 1956 is a leap year starting on Sunday. ... Gary Cooper (May 7, 1901 - May 13, 1961) was an American film actor who received five Academy Award nominations for Best Actor, winning twice. ... William Wyler (July 1, 1902 - July 27, 1981) was a gallant and award-winning motion picture director. ...

In 2002 the city of Indianapolis selected The Friendly Persuasion as the "One Book, One City" project for the year.

Except for Me and Thee, the sequel to The Friendly Persuasion, was adapted into a 1975 television movie, confusingly titled Friendly Persuasion, starring Richard Kiley. 1975 was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1975 calendar). ... Richard Paul Kiley (31 March 1922 – 5 March 1999) was an American stage, television, and film actor, though he is best known for his voice work, as narrator of various documentary series. ...

West was a second cousin of Richard Nixon. West attended a Sunday-school class taught by Nixon's father Frank. She later said that Frank Nixon's teachings of "the social gospel" inclined her politically toward socialism.

Books

• The Friendly Persuasion
• A Mirror for the Sky
• The Witch Diggers
• Cress Delhanty
• Love, Death and the Ladies Drill Team
• To See the Dream
• Love is not What You Think
• South of the Angels
• A Matter of Time
• Leafy Rivers
• Except for Me and Thee
• Crimson Ramblers of the World, Farewell
• Hide and Seek
• The Secret Look
• The Massacre at Fall Creek
• The Woman Said Yes
• The Life I Really Lived
• Double Discovery
• The State of Stony Lonesome
• Collected Stories of Jessamyn West
• The Chilekings

References

• Books of the Times, Orville Prescott, New York Times, November 14, 1945: review of The Friendly Persuasion

November 14 is the 318th day of the year (319th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 47 days remaining. ...

External links

• Jessamyn West (http://www.jessamyn.com/jessamyn/jess.html) A page about Jessamyn West (author) written by Jessamyn West (librarian)
• Signature of Jessamyn West (author) (http://home.earthlink.net/~criswell/authors/agraphs/jesswest.htm).
• Indy's homework is 1945 novel by Hoosier (http://www.indystar.com/articles/8/007838-7818-009.html): Second cousin of Nixon]
• Richard Nixon: Exemplary 20th Century Quaker (http://www.pendlehill.org/Lectures%20and%20Writings/MNL_May_21_2001.htm) West's attendance at Nixon's father's Sunday school classes, "inclined her toward socialism"