This Goodly Land

Han Nolan (August 25, 1956–present)

Other Names Used

• Helen Harris Walker: birth name

Alabama Connections

• Birmingham, Jefferson County: birthplace
• Dothan, Houston County: spent summers there as a child
• Hoover, Jefferson County: adult residence

Selected Works

• Nolan, Han. If I Should Die Before I Wake. Harcourt Brace: San Diego, 1994. For younger readers.
• Nolan, Han. Send Me Down a Miracle. San Diego: Harcourt Brace & Co., 1996. For younger readers.
• Nolan, Han. Dancing on the Edge. San Diego: Harcourt Brace, 1997. For younger readers.
• Nolan, Han. A Face in Every Window. San Diego: Harcourt Brace, 1999. For younger readers.
• Nolan, Han. Born Blue. San Diego: Harcourt, 2001. For younger readers.
• Nolan, Han. When We Were Saints. San Diego: Harcourt, 2003. For younger readers.
• Nolan, Han. A Summer of Kings. Orlando: Harcourt, 2006. For younger readers.

Literary Awards

• National Book Award, National Book Foundation, 1997, for Dancing on the Edge
• Alabama Author Award, Alabama Library Association, 1999, for Send Me Down a Miracle
• Alabama Author Award, Alabama Library Association, 2001, for A Face in Every Window

Biographical Information

Han Nolan was born in Birmingham, Ala., but her family moved to New York State before she was one year old. Her family moved frequently as she was growing up, but they spent time every summer visiting their relatives in Dothan, Ala. As a child, Nolan pronounced her first and middle names as “Hannah Hollis” instead of “Helen Harris.” This led to several nicknames, which eventually coalesced into “Han.” Nolan had difficulties in elementary school (eventually traced to food allergies), but she was always interested in creating her own stories. She started keeping a journal after reading Harriet the Spy. A creative writing assignment in 6th grade was the first time she received positive feedback for her writing from someone other than her family. At age thirteen, Nolan began studying dance, which she loved so much she pursued it in college.

Nolan earned a BS in dance education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 1979 and an MA in dance from Ohio State University in 1981. Nolan taught dance for a few years after finishing school but then decided she needed a career that would enable her to spend more time with her family. She began studying writing techniques and markets, then began writing and submitting stories for publication. Her first book, published in 1994, was If I Should Die Before I Wake. Since then, several of her books have been included in lists such as “Best Books for the Teen Age” (New York Public Library) and “Best Books for Young Adults” (American Library Association). She moved back to Alabama with her family in the mid-1990s.

Interests and Themes

Han Nolan writes books for young adults promoting tolerance and understanding. Her protagonists struggle through crisis to discover their true selves.

For More Information

Please check your local library for these materials. If items are not available locally, your librarian can help you borrow them through the InterLibrary Loan program. Your librarian can also help you find other information about this author.

There may be more information available through the databases in the Alabama Virtual Library. If you are an Alabama citizen, AVL can be used at your public library or school library media center. You can also get a username and password from your librarian to use AVL at home.

Reference Book Chapters and Encyclopedia Entries

• "Nolan, Han 1956-"; Something About the Author. Vol. 109. Detroit: Gale Group, . 173-177.

Reference Web Sites

• "Han Nolan". Bhamwiki. 2007. http://www.bhamwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Han_Nolan.
• Nolan, Han. Han Nolan. http://www.hannolan.com/ .

Photo by Barbara Smith-Baker; courtesy of Harcourt.

Last updated on May 30, 2008.