Young Adult (YA) Author
Born February 17, 1928
 He refused to state his
place of birth though
 It is speculated that his
birth place is either
Nashville, Tennessee,
Ticondergoa, New York
(his mother’s birth
place), or Cornwall,
Vermont (his father’s
birth place)
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 "If
I possess any
wisdom at all, most
of it was given me
by a mother, father,
an aunt, and a
grandmother . . .
none of whom
could read or
write.” - Peck
Like his birth place, Peck
says that he graduated
from a high school in
Texas, but refused to
name the location
 After high school, Peck
served in WWII as a
machine-gunner
 After being discharged,
he graduated from
Rollins College, and then
enrolled in Law School,
but never completed his
studies
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Father and mother were
both illiterate. Parents
owned a family farm, and
taught Peck how to work on
a farm.
Married Dorothy Anne
Houston and had two
children: Anne and
Christopher
His best friend was Fred
Rogers, famed for being Mr.
Rogers on a children’s
television show
Before writing, he worked as
a lumberjack, paper mill
worker, hog killer, and
advertising executive
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Wrote his first book, A Day
No Pigs Would Die, at the
age of 44
A Day No Pigs Would Die
reflects Peck’s view on farm
life, which can be harsh, and
some view the novel as a
semi-memoir from Peck’s
childhood
Many of his books have a
theme of coming of age or
growing up (little boy 
man)
Has written 55 novels, six
non-fiction books, thirty-five
songs, three television
specials, and 100+ poems.
At the age of 56 (1984),
he was a keynote
speaker at Erskine
College for a
convocation
 Mary Jo Wardlaw sued
him for “outrageous
conduct causing severe
emotional distress and
slander”
 Jury awarded Wardlaw
$24,000 and found
Peck guilty

 Peck
believed that three things were
important, which are all seen as themes
in his novels
• Education
• Work ethic
• Family
 Peck
was diagnosed with oral cancer in
1995
 Peck died in 2010 at his Longwood,
Florida home