Beth Goobie

Background

Beth Goobie was born in 1959 in Guelph, Canada.

Education

Beth Goobie has wanted to be a writer since she started to read, however, she didn’t join her high school writing club, nor did she do much creative writing until her late twenties, when she took four creative writing courses at the University of Alberta. After high school, she lived in Holland for one year, where she worked as a nanny and learned Dutch. After working one year in Holland as an au pair, Beth Goobie spent the next four years earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature from the University of Winnipeg and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Religious Studies from the Mennonite Brethren Bible College.

Career

In her first book, "Could I Have My Body Back Now, Please?", Goobie presents both poems and short stories in which physical distortion and, in some cases, dismemberment, figure as recurring motifs. In one work, an irate woman’s wagging finger separates from her hand. In another tale, a male character repeatedly loses his sex organ. Still another work includes a child whose ears stretch and slide under closed doors to hear conversations. Joan Thomas, writing in Books in Canada, called "Could I Have My Body Back Now, Please?" a volume “of startling originality,” and she hailed it as “a noteworthy first collection.” Another reviewer, Aritha Van Herk, proclaimed Goobie’s book, in a University of Toronto Quarterly assessment, “a pleasure to read,” and a Bloomsbury Review critic described it as a “cohesive collection.”

Goobie’s subsequent books of poetry include "Scars of Light," in which, as Rhea Tregerov reported in the University of Toronto Quarterly, she “tells the story of the physical, emotional, and sexual abuse that occurred within her apparently ‘ordinary’ family.” Tregerov acknowledged "Scars of Light" as “chillingly powerful.” Books in Canada reviewer Marlene Cookshaw also found favor with the book, which she described as a “harrowing journey ... into the details of [Goobie’s] abusive childhood.” Lisa A. Dickson wrote in Canadian Book Review Annual 1994 that "Scars of Light" “offers us no platitudes, and demands none.”

In 1999, Goobie released a collection of poetry, "The Girls Who Dream Me." Like "Scars of Light," "The Girls Who Dream Me" deals with Goobie’s earlier abuses, but shows evidence of healing.

In her collection, Goobie challenges the adult condemnation of teenage sexual exploration, as well as many of the moral assumptions defined by Christianity.

Goobie also chronicles abuse in "The Only-Good Heart," a novel about a woman’s grim experiences in a cult, including prostitution and murder. Quill & Quire reviewer Suzanne Methot summarized the novel as “a complex, multilayered exploration into suffering and survival,” and she deemed it “a brave rendering of one woman’s struggle to heal.” A Suite 101 critic, meanwhile, observed that "The Only-Good Heart" is “drawn partially on [Goobie’s] own experiences.” In the same issue of Suite 101, Goobie expressed hope that The Only-Good Heart “would create greater awareness in general for people in terms of cults and what they are doing.”

In addition to the aforementioned works, Goobie has produced various publications for young adult readers. "Group Homes from Outer Space," her first work for young adults, concerns a girl who longs for space aliens to rescue her from abusive parents. A Canadian Materials reviewer praised this work as a “fast-paced, well-told story,” and a Quill & Quire critic found the book “rewarding.” "Who Owns Kelly Paddik?", Goobie’s next work in the genre of young adult fiction relates the struggles of a teenaged girl running from her sexually abusive father. Patty Lawlor, writing in Quill & Quire, called this book “a solid ... offering.”

Another young adult volume, "Hit and Run," features a teen heroine plagued with guilt after she drunkenly commits a hit-and-run driving offense, while "Sticks and Stones" presents a girl who is unfairly regarded as promiscuous by her classmates. Darlene R. Golke, reviewing both "Hit and Run" and "Sticks and Stones" in Canadian Book Review Annual 1994, affirmed that “the plots of both books develop quickly.” But Fred Boer, assessing both works in Quill & Quire, favored "Sticks and Stones," which he lauded for its “hard-hitting, effective ending.”

Goobie followed "Hit and Run" and "Sticks and Slone" with additional works for young adults. "Mission Impossible," for example, relates the problems that ensue when a student protests against a school pageant by refusing to shave her legs. Mary Beaty, in her Quill & Quire critique, called "Mission Impossible" “an intelligent book,” and Dean E. Lyons, in the Kliatl Young Adult Paperback Book Guide, described the book as “tough yet sensitive.” Jean Free summarized the volume in a Canadian Book Review Annual 1994 analysis as “clever, witty, often satirical, and humorous.” Another work, "I’m Not Convinced," concerns the relationship between a disabled Cree native and a teenage girl who was physically abused by her uncle. Harriet Zaidman wrote in the University’ of Manitoba, “Beth Goobie has written a very warm and useful book for teens who need encouragement to find their inner strength and face their problems head on.”

Goobie's 1997 title, "The Good, the Bad, and the Suicidal," deals with a teenaged world divided into three categories: the Jocks, the Irregulars, and the Leftovers. The Jocks and the Irregulars are rival gangs - the former made of teenagers with money, the latter of teenagers without. Dariel, the narrator, is a Leftover, one of those not a member of either gang, who classifies herself as SWFF: “Single White Fat Female.” Dariel finds herself becoming involved in the fight against a citywide curfew imposed on the local teenagers, drawing the attention of the leaders of both gangs. Quill & Quire reviewer Theresa Toten characterized the heroine as “straight up and hilarious” and noted the “entertainment value of spending some time with [her] and her small world.” Steve Pitt described Goobie’s tale, in Canadian Book Review Annual 1997, as a “gritty book.” As Jacolyn Caton of the Regina Sun noted, “Strong characterization and plot are two of the trademarks of [Goobie’s] writing.” Sarah Ellis of Horn Book magazine wrote, “The Good, the Bad, and the Suicidal is a splendid book.”

In "The Colours of Carol Molev," a teenage girl discovers the presence of colorful energy zones that render her capable of extraordinary insights. Through her relationship with Rev, who can read minds, Carol learns how to use her own abilities to confront the powers of darkness. Bridget Donald, writing in Quill & Quire, contended that "The Colours of Carol Molev" lacked sufficient “depth and consistency,” but Susannah D. Ketchum, in a Canadian Book Review Annual 1998 appraisal, deemed the book “worthwhile.”

Gobbie’s next young adult novel, "The Dream Where the Losers Go," deals with gangs, though in a different context than "The Good, the Bad, and the Suicidal." Skey, the main character, is a sixteen-year-old sent to a lock-up for adolescent girls after she tries to kill herself. Through the others she meets in the lock-up, she begins to redefine the world she once knew so well and begins to understand the importance of having someone to be there for you - and being there for them in turn.

In 2000, Goobie published "Before Wings," a novel which has won her several awards. Before Wings tells the story of fifteen-year-old Adrien, who suffered a brain aneurysm when she was thirteen. A second episode would be fatal, and now, practically smothered by over-protective parents, Adrien simply waits to die. It is only through a working vacation at her aunt’s summer camp, where she sees the spirits of five girls dancing on a lake her relationship with Paul, a boy who is haunted by premonitions that he will die. Diana Masla, writing for Voice of Youth Advocates, wrote. “On the surface, this book is an entertaining adolescent read. The deeper message, the whole-hearted grasping of love and life, surely will resonate with many teens.” Mara Alpert, writing for School Library Journal, explained, “This could have been a terribly bleak and depressing book, but it isn’t. Its engaging characters, realistic setting, and the upbeat ending will satisfy teen readers.” A Horn Book reviewer called Before Wings “the best kind of romance,” and Brenda Dillon, writing for Resource Links, praised, “This book is good. Very, very good. Buy it, read it, recommend it.”

She lives in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.

Achievements

• Goobie is best known for her quirky and dark young adult novels. Since 1991, she has had 24 books published, 18 of which are for young adults. Many of her books deal with issues of bullying, domestic violence, and peer sexual assault, including her latest novel, The Pain Eater.

Works

More photos

• book

  • Hello, Groin

    (When Dylan Kowolski agrees to create a display for her hi...)

    2006
  • Before Wings

    (Having barely survived a brain aneurysm two years earlier...)

    2000
  • Flux

    (Several years earlier Nellie and her mother fled the Inte...)

    2004
  • The Lottery

    (Every student at Saskatoon Collegiate knew that all the m...)

    2002
  • Fixed

    (Nellie Joanne Kinnan is an Advanced Cadet in the Black Co...)

    2005
  • Could I Have My Body Back Now, Please

    (Could I Have My Body Back Now, Please: Body Fictions [Bet...)

    1991
  • The Good, the Bad and the Suicidal

    (Dariel is a SWFF, as in Single White Fat Female. Otherwis...)

    1997
  • Sticks and Stones

    (Jujube is thrilled when Brent asks her out. She is not so...)

    1994
  • Kicked Out

    (Dime is fifteen and always angry. Her parents don't under...)

    1995
  • Something Girl

    (Sophie is in a lot of trouble. She is on probation for st...)

    2005
  • Who Owns Kelly Paddik?

    (Kelly Paddik is locked up. Sent to a secure facility beca...)

    1993
  • The Girls Who Dream Me 1999
  • The Only-Good Heart 1998
  • Scars of Light 1995

Religion

Beth Goobie attends the Mennonite Brethren Church, wich was established among Plautdietsch-speaking Russian Mennonites in 1860, and has congregations in more than 20 countries, representing about 500,000 believers as of 2019.

Views

Beth once told, that because of a traumatic childhood, she developed a “fragmented” psyche. She stored memories on different “levels,” and many of those levels she simply lost. It wasn’t until she was in her thirties that she began to remember those childhood fragments. “It’s like you’re a series of infinite parallel universes and on each one of them, your personalities are vibrating at different rates. As they integrate, you learn to absorb that vibrating rate, that frequency rate, and your consciousness expands,” she said.

She once told that she believes in clearing her chakras. Chakras are part of an ancient Eastern belief that the body has seven primary energy points, each one assigned a color, from red at the base of the spine to violet at the top of the head: “Basically, you are clearing your auric field,” she says. “Your auric field is an energy field that you carry around you that contains all your thoughts and all your memories. It contains your past tense, your present tense, and your future tense. When you sit down to write, you need to learn how to clear that field so you have a space that will let you move into your story. I found that it gave me much more clarity and focus and really improved my writing abilities. It was very tangible.”

Quotations: “One of the messages that I’m trying to give teenagers more than anything is the need for self-love and self-trust. How infinitely valuable every individual is.

“I think there are a lot of negative messages given to children and teenagers in our society, and I try to reverse that as much as possible in my books. We don’t give them much space for individuation. You don’t get a good mark in school because you disagree with the teacher. You get along as a kid if you’re obedient and comply.

“If you want to keep everybody in line, you have to somehow program them to obey. I think that’s what childhood is mostly about – programming us to keep us in line so that as adults we stay in line. I try to encourage kids to see beyond that.”

Personality

Beth Goobie speaks freely of childhood horrors and recovered memories, she is fiercely protective of her current private life. She volunteers very little information, and she forbids her publisher from using her photograph on her books: “It’s rare to want to be private these days, but I am.” She shares private information neither on the Internet nor to journalists.

Physical Characteristics: At the age of 30, Beth Goobie collapsed with chronic fatigue syndrome. Recovering at home, she began her first novel. Too weak to sit at a typewriter and suffering blurred vision, she dictated the story a few minutes at a time into a tape recorder.

Quotes from others about the person

• Beth is very comfortable working with and speaking with teenagers and they respond well to her. Beth is not afraid to broach the touchier topics and speak about them. During her author reading, Beth spoke about issues such as sexuality and bullying with care and in the appropriate context. Her openness and willingness to answer questions allows for open dialogue with a teen audience.” - Barbara Wurzer-Cey, Alice Turner branch, Saskatoon Public Library (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan)
  
  “I know of no other Canadian poet who has so bravely surveyed the tumultuous experience and the accompanying sexual intensity of those explosive adolescent years,” commented Paulo da Costa in Filling Station. The reviewer continued, “Goobie is a brave talented poet. Summon up your courage and hear the unsaid said.”
  
  A contributor to Letters in Canada wrote of Goobie’s poetry, “Her long lines nearly spill off the page, reaching to the margins with an insistence, an energetic arcing, that pulls poetry towards prose, prose towards poetry.”
  
  Thomas S. Woods of the Globe and Meal did not consider this a criticism; he praised, “I know of no young writer in Canada capable of crafting subtle imagery and delicate phrasing to compare with that found in Goobie’s arresting poetry and prose. Goobie’s work is ... starkly, almost selfconsciously, original, strewn here and there with the telling detritus (much of it human) of modern popular culture.”

References

• Contemporary Authors New Revision Series, Vol. 194
  2010