Chris Crutcher

Chris Crutcher (born July 17, 1946) is an American novelist and a family therapist. He received the Margaret A. Edwards Award from the American Library Association in 2000 for his lifetime contribution in writing for teens. 2Biography Crutcher was born July 17, 1946 to a World War II B17 bomber pilot and a homemaker in Dayton, Ohio. A few weeks after his birth, his father gave up flying and the family moved to his mother's hometown of Cascade, Idaho where his father could open an oil and gas wholesale business and he could grow up. After graduating from high school, Crutcher attended Eastern Washington State College (now Eastern Washington University) where he swam competitively and earned a BA in psychology and sociology. With no post-graduation plans or prospects, he went back to Eastern and got a teaching certificate. Crutcher taught at several primary and secondary schools in California and Washington before beginning his writing career. After his first book was completed, he joined Spokane's Child Protection Team and began practicing as a child and family therapist. 2Writing Crutcher's debut novel was Running Loose in 1983 about a senior in high school who has it all until life throws him for a few loops. Many of his novels concern teenaged athletes who have personal problem