Aaron, Chester

Chester Aaron was born May 9, 1923 in Butler, Pennsylvania. A child of Jewish emigres from Poland and Russia, Chester Aaron experienced ethnic slurs and clashes with the onset of World War II. Eventually joining the Army, he was part of the military unit that liberated prisoners at the Dachau concentration camp, an experience that changed his life.

After returning from the war, Chester Aaron studied creative writing as he worked a variety of odd jobs. Following a stream of rejections of his writing, he trained and worked as an x-ray technician, all the while continuing to write on a part-time basis. Chester Aaron's first book, an adult novel entitled About Us, was finally published in 1967 to critical acclaim. Soon after, a teaching position at St. Mary's College in Maraga, California afforded him more time for his writing. Creating mostly young adult and some adult fiction, many of Chester Aaron's novels involve animals and their interactions with human beings. He is praised for the directness and conviction of his writing.

Biographical Sources: Something about the Author, Volume 74, 1993.

From the guide to the Chester Aaron papers, 1981-1982, (University of Minnesota Libraries Children's Literature Research Collections [clrc])