Magda, Standing is a historical Young Adult fiction novel set in Pittsburgh during World War I and the Spanish flu pandemic. It’s by debut author Christine Fallert Kessides and is publishing this June!
From the Publisher: “When her father pulls her out of high school to care for her invalid mother and little brother, sixteen-year-old Magda is devastated—but the greater challenge is saving her family in the face of a war and pandemic.
In 1916, the world is at war, even if America has not yet joined the effort. But for Magda, the growing hostility her German immigrant family faces hits close to home. Despite her domestic obligations, Magda persists with her education, determined to find an independent role for herself. Faced with the mounting crises of the war and the Spanish flu, Magda seeks the knowledge and strength to try to protect those she loves most.
Standing up to a war and pandemic, traditions and expectations, Magda embarks on a journey of self-discovery and resilience that leads her back to embracing her family and caring for a wider community . . .”
More info About the Author: “Christine Fallert Kessides was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and was always interested that all her ancestors (those she could identify) were from Germany. After reviewing her family genealogy and reflecting on some of her relatives’ experiences, she was inspired to write Magda’s story.
Christine attended college and graduate school at Northwestern University and Princeton University, respectively. She had a career writing policy reports for the World Bank in international development. In her spare time she volunteers with nonprofits that support women and families and especially enjoys reading, travel, yoga and sharing books with friends. She lives outside Washington DC, in suburban Maryland with her husband, and sees their four children, grandchild, and granddogs as often as possible. Magda, Standing is her first novel . . .”
Author Site “Magda, Standing was such an encouraging story of resilience, determination, and the sheer power of self-confidence.” – Rabia Tanveer on Readers’ Favorite
“Does a great job incorporating history of the era in a natural and engaging way.” – Kate Szegda, award-winning author of The Pharmacy Girl.
What inspired you to write Magda, Standing?
The novel is loosely based on elements of my family history. My ancestors (all those I could identify) immigrated from southwest Germany in the mid-late 1880s and settled in Pittsburgh. When I retired from a career in the World Bank, where I did a lot of report writing but not creative writing, I undertook a genealogy search to learn more about them. I was particularly interested in the loss of three relatives, including my paternal grandfather, in the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918. I decided to focus on German immigrants in the 1916-19 period, drawing on several elements of my mother’s and my grandparents’ lives.
How has your own background influenced your writing?
I was born and raised in Pittsburgh, surrounded by extended family and well aware of the city’s rich immigrant heritage, so it was natural to set the story there. My husband and I raised four children in Maryland and kept in close touch with our Pittsburgh relatives, so inevitably, the influence of family and community is a major theme in the novel.
Why’d you choose to write a Young Adult novel?
The YA (young adult) literary category is geared to teenage readers and characteristically features the dramas of developing independence from family and “coming of age” in the face of first-time personal challenges. But many adults, including myself, enjoy this genre (think The Book Thief) because we’ve all been through such experiences. My protagonist is a teenage girl, so my book is classified as YA.
What do you like most (and least!) about writing historical fiction?
Historical fiction is my favorite genre to read, because I appreciate learning about other times while enjoying a good story. I loved doing the research—in this case, delving into everyday life in the 1910s; reading about the forces that led to the major wave of German emigration in the mid-1880s; America’s entry into WWI; the Spanish flu, and how all these factors have influenced our present times. I can’t say there was anything I disliked about setting the story a century ago, except that I had to keep track of a lot of notes and double check my facts—but I was used to that from professional writing.
How does Pittsburgh feature in your story?
My older relatives almost all lived on the South Side, around Mt. Oliver, so I situated the main characters there. The pollution from the iron and steel plants, and the hard lives of workers there, are central features. I also place action at sites that I remember well from my own childhood, including the beautiful view of the rivers from Mt. Washington and the Incline, the Carnegie library and the natural history museum.
Read any good books lately?
I’m usually juggling historical fiction (stories with a historical context) and creative nonfiction (history with a narrative thread). My favorite authors for the former are Geraldine Brooks and Maggie O’Farrell, and I’m currently listening to The Marriage Portrait audiobook. In the latter genre I greatly admire the works of Erik Larsen and Adam Hochschild, and I just finished his history of WWI, To End All Wars.
What other YA works would you recommend?
There are a plethora of excellent YA authors addressing the difficult subjects facing young people today. I look for works by John Green and Stacey Lee for YA historical fiction.
Where can fans find you when you’re not writing?
Since retirement I’ve been very active with a local giving circle, Giving Together—a philanthropic group of women who pool funds for grants to nonprofits serving women and children in need. I’ve also tutored in English for speakers of other languages and recorded books for students with dyslexia. Although I had planned to write the novel for some time, I worked on it in earnest during the pandemic, with the inspiration of online writing courses. Doing yoga and visiting our grandson in California whenever possible have been my other preoccupations in the last four years.
And are you working on anything new?
A children’s book. It’s a story I drafted in high school and revised for a Kid Lit course in college, then promptly forgot about it. I found the draft while cleaning a closet a few months ago and hope to revise and submit it to a publisher this year. Warning: be careful what you might throw away!
For more about Magda, Standing and Christine Fallert Kessides, visit magda-standing.com/!
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