Elise Hooper's favorite photo from pioneering documentary photographer Dorothea Lange is not the one she is most known for. - "Migrant Mother" taken during the Great Depression.
Instead of "Migrant Mother" taken during the Great Depression, the picture Hooper most likes was taken in 1942 and is of children pledging allegiance to the American flag at the Children of the Weill public school in San Francisco.
"I find this one so touching because all of those innocent, gap-toothed smiling faces have no idea how their lives are going to be turned upside down by the Japanese Internment," she said. "It's no accident that Dorothea felt it was important to capture the children reciting the 'Pledge of Allegiance' because she thought the incarceration of so many innocent people was a shocking violation of civil liberties."
Like many Americans, Hooper recognized Lange's work but did not know too much about the woman behind the lens. It made sense Lange soon became the subject of Hooper's biographical novel and second published book, "Learning to See: A Novel of Dorothea Lange, the Woman Who Revealed the Real America."
Released on Jan. 22, the book has already received high praise from critics like the Washington Post, Library Journal, Publishers Weekly and Forbes.com, as well as countless readers. Mid-Missourians can take advantage of discussing "Learning to See" with its visionary Elise Hooper when she makes her only Missouri stop on a national book tour from 7-8:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Missouri River Regional Library.
Growing up in New England, Hooper labels herself as a "bonafide bookworm" and visits to the nearby "Little Women" author Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House, now a 19th century museum and home to the Alcott family, in Concord Massachusetts, encouraged her to write.
"I grew up right by the Alcott Orchard House. I remember looking at that tiny desk in Louisa's bedroom. I realized that people actually write books, they don't just magically appear on the library's shelves," Hooper said with a laugh. "I thought, 'What a cool job. Maybe I could do that?'"
Hooper created all kinds of books as a child including "The Adventures of Hilda Mouse" and co-wrote plays with her friend starring Inspector charpe. Thinking about pursuing journalism, Hooper decided a different form of writing was for her. Eventually she moved to the West coast, got her master's degree in teaching in 2003 and was teaching high school English and history by the 2003-04 school year part-time while her children - two daughters now 10 and 13 years old - were little.
"For many years, I would start a novel when life became manageable, and laughter there is very important," Hooper said, laughing. "My life would never be manageable and I would be forever procrastinating. So I just had to dive into it, and I did."
It made sense she explored a family she knew and loved since childhood, the Alcotts. In 2017, Hooper released her first historical fiction novel "The Other Alcott," which explored the real women behind the March sisters in Louisa May Alcott's beloved classic "Little Women" and particularly Abigail "May" Alcott Nieriker.
"They have always been a family that has interested me, and inspired this biographical fiction novel that explores their real lives with room for me to imagine their rich emotional journey," Hooper said. "My, the youngest, became a painter in her own right and no one really knows about it. She was the perfect blank space where I could set my imagination free."
Hooper also had her mind set on doing a historic novel on another award-winning, boundary-breaking portrait photographer Imogen Cunningham. However, in her research, she started to read more about Cunningham's younger best friend and fellow photographer Dorothea Lange.
"I delved in their relationship and that is when I realized (Dorothea) had a huge transformation. She transitioned from being a portrait photographer into this hard-hitting documentary photographer shedding light on major societal issues," Hooper said. "I began thinking, 'What made this woman change so much?' It felt like Dorothea had a call to social justice. I knew I needed to make Dorothea my main character and explore the evolution of her work."
The crux of "Learning to See" highlights Lange's work from the 1920s-40s. It also begins with someone pick-pocketing Lange in San Francisco, which changed Lange's trajectory, Hooper said.
"From there I let the character guide the story. I find all these really interesting historical tidbits, but I don't let them bog me down if they do not relate to the story I'm telling. I would love to include these fun tidbits because they are fun, but I have to be vigilant," she said.
Having hit many stops along her national "Learning to See" book tour along the West Coast and Texas, Hooper has loved hearing from readers and those interested in Lange's story.
"It has been exciting to see readers connect with this woman. They know her photographs, but then they get to know her. She lived through tough times and you would think readers would be judgmental, but they understand," she said. "They don't always agree with her choices, but they respect and understand why she did what she did. I am feeling delighted to tell others about Dorothea. Every time I meet with readers, they ask interesting questions. It makes me always look at it fresh each time, and that is fun and interesting in itself."
Hooper is also excited to visit Missouri for the first time in her life, not only to meet readers and the people of Mid-Missouri, but also conduct research on her third book, "Fast Girls."
Also a biographical novel, "Fast Girls" tells the story of three women who all competed and earned medals in the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin during Adolf Hitler's reign. Betty Robinson, Louise Stokes and Helen Stephens, a double Olympic champion and Fulton, Missouri native.
"These were remarkable athletes during a fascinating period of history. They truly were pioneers in women's athletics, and the story will focus on these athletes as well as many other factors," she said, noting she hopes the book will be published and released by summer of 2020 in time for the next Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. "We have seen many stories about the men in these Olympics Games, now it is time to get to know the women."
That is Hooper's aim with many of the main characters and focal points of her books. She enjoys telling readers about the lives of real women who have frequently been overlooked in history books. These women, like May Alcott, Dorothea Lange and Helen Stephens deserve to have their stories told, Hooper said.
"These women may linger in the end notes or foot notes of history books. But these women's stories are fascinating and no one really knows about them," Hooper said. "We need more stories about these women whose past achievements and actions can enrich our lives now."
The author event featuring Hooper is free. She will have "Learning to See" available to purchase and will sign books and chat with guests. "Learning to See" and "The Other Alcott" are also available for purchase on Amazon, at Barnes & Noble, IndieBound and her publisher through Harper Collins, as well as many independent bookstores and retail book outlets across the nation. For more information, visit elisehooper.com.