Paul Zindel had a very difficult childhood, he grew up without his father and didn't get along with his mother. Zindel also had a low self esteem. Paul was born in 1936 on Staten Island, New York. Paul moved 15 times throughout his childhood while his mother was searching for work. Zindel graduated from Wagner College, Staten Island, After he graduated from college he taught high school chemistry for ten years. His first play, Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the Moon Marigolds won Pulitzer Prize. Paul Zindel was encouraged by an editor who had see his play and then wrote the novel The Pigman. Since The Pigman was published in 1968 he has written 12 other young adult books and plays. Paul currently is married and has 2 children and lives
