When Deng Xiaoping was born on August 22,1904, China was still ruled by the Qing dynasty, but many people longed for a new China. Although Deng was in and out of favor during his eventful life, he became one of China's most powerful and influential leaders. Deng's life spans the Japanese invasion, the rise of Communism, the Long March, the Great Leap Forward, the Cultural Revolution, and the Tiannanmen Square confrontation. Perhaps more than any other person, Deng Xiaoping is responsible for shaping modern China.
Whitney Stewart is an award-winning author of young adult biographies, middle grade novels, and picture books. She has traveled widely in Asia and interviewed such figures as the 14th Dalai Lama, Aung San Suu Kyi, and Sir Edmund Hillary.
Whitney experienced Hurricane Katrina while trapped in a building in downtown New Orleans. She was helicoptered out of the city with her son and elderly mother-in-law. During her semester away from home, Whitney lived on Nantucket, researched the island's history and ghost lore, and wrote three children's books.
Whitney loves to travel, read, meditate, hike, bike, kayak, and do yoga. She is also a Level III Reiki practitioner and is studying Classical Tibetan.
