VOICEONE:

WelcometoTHISISAMERICAinVOASpecialEnglish.I'mSteveEmber.

VOICETWO:

AndI'mShirleyGriffith.Oursubjectthisweekistheteenageinvestigatorinoneofthemostsuccessfulchildren'sbookseriesofalltime--NancyDrew.

SUSANLARSON:"Putdownthatbookandgooutsideandplay!"

VOICEONE:

SusanLarsonstillremembershermother'sreaction.Susanwasabouttenyearsold,growingupintheMidwest,whenshediscoveredNancyDrew.Sheenjoyedthemysteries.Buttherewassomethingelsethatsheespeciallyenjoyed.

SUSANLARSON:"Iwantedtodosomuchmorethangirlscoulddobackthen.Soitwasexcitingformetoreadaboutthisgirl,NancyDrew,whowaseighteenanddroveasportscarandhelpedherDadsolvecrime.AndIreadmorethanIwentoutsideandplayedandmademymommad."

VOICETWO:

SusanLarsongrewupandbecamealibrarian.SheworksintheFairfaxCountyPublicLibrary,thelargestsysteminVirginia.ShestilltalkswarmlyabouttheNancyDrewserieswhichhasbeenaroundforalmosteightyyears.

PublisherSimonandSchustersaysithassoldtwohundredmillioncopiesofNancyDrewbooksintwenty-fivelanguagesaroundtheworld.Mothershavegivencopiestotheirdaughters,whosavedthemfortheirowndaughters.

SecretaryofStateHillaryRodhamClintonreadNancyDrew.SodidallthreeofthewomenevertoserveontheUnitedStatesSupremeCourt.TheyaretheretiredJusticeSandraDayO'Connor,thecurrentJusticeRuthBaderGinsburgandthenewestjustice,SoniaSotomayor.

AnotherreaderwhowasinfluencedbytheoriginalNancyDrewseriesisJanetEvanovich.ShewritesbestsellersaboutafemalebountyhunternamedStephaniePlum.Bountyhuntersactasunofficiallawenforcementagents.

Recognizeapatternhere?

JenniferFisherisalawyerandNancyDrewcollectorinArizonawhoorganizesNancyDrewconventions.

JENNIFERFISHER:"There'salotoffansIcomeacrosswhohavegoneontohavecareersinlawenforcementorbecomeattorneyslikemyself.AndIthinkthatNancy'sgreatsenseof,youknow,fightingforjusticeandhelpingotherswasagreatinspiration."

VOICEONE:

WhoisNancyDrew?Sheisateenagerwhosemotherdiedwhenshewasveryyoung.Sheliveswithherfatherandtheirhousekeeper,HannahGruen,inthetownofRiverHeights.Nancyisprettyandpopular.Shehasaboyfriend,NedNickerson,andtwobestgirlfriends,BessMarvinandGeorgeFayne.

Nancyisalwaysinvestigatingmysteriouswrongdoing,andoftenfacesdanger.Sheistrappedintrunks,closets,andlockedrooms.Butintheendshealwayssucceeds.

SusanLarsonreadsascenefromNancyDrew'sfirstadventure,"TheSecretoftheOldClock":

SUSANLARSON:"Nancystruggledtogetaway.Shetwistedandsquirmed,kickedandclawed.Butshewashelplessintheviselikegripofthepowerfulman.

"'Letmego!'Nancycried,strugglingharder.'Letmego!'"

"Sid,ignoringherpleas,halfdraggedheracrosstheroom.Openingtheclosetdoor,heflungherinside."

"Nancyheardakeyturn."

"'Nowyoucanspyallyouwant!'Sidsneered.'Buttomakesurenobody'llletyouout,I'lljusttakethiskeyalong.'"

"WhenNancycouldnolongerhearthetrampofhisheavybootsshewassureSidhadleftthehouse.Foramomentafeelingofgreatreliefengulfedher."

"ButthenextinstantNancy'sheartgavealeap.Assheheardthemuffledroarofthevanstartingupinthedistance,ahorrifyingrealizationgrippedher."

"'They'veleftmehereto--tostarve!'"

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VOICETWO:

AlloftheNancyDrewbookswerewrittenbyCarolynKeene--orsoreadersaresupposedtobelieve.InrealitytherewasnoCarolynKeene.

Children'swriterEdwardStratemeyercameupwiththeideaofNancyDrewinnineteentwenty-nine.Hewantedtocreateaseriesforgirlswhowereabouttentotwelveyearsold.

ButStratemeyerdidnotwritethebookseither.Hehadasystem.Hewoulddescribecharactersandplots,thenhaveghostwritersexpandthoseideasintoabook.

Theseuncreditedwritershadtosignagreementsnevertoadmittheirwork.Inreturn,theyearnedonehundredtwenty-fivedollars,laterraisedtotwohundredfiftydollars,foreachbook.

TheStratemeyerSyndicatealsoinventedauthorsforotherpopularchildren'sseries.TheseincludedTomSwift,theBobbseyTwinsandtheHardyBoys.

VOICEONE:

ThefirstNancyDrewbookswerepublishedinAprilofnineteenthirty.ThatwastenyearsafterAmericanwomengainedaconstitutionalrighttovote.AnditwassixmonthsafterthestockmarketcrashthatledtotheGreatDepression.

ThefirstghostwriterwasMildredWirtBenson.HeridentitybecamewidelyknownyearslaterasaresultofalegalfightbetweenStratemeyerSyndicateanditsformerpublisher.ShewasajournalismgraduateoftheUniversityofIowa.Shewastwenty-fourwhenshewrote"TheSecretoftheOldClock"andotherearlyNancyDrewbooks.

VOICETWO:

MildredBensondisagreedwithEdwardStratemeyer'straditionalideasaboutwomen.Shethoughtgirlscould,andshould,dothesamethingsasboys.SoshemadeNancyDrewindependent--or"spunky"assheisoftendescribed.

TherewasnotmuchthatStratemeyercoulddoaboutit.HediedinMayofnineteenthirty,justtwoweeksafterthefirstthreebookswerepublished.

Histwodaughterstookoverthecompany.ButthatdidnotmeanallthewomeninvolvedwithNancyDrewagreedonhowsheshouldact.ReportsfromthetimesaytheStratemeyerdaughtersfeltsheshouldbemoreladylike.

VOICEONE:

MildredBensonwrotetwenty-threeofthefirstthirty"NancyDrewMysteryStories,"thenamegiventheoriginalseries.Theseriesexpandedovertheyearstoonehundredseventy-fivebooks.

ButcollectorJenniferFishersaysmorethanfivehundredNancyDrewbookshavebeenpublished.Theseincludemorerecentonessuchas"NancyDrewonCampus"inwhichNancyisacollegestudent.Anotherseriesaimedforyoungerreaderswithaneight-year-oldNancyin"TheNancyDrewNotebooks."

ThemodernworldofNancyDrewalsoincludesaseriesofgraphicnovels.Andthereisthecontinuingseries"NancyDrew:GirlDetective."

SimonandSchusterpublicistAnnaMcKeansaysthegirldetectivestaystruetoherrootsbutis"ultra-modern."Shedrivesanenvironmentallyfriendlyhybridandcheckshere-mailonaBlackBerry.Storylineshaveexploredthingssuchasbullying,cyberspaceandrealityTV.

VOICETWO:

Innineteenfifty-nine,HarrietStratemeyerAdamsbeganrewritingtheoriginalseriesofbooksthatherfathercreated.ShegotherchancetochangeNancy'spersonality.Shemadeherquieterandmorepolite.

ShealsochangedthenameofNancy'sfriendfromGeorgeFaynetoGeorgiaandmade"George"hernickname.Intheoriginalseriesthegirlwasnamedafterhergrandfather.

Buttherewritesalsoremovedsomepartsfromtheearlybooksthatmighthaveseemedraciallyoffensivetolatergenerations.

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VOICEONE:

DeannaRaybournisanAmericanmysterywriter.HerLadyJuliaGreyseriesissetinEnglandinthelateeighteenhundreds.Still,shesaysherbooksreflecttheNancyDrewstoriesthatshereadasachild:

DEANNARAYBOURN:"ThingsthatIreadasakidkeepcroppingupinmyownworkwhetherIrealizeitornot.NancyhasalotofsimilaritiestomyLadyJulia.They'reaffluent,theyaremotherless,theyhavedotingfathers.Theirbesettingsiniscuriosityandtheygetthemselvesintotroublebecausetheysnoopinplaceswheretheyshouldn't."

VOICETWO:

AnothersuccessfulmysterywriterwhoreadNancyDrewisNevadaBarr.ShewritesthebestsellingseriesaboutparkrangerAnnaPigeon.NevadaBarrremembersreadingNancyDrewbooksthesummershewaselevenyearsold.

NEVADABARR:"MyvisionisofanincrediblybeautifulgirlwhoseemedquiteoldtomewhenIwaseleven.Butyoualwaysrememberthatshehadthisincrediblefreedomthatmostchildrendon'thaveandshewassosmart."

"Theydidn'tdoalotwithreallysmartgirlsinliteraturewhenIwasyoung.AndIthinkthatwasoneofthethingsthatmadeNancyDrewspecial--thiswasinthefiftiesorearlysixties--wasthatthisgirlsurvivedbyherwitsandthatwasanewthing."

VOICEONE:

Overtheyears,NancyDrewhasappearedinmoviesandtelevisionshows,butwithoutverymuchsuccess.NancyDrewexpertJenniferFishersaysthereasonisnomystery.Thestoriesonthescreenhadlittleincommonwit