Rodman Philbrick

Biography

Rodman Philbrick (born 1951) grew up in a working-class New England community and was a published mystery and science fiction novelist for adults before writing Freak the Mighty. He has spoken openly about being inspired by a pair of boys he observed — one large, one small — walking together in a way that suggested profound mutual dependence. Philbrick wrote the novel quickly, driven by a conviction that middle-school readers deserved a story that treated disability, violence, and grief with the same seriousness adult fiction does. The novel was published in 1993 and became a classroom staple within years.

Rodman Philbrick at a glance