Nancy Freedman

Nancy Lois Mars Freedman, born in Chicago in 1920, was a professional dancer by the age of seven. She later became an actress, but her career was cut short by a heart condition. She married Benedict Freedman in 1941, just shy of her twenty-first birthday. They collaborated on Mrs. Mike while still in their twenties. Each would write a section and critique the other’s work. (In a previous discussion, June 2007, we learned that this is the method used by the mother and daughter team that makes up P. J. Tracy.) Nancy and Benedict did not write the sequels to Mrs. Mike (The Search for Joyful and Kathy Little Bird) until 2002 and 2004! Nancy authored several other books in the intervening years.