About

Mary Anne Gribbon-Beckman makes her literary debut with When I Was 9 Years Old: A Love Story, a deeply personal and reflective work rooted in memory, loss, and enduring love. Her seven-year-old brother, Dan, was struck by a car and killed—an event that irrevocably shaped her life. It has been sixty years since Gribbons-Beckman last saw her brother, a loss she has carries with her every day since childhood.

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A veteran legal assistant, Mary Anne grew up in a large family in Northeast Philadelphia during the 1960s and 1970s. She has been married since 1980 to the love of her life, Walter Beckman. Together, they are the devoted parents of their son, Matthew, who is truly the center of their world. Inspired by Matthew’s journey with Williams syndrome, Mary Anne and Walter are deeply rooted in the special needs community and are active, longtime supporters of the Special Olympics.

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Mary Anne Gribbon-Beckman originally wrote her debut novel in 2010. It is Gribbons-Beckman’s hope that readers will understand how deeply children pay attention, and how profoundly they are affected by what happens around them and to them. Through this book, she offers not only remembrance, but a testament to love, resilience, and the lasting imprint of childhood experience.