Coming to life

Norma Klein (May 13, 1938 – April 25, 1989) was an American young adults' book author. She was born, grew up and lived in New York City for most of her life, and studied Russian at Barnard College. She died, after a brief illness, in New York City on April 25, 1989, at the age of 50. She had a husband, Erwin Fleissner, and two daughters. Klein was best known for her adult novel Sunshine, about a young woman with terminal cancer, which was based upon a true story, and taken from the young woman's tape-recorded diary.