Marie G. Lee is a second-generation Korean American, the daughter of Dr. William and Grace Lee. She was born and raised in Hibbing, Minnesota. Growing up in the small Minnesota town Marie had the distinction of being part of a Korean family in a town where people had never seen Korean Americans. In Necessary Roughness, as in all of her novels, she draws upon that experience to portray young Korean Americans surrounded by people from other backgrounds. Necessary Roughness was named one of the American Library Association's Best Books for Young Adults and the New York Public Library's Best Books for the Teen Age.

In an interview for Amazon.com, Lee talked about how she got her start as a writer. She said, "I've wanted to be a writer ever since I was nine and my brother gave me his old typewriter. I was...