Zindel, whose work drew on memories of his dark, troubled childhood in Staten Island, NY, won the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for fiction for his first novel, The Pigman (Harper, 1968), which tells the story of two estranged teens, John Conlan and Lorraine Jensen, and their relationship with Angelo Pignati (aka the Pigman). The book was also selected as one of School Library Journal's most influential books of the 20th century (see January 2000, "One Hundred Books That Shaped the Century ," pp. 50 - 58).

Zindel's autobiographical play, The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds, ran for 819 performances on Broadway and earned him the 1971 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. "I believe I must convince my readers that I am on their side," Zindel said of his writings.

Zindel, who had been a high school chemistry teacher for six years, felt compelled to write novels and plays that portray sensitive, yet conflicted, young adults.

He was born May 15, 1936, in the Tottenville section of Staten Island. His father, a police officer, abandoned the family, while his domineering mother worked as a shipyard laborer, a hatcheck attendant, and dog breeder.

Zindel married novelist Bonnie Hildebrand in 1973, but they divorced in 1998. He is survived by a daughter, Lizbeth, and a son, David.