Charles J. Shields is the author of "And So It Goes: Kurt Vonnegut: A Life," "Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee," the highly acclaimed, bestselling biography of Harper Lee, and "I Am Scout: The Biography of Harper Lee" (Henry Holt Books for Young Readers). He grew up in the Midwest and taught in a rural school in central Illinois for several years. He has been a reporter for public radio, a journalist, and the author of nonfiction books for young people. He and his wife live near Charlottesville, Virginia.
"Harper Lee caught the beauty of America with "To Kill a
Mockingbird," but has remained something of a mystery ever since.
Charles J. Shields's portrait of her, "Mockingbird," shows us a
quietly reclusive, down-to-earth woman with an enormous gift and
documents her struggle to live with that gift for the rest of her
life. Shields evocation of both the woman and her beautiful,
sleepy, and smoldering South are pitch perfect."--Anne River
Siddons, author of "Sweetwater Creek" and other books
"Harper Lee's intense personal privacy sets daunting limitations
for a biographer, but Charles Shields has ingeniously recovered the
feel of her childhood world of Monroeville, Alabama, and the
small-town Southern customs and vivid personalities that shaped her
prickly independence. Detailed memories of Lee's classmates and
friends are interwoven with dramatic recreations of key events and
stories of her friendships and literary collaborations, all
fleshing out the general narrative of her development as a
novelist. Close attention to her friendship with Truman Capote and
the conditions of the writing and then the filming of" To Kill a
Mockingbird" offer special fascination."--Louise Westling,
Professor of English, University of Oregon, author of "Sacred
Groves and Ravaged Gardens: The Fiction of Eudora Welty, Carson
McCullers, and Flannery O'Connor"
""
"If there is a great American novel, certainly "To Kill a
Mockingbird" is it. But, for all of us who love it, its author has
always been an enigma. Did Harper Lee really write this classic?
And if she did, why didn't she ever write another book? And who is
Harper Lee, anyway? Finally, a writer has done the necessary
research to reveal the surprising answers. To every "To Kill a
Mockingbird" reader, I send this message: The story isn't over.
There's so much more to come, and you'll find it all in Charles
Shields' delightful and insightful "Mockingbird.""--Homer Hickam,
author of "Rocket Boys"
" Harper Lee caught the beauty of America with "To Kill a
Mockingbird," but has remained something of a mystery ever since.
Charles J. Shields' s portrait of her, "Mockingbird," shows us a
quietly reclusive, down-to-earth woman with an enormous gift and
documents her struggle to live with that gift for the rest of her
life. Shields evocation of both the woman and her beautiful,
sleepy, and smoldering South are pitch perfect." -- Anne River
Siddons, author of "Sweetwater Creek" and other books " Harper Lee'
s intense personal privacy sets daunting limitations for a
biographer, but Charles Shields has ingeniously recovered the feel
of her childhood world of Monroeville, Alabama, and the small-town
Southern customs and vivid personalities that shaped her prickly
independence. Detailed memories of Lee' s classmates and friends
are interwoven with dramatic recreations of key events and stories
of her friendships and literary collaborations, all fleshing out
the general narrative of her development as a novelist. Close
attention to her friendship with Truman Capote and the conditions
of the writing and then the filming of" To Kill a Mockingbird"
offer special fascination." -- Louise Westling, Professor of
English, University of Oregon, author of "Sacred Groves and Ravaged
Gardens: The Fiction of Eudora Welty, Carson McCullers, and
Flannery O' Connor""" " If there is a great American novel,
certainly "To Kill a Mockingbird" is it. But, for all of us who
love it, its author has always been an enigma. Did Harper Lee
really write this classic? And if she did, why didn' t she ever
write another book? And who isHarper Lee, anyway? Finally, a writer
has done the necessary research to reveal the surprising answers.
To every "To Kill a Mockingbird" reader, I send this message: The
story isn' t over. There' s so much more to come, and you' ll find
it all in Charles Shields' delightful and insightful
"Mockingbird,"" -- Homer Hickam, author of "Rocket Boys"
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