Charles J. Shields

An authorized portrait of the influential twentieth-century American writer draws on first-person accounts and Vonnegut's private letters while offering insight into his youth, the inspirations for his work, and his enduring literary impact.

Kurt Vonnegut: A Life

And So It Goes

"A fine, well-rounded portrait of Harper Lee. Mockingbird is good reading."--Star-Tribune (Minneapolis) To Kill a Mockingbird--the twentieth century's most widely read American novel--has sold thirty million copies and still sells a million yearly. Yet despite her book's perennial popularity, its creator, Harper Lee, has become a somewhat mysterious figure. Now, after years of research, Charles J. Shields brings to life the warmhearted, high-spirited, and occasionally hardheaded woman who gave us two of American literature's most unforgettable characters--Atticus Finch and his daughter, Scout. At the center of Shields's evocative, lively book is the story of Lee's struggle to create her famous novel, but her colorful life contains many highlights--her girlhood as a tomboy in overalls in tiny Monroeville, Alabama; the murder trial that made her beloved father's reputation and inspired her great work; her journey to Kansas as Truman Capote's ally and research assistant to help report the story of In Cold Blood. Mockingbird--unique, highly entertaining, filled with humor and heart--is a wide-ranging, idiosyncratic portrait of a writer, her dream, and the place and people whom she made immortal.

A Portrait of Harper Lee

Mockingbird

The New York Times bestselling author of Mockingbird reveals the life of the woman behind A Raisin in the Sun, the most widely anthologized, read, and performed play in American history. Written when she was just twenty-eight, Hansberry’s landmark play is listed by the National Theatre as one of the 100 most significant works of the twentieth century. Millions of students read the play as part of their high school curriculum every year. Hansberry was the first black woman to have a play performed on Broadway, and the first black and youngest American playwright to win a New York Critics' Circle Award. Yet so much of her life has escaped public knowledge: her fight for peace and nuclear disarmament, the reason why she embraced Communism during the Cold War, the comfort she found in James Baldwin, shown firsthand through their never-before-seen correspondence. Charles J. Shields uncovers the complicated life of the famous playwright with fresh analysis and exclusive context. Hansberry was from an upper-class family, which some critics said disqualified her as a spokesperson about racism; she was black and a woman, “twice oppressed,” she said, because “the most oppressed group of any oppressed group will be its women.” She was gay, but maintained an image of being straight for the sake her roles as critic, spokesperson, and artist. Many of the identity issues she contended with remain relevant and urgent today, which perhaps explains why her work—and now her own story—will endure.

Lorraine Hansberry: The Life Behind A Raisin in the Sun

When Stoner was published in 1965, the novel sold only a couple of thousand copies before disappearing with hardly a trace. Yet John Williams's quietly powerful tale of a Midwestern college professor, William Stoner, whose life becomes a parable of solitude and anguish eventually found an admiring audience in America and especially in Europe. The New York Times called Stoner "a perfect novel," and a host of writers and critics, including Colum McCann, Julian Barnes, Bret Easton Ellis, Ian McEwan, Emma Straub, Ruth Rendell, C. P. Snow, and Irving Howe, praised its artistry. The New Yorker deemed it "a masterly portrait of a truly virtuous and dedicated man." The Man Who Wrote the Perfect Novel traces the life of Stoner's author, John Williams. Acclaimed biographer Charles J. Shields follows the whole arc of Williams's life, which in many ways paralleled that of his titular character, from their shared working-class backgrounds to their undistinguished careers in the halls of academia. Shields vividly recounts Williams's development as an author, whose other works include the novels Butcher's Crossing and Augustus (for the latter, Williams shared the 1972 National Book Award). Shields also reveals the astonishing afterlife of Stoner, which garnered new fans with each American reissue, and then became a bestseller all over Europe after Dutch publisher Lebowski brought out a translation in 2013. Since then, Stoner has been published in twenty-one countries and has sold over a million copies.

John Williams, Stoner, and the Writing Life

The Man Who Wrote the Perfect Novel

Tells the story of how Harper Lee struggled to become an author and created one of the most popular novels of the twentieth century.

The Biography of Harper Lee

I Am Scout

When Stoner was published in 1965, the novel sold only a couple of thousand copies before disappearing with hardly a trace. Yet John Williams’s quietly powerful tale of a Midwestern college professor, William Stoner, whose life becomes a parable of solitude and anguish eventually found an admiring audience in America and especially in Europe. The New York Times called Stoner “a perfect novel,” and a host of writers and critics, including Colum McCann, Julian Barnes, Bret Easton Ellis, Ian McEwan, Emma Straub, Ruth Rendell, C. P. Snow, and Irving Howe, praised its artistry. The New Yorker deemed it “a masterly portrait of a truly virtuous and dedicated man.” The Man Who Wrote the Perfect Novel traces the life of Stoner’s author, John Williams. Acclaimed biographer Charles J. Shields follows the whole arc of Williams’s life, which in many ways paralleled that of his titular character, from their shared working-class backgrounds to their undistinguished careers in the halls of academia. Shields vividly recounts Williams’s development as an author, whose other works include the novels Butcher’s Crossing and Augustus (for the latter, Williams shared the 1972 National Book Award). Shields also reveals the astonishing afterlife of Stoner, which garnered new fans with each American reissue, and then became a bestseller all over Europe after Dutch publisher Lebowski brought out a translation in 2013. Since then, Stoner has been published in twenty-one countries and has sold over a million copies.

Amy Tan

Dan Stone

John Kuo Wei Tchen

National Endowment for the Arts

Dana Gioia (nrt)

Adam Kampe

Carolyn. spk See

1963- nrt Ming-Na

James McBride (1957- spk)

Molly. spk Giles

Lijun Wang

Discusses the theme and character in Tan's book and includes excerpts from the book and background information on the author.

An Introduction to The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan (sound Recording).

A look at the life and times of Vladimir Putin, from the slums of Leningrad to the Soviet secret police to president of the new Russia.

Vladimir Putin

A biography of the aviation pioneer who was the first woman to fly alone across the Atlantic.

An introduction to the sixth-largest country in Latin America, Venezuela.

Venezuela

Explores the life and literary career of Harper Lee, the woman behind the creation of "To Kill a Mockingbird," describing her struggle to create her famed novel, and her contributions to her lifelong friend Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood."

Grade-specific exercises and practice tests to prepare students for various standardized tests including the California Achievement Tests, the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills, the Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills, the Stanford Achievement Tests, the Metropolitan Achievement Tests, and the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills.

Standardized Test Practice for 4th Grade

Grade-specific exercises and practice tests to prepare students for various standardized tests including the Califorina Achievement Tests, the Iowa Tests Of Basic Skills, the Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills, the Standard Achievement Tests, the Metropolitan Achievement Tests, and the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills.

Standardized Test Practice for 5th Grade

In 2013 zette de herontdekte klassieker Stoner de uitgeefwereld op z'n kop. Nog nooit eerder was er sprake van zo'n onwaarschijnlijk geval van artistieke rechtvaardigheid: alleen al in Nederland gingen er in drie jaar tijd ruim 250.000 exemplaren over de toonbank. Wereldwijd zijn dat er meer dan een miljoen. Zowel pers als boekhandel waren unaniem lovend, en internationale sterren spraken hun bewondering uit over 'de perfecte roman'. Later verschenen ook zijn anti-western Butcher's Crossing, zijn historische brievenroman Augustus en zijn debuut Niets dan de nacht, waarvan in Nederland gezamenlijk ruim 500.000 exemplaren werden verkocht. John Edward Williams maakte het allemaal niet meer mee: hij overleed in 1994 op 71-jarige leeftijd aan longproblemen. Maar wie was deze man, die zijn schrijfstijl met elk boek opnieuw leek uit te vinden, eigenlijk echt? En waarom is hij bij leven nooit doorgebroken? In 1973 ontving hij voor Augustus de National Book Award, de belangrijkste Amerikaanse boekenprijs, maar moest die, voor de eerste en laatste keer in de geschiedenis van de prijs, delen met een andere auteur. In deze geautoriseerde biografie leren we een man kennen die pas twintig jaar na zijn dood de eer ontving die hem altijd al toekwam.

John Williams: de man die de perfecte roman schreef

When Stoner was published in 1965, the novel sold only a couple of thousand copies before disappearing with hardly a trace. Yet John Williams’s quietly powerful tale of a Midwestern college professor, William Stoner, whose life becomes a parable of solitude and anguish eventually found an admiring audience in America and especially in Europe. The New York Times called Stoner “a perfect novel,” and a host of writers and critics, including Colum McCann, Julian Barnes, Bret Easton Ellis, Ian McEwan, Emma Straub, Ruth Rendell, C. P. Snow, and Irving Howe, praised its artistry. The New Yorker deemed it “a masterly portrait of a truly virtuous and dedicated man.” The Man Who Wrote the Perfect Novel traces the life of Stoner’s author, John Williams. Acclaimed biographer Charles J. Shields follows the whole arc of Williams’s life, which in many ways paralleled that of his titular character, from their shared working-class backgrounds to their undistinguished careers in the halls of academia. Shields masterfully recounts Williams’s development as an author, whose other works include the novels Butcher’s Crossing and Augustus (for the latter, Williams shared the 1972 National Book Award). Shields also reveals the astonishing afterlife of Stoner, which garnered new fans with each American reissue, and then became a bestseller all over Europe after Dutch publisher Lebowski brought out a translation in 2013. Since then, Stoner has been published in twenty-one countries and has sold over a million copies.

Grade-specific exercises and practice tests to prepare students for various standardized tests including the California Achievement Tests, the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills, and the Stanford Achievement Tests.

Standardized Test Practice for 8th Grade

Wer war der Mann, der den perfekten Roman schrieb? John Williams gilt heute als Ikone der modernen amerikanischen Literatur. Aber wer war dieser große Autor, der erst weit nach seinem Tod berühmt wurde? Wie viel hatte der Universitätsdozent aus Denver mit ›Stoner‹ gemein? Wieso hat ein feinsinniger Intellektueller wie Williams einen so abgründigen »Western« wie ›Butcher’s Crossing‹ verfasst? Was hat es mit Williams’ Bemerkung auf sich, sein einziges autobiographisches Buch sei der Roman über Kaiser ›Augustus‹? Und warum hat er sich von seinem berührenden Debüt ›Nichts als die Nacht‹ später distanziert? Charles J. Shields legt die erste Biographie über John Williams vor. Packend wie Williams’ Romane schildert Shields dessen karge Kindheit in Texas, seine Passionen, seine vier Ehen und seinen intellektuellen Weg.

Charles J. Shields

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