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'''Charles J. Shields''' (born December 2, 1951) is an [[Americans|American]] biographer of mid-century American novelists and writers. |
'''Charles J. Shields''' (born December 2, 1951) is an [[Americans|American]] biographer of mid-century American novelists and writers. |
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Raised in a [[Chicago]] suburb, Shields attended the [[University of Illinois |
Raised in a [[Chicago]] suburb, Shields attended the [[University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign]], graduating with degrees in English (1974) and American history (1979). |
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==Career== |
==Career== |
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In 1997, Shields left his career in education to write independently. Over the course of the next six years, he published 20 histories and biographies for young people. In 2002, [[ |
In 1997, Shields left his career in education to write independently. Over the course of the next six years, he published 20 histories and biographies for young people. In 2002, [[E.D. Hirsch]] (''Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know'', 1988) invited Shields to join his Core Knowledge Foundation in [[Charlottesville, Virginia]] as senior editor, contributing to a curriculum which, adapted, became the [[Common Core State Standards Initiative|Common Core Standards]] Initiative that "define the knowledge and skills students should gain throughout their K-12 education in order to graduate high school prepared to succeed in entry-level careers, introductory academic college courses, and workforce training programs."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.readthehook.com/79455/facetime-flying-blind-tracking-elusive-harper-lee|title=FACETIME- Flying blind: Tracking the elusive Harper Lee|website=www.readthehook.com|language=en|access-date=2018-11-09}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.corestandards.org/about-the-standards/|title=About the Standards: Common Core State Standards Initiative|website=www.corestandards.org|language=en-US|access-date=2018-11-09|archive-date=2019-11-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191115174848/http://www.corestandards.org/about-the-standards/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Forty-one states, the District of Columbia, four territories, and the Department of Defense Education Activity have voluntarily adopted the Common Core. |
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Shields's first biography for adults in 2006— ''Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee'' (Holt)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.macmillanspeakers.com/charlesjshields|title= |
Shields's first biography for adults in 2006— ''Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee'' (Holt)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.macmillanspeakers.com/charlesjshields|title=Charles J. Shields|website=Macmillan Speakers Bureau|access-date=October 28, 2011}}</ref> went on to become a ''New York Times'' bestseller and a Book-of-the-Month Club alternate. “This biography will not disappoint those who loved the novel and the feisty, independent, fiercely loyal Scout, in whom [[Harper Lee]] put so much of herself,” wrote [[Garrison Keillor]] in the ''New York Times Sunday Book Review''.<ref>“Good Scout,” New York Times, June 11, 2006.</ref> “As readable, convincing, and engrossing as Lee’s literary wonder,” said the ''Orlando Sentinel''.<ref>Ann Hellmuth, “Walking in Harper Lee’s Shoes,” Orlando Sentinel, June 11, 2006.</ref> The biography appeared in a revised edition in 2016 as ''Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee: From Scout to Go Set a Watchman'' (Holt). |
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For the [[National Endowment for the Arts]]' "Big Read" initiative, Shields spoke to hundreds of audiences about his biography of Harper Lee for community-wide reads of ''To Kill a Mockingbird''.<ref>//archive.org/details/harperleestokill00shie</ref> Several versions of his talks are archived on the Internet.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.neabigread.org/books/mockingbird/radioshow.php |title=To Kill a Mockingbird Radio Show - Listen! | |
For the [[National Endowment for the Arts]]' "Big Read" initiative, Shields spoke to hundreds of audiences about his biography of Harper Lee for community-wide reads of ''To Kill a Mockingbird''.<ref>//archive.org/details/harperleestokill00shie</ref> Several versions of his talks are archived on the Internet.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.neabigread.org/books/mockingbird/radioshow.php |title=To Kill a Mockingbird Radio Show - Listen! |access-date=June 20, 2013 |archive-date=April 17, 2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090417091107/http://www.neabigread.org/books/mockingbird/radioshow.php }}</ref> |
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Two years later, Shields followed-up his biography of Lee with a young adult version: ''I Am Scout: The Biography of Harper Lee'' (Holt), selected by the Junior Library Guild, and recommended among the American Library Association Best Books for Young Adults and Arizona Grand Canyon Young Readers Master List.<ref>{{cite web|author=Charles J. Shields |date=April 12, 2009 |url=http://us.macmillan.com/iamscout/CharlesShields |title=I Am Scout |publisher=[[Macmillan Publishers|Macmillan]] | |
Two years later, Shields followed-up his biography of Lee with a young adult version: ''I Am Scout: The Biography of Harper Lee'' (Holt), selected by the Junior Library Guild, and recommended among the American Library Association Best Books for Young Adults and Arizona Grand Canyon Young Readers Master List.<ref>{{cite web |author=Charles J. Shields |date=April 12, 2009 |url=http://us.macmillan.com/iamscout/CharlesShields |title=I Am Scout |publisher=[[Macmillan Publishers|Macmillan]] |access-date=October 28, 2011 |archive-date=November 14, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111114174348/http://us.macmillan.com/iamscout/CharlesShields }}</ref> |
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In 2009, with fellow biographers [[Nigel Hamilton (author)|Nigel Hamilton]], James McGrath Morris, and Pulitzer-prize winner [[Debby Applegate]], Shields co-founded [[Biographers International Organization]] (BIO), a non-profit organization founded to promote the art and craft of biography, and to further the professional interests of its practitioners. |
In 2009, with fellow biographers [[Nigel Hamilton (author)|Nigel Hamilton]], James McGrath Morris, and Pulitzer-prize winner [[Debby Applegate]], Shields co-founded [[Biographers International Organization]] (BIO), a non-profit organization founded to promote the art and craft of biography, and to further the professional interests of its practitioners. |
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In November 2011, Shields published the first biography of [[Kurt Vonnegut]], ''And So It Goes: Kurt Vonnegut, A Life'' (Holt),<ref>{{cite |
In November 2011, Shields published the first biography of [[Kurt Vonnegut]], ''And So It Goes: Kurt Vonnegut, A Life'' (Holt),<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/andsoitgoeskurtv0000shie |title=And So It Goes: Kurt Vonnegut: A Life |isbn=9780805086935 |author=Charles J. Shields |date=September 9, 2009 |access-date=April 10, 2014 |url-access=registration }}</ref> described by Steve Almond in the ''Boston Globe'' as a “disturbing account of the late author, whose ambition and talent transformed him from an obscure science fiction writer to a countercultural icon,”<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/books/2011/11/13/and-goes-charles-shield/XJ49VATProRT6bsAMKsDTP/story.html11|title=Look at the birdie|last=Almond|first=Steve|date=November 11, 2011|website=Boston Globe}}</ref> and an "engrossing, definitive biography" by ''Publishers Weekly'' in a starred review.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/22/books/review/100-notable-books-of-2011.html|title=100 Notable Books of 2011|date=August 1, 2011|work=Publishers Weekly|access-date=2018-11-09|language=en}}</ref> It was selected as a ''New York Times'' Notable Book,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/22/books/review/100-notable-books-of-2011.html|title=100 Notable Books of 2011|date=November 21, 2011|work=New York Times Sunday Book Review|access-date=2018-11-09|language=en}}</ref> and ''Washington Post'' Notable Nonfiction Book for 2011.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/notable-nonfiction-of-2011/2011/11/04/gIQAZzLfiO_story.html|title=Notable nonfiction of 2011|website=The Washington Post}}</ref> |
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In 2018, the University of Texas Press published Shields’ ''The Man Who Wrote the Perfect Novel: John Williams, Stoner & the Writing Life''. “Shields knows how to tell a good story,” said the ''Los Angeles Review of Books'', “one that will appeal especially to those interested in the ins and outs of the publishing industry and the ups and downs of a writer’s life (spoiler alert: there are many).”<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/a-substantially-good-book-on-charles-j-shieldss-life-of-john-williams/|title=A Substantially Good Book: On Charles J. |
In 2018, the University of Texas Press published Shields’ ''The Man Who Wrote the Perfect Novel: John Williams, Stoner & the Writing Life''. “Shields knows how to tell a good story,” said the ''Los Angeles Review of Books'', “one that will appeal especially to those interested in the ins and outs of the publishing industry and the ups and downs of a writer’s life (spoiler alert: there are many).”<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/a-substantially-good-book-on-charles-j-shieldss-life-of-john-williams/|title=A Substantially Good Book: On Charles J. Shields's Life of John Williams - Los Angeles Review of Books|last=Urban|first=Christopher|date=November 3, 2018|work=Los Angeles Review of Books|access-date=2018-11-09|language=en-US}}</ref> |
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''Lorraine Hansberry: The Life Behind a Raisin in the Sun'' was published by Holt in January 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lorraine Hansberry: The Life Behind A Raisin in the Sun |url=https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250205537/lorrainehansberrythelifebehindaraisininthesun |access-date=January 31, 2022 |website=[[Macmillan Publishers|Macmillan]]}}</ref> |
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''There is Always Something Left to Love: Lorraine Hansberry & A Raisin in the Sun'' is scheduled for publication by Holt in 2020. |
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== Personal life == |
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Shields is married and lives in Charlottesville, Virginia. He is the father of Andrew (1983-2012), and Lauren Shields, author of ''The Beauty Suit: How My Year of Religious Modesty Made Me a Better Feminist'' (Beacon Press, 2018).<ref>{{Cite book |
Shields is married and lives in Charlottesville, Virginia. He is the father of Andrew (1983-2012), and Lauren Shields, author of ''The Beauty Suit: How My Year of Religious Modesty Made Me a Better Feminist'' (Beacon Press, 2018).<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Beauty Suit: How My Year of Religious Modesty Made Me a Better Feminist|last=results|first=search|date=2018-05-15|publisher=Beacon Press|isbn=9780807093924|language=en}}</ref> |
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==Bibliography== |
==Bibliography== |
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'''Trade Books''' |
'''Trade Books''' |
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*''Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee'', (Henry Holt & Co., 2006) |
*''Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee'', (Henry Holt & Co., 2006) |
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*''And So It Goes: Kurt Vonnegut, A Life'', (Henry Holt & Co., 2011 |
*''And So It Goes: Kurt Vonnegut, A Life'', (Henry Holt & Co., 2011) |
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*''I Am Scout: The Biography of Harper Lee'' (Henry Holt & Co., 2008; rev. 2018) |
*''I Am Scout: The Biography of Harper Lee'' (Henry Holt & Co., 2008; rev. Christy Ottaviano Books, 2018) |
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*''The Man Who Wrote the Perfect Novel: John Williams, Stoner & the Writing Life'' (University of Texas Press, 2018) |
*''The Man Who Wrote the Perfect Novel: John Williams, Stoner & the Writing Life'' (University of Texas Press, 2018) |
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*''Lorraine Hansberry: The Life Behind a Raisin in the Sun'' (Henry Holt & Co., 2022) |
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==References== |
==References== |
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*[https://brevitymag.com/craft-essays/the-editor-at-the-breakfast-table/ Charles J. Shields, "The Editor at the Breakfast Table," Brevity: A Journal of Concise Literary Nonfiction. May 6, 2014. Retrieved October 23, 2018.] |
*[https://brevitymag.com/craft-essays/the-editor-at-the-breakfast-table/ Charles J. Shields, "The Editor at the Breakfast Table," Brevity: A Journal of Concise Literary Nonfiction. May 6, 2014. Retrieved October 23, 2018.] |
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*[https://www.kirkusreviews.com/features/and-so-it-goes-portrait-vonnegut/ Shields interviewed by ''Kirkus'' magazine, "And So It Goes: A Portrait of Kurt Vonnegut." Retrieved October 23, 2018.] |
*[https://www.kirkusreviews.com/features/and-so-it-goes-portrait-vonnegut/ Shields interviewed by ''Kirkus'' magazine, "And So It Goes: A Portrait of Kurt Vonnegut." Retrieved October 23, 2018.] |
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*{{C-SPAN|64655}} |
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{{authority control}} |
{{authority control}} |
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Latest revision as of 15:18, 26 November 2023
Charles J. Shields (born December 2, 1951) is an American biographer of mid-century American novelists and writers.
Raised in a Chicago suburb, Shields attended the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, graduating with degrees in English (1974) and American history (1979).
Career[edit]
In 1997, Shields left his career in education to write independently. Over the course of the next six years, he published 20 histories and biographies for young people. In 2002, E.D. Hirsch (Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know, 1988) invited Shields to join his Core Knowledge Foundation in Charlottesville, Virginia as senior editor, contributing to a curriculum which, adapted, became the Common Core Standards Initiative that "define the knowledge and skills students should gain throughout their K-12 education in order to graduate high school prepared to succeed in entry-level careers, introductory academic college courses, and workforce training programs."[1][2] Forty-one states, the District of Columbia, four territories, and the Department of Defense Education Activity have voluntarily adopted the Common Core.
Shields's first biography for adults in 2006— Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee (Holt)[3] went on to become a New York Times bestseller and a Book-of-the-Month Club alternate. “This biography will not disappoint those who loved the novel and the feisty, independent, fiercely loyal Scout, in whom Harper Lee put so much of herself,” wrote Garrison Keillor in the New York Times Sunday Book Review.[4] “As readable, convincing, and engrossing as Lee’s literary wonder,” said the Orlando Sentinel.[5] The biography appeared in a revised edition in 2016 as Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee: From Scout to Go Set a Watchman (Holt).
For the National Endowment for the Arts' "Big Read" initiative, Shields spoke to hundreds of audiences about his biography of Harper Lee for community-wide reads of To Kill a Mockingbird.[6] Several versions of his talks are archived on the Internet.[7]
Two years later, Shields followed-up his biography of Lee with a young adult version: I Am Scout: The Biography of Harper Lee (Holt), selected by the Junior Library Guild, and recommended among the American Library Association Best Books for Young Adults and Arizona Grand Canyon Young Readers Master List.[8]
In 2009, with fellow biographers Nigel Hamilton, James McGrath Morris, and Pulitzer-prize winner Debby Applegate, Shields co-founded Biographers International Organization (BIO), a non-profit organization founded to promote the art and craft of biography, and to further the professional interests of its practitioners.
In November 2011, Shields published the first biography of Kurt Vonnegut, And So It Goes: Kurt Vonnegut, A Life (Holt),[9] described by Steve Almond in the Boston Globe as a “disturbing account of the late author, whose ambition and talent transformed him from an obscure science fiction writer to a countercultural icon,”[10] and an "engrossing, definitive biography" by Publishers Weekly in a starred review.[11] It was selected as a New York Times Notable Book,[12] and Washington Post Notable Nonfiction Book for 2011.[13]
In 2018, the University of Texas Press published Shields’ The Man Who Wrote the Perfect Novel: John Williams, Stoner & the Writing Life. “Shields knows how to tell a good story,” said the Los Angeles Review of Books, “one that will appeal especially to those interested in the ins and outs of the publishing industry and the ups and downs of a writer’s life (spoiler alert: there are many).”[14]
Lorraine Hansberry: The Life Behind a Raisin in the Sun was published by Holt in January 2022.[15]
Personal life[edit]
Shields is married and lives in Charlottesville, Virginia. He is the father of Andrew (1983-2012), and Lauren Shields, author of The Beauty Suit: How My Year of Religious Modesty Made Me a Better Feminist (Beacon Press, 2018).[16]
Bibliography[edit]
Trade Books
- Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee, (Henry Holt & Co., 2006)
- And So It Goes: Kurt Vonnegut, A Life, (Henry Holt & Co., 2011)
- I Am Scout: The Biography of Harper Lee (Henry Holt & Co., 2008; rev. Christy Ottaviano Books, 2018)
- The Man Who Wrote the Perfect Novel: John Williams, Stoner & the Writing Life (University of Texas Press, 2018)
- Lorraine Hansberry: The Life Behind a Raisin in the Sun (Henry Holt & Co., 2022)
References[edit]
- ^ "FACETIME- Flying blind: Tracking the elusive Harper Lee". www.readthehook.com. Retrieved 2018-11-09.
- ^ "About the Standards: Common Core State Standards Initiative". www.corestandards.org. Archived from the original on 2019-11-15. Retrieved 2018-11-09.
- ^ "Charles J. Shields". Macmillan Speakers Bureau. Retrieved October 28, 2011.
- ^ “Good Scout,” New York Times, June 11, 2006.
- ^ Ann Hellmuth, “Walking in Harper Lee’s Shoes,” Orlando Sentinel, June 11, 2006.
- ^ //archive.org/details/harperleestokill00shie
- ^ "To Kill a Mockingbird Radio Show - Listen!". Archived from the original on April 17, 2009. Retrieved June 20, 2013.
- ^ Charles J. Shields (April 12, 2009). "I Am Scout". Macmillan. Archived from the original on November 14, 2011. Retrieved October 28, 2011.
- ^ Charles J. Shields (September 9, 2009). And So It Goes: Kurt Vonnegut: A Life. ISBN 9780805086935. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
- ^ Almond, Steve (November 11, 2011). "Look at the birdie". Boston Globe.
- ^ "100 Notable Books of 2011". Publishers Weekly. August 1, 2011. Retrieved 2018-11-09.
- ^ "100 Notable Books of 2011". New York Times Sunday Book Review. November 21, 2011. Retrieved 2018-11-09.
- ^ "Notable nonfiction of 2011". The Washington Post.
- ^ Urban, Christopher (November 3, 2018). "A Substantially Good Book: On Charles J. Shields's Life of John Williams - Los Angeles Review of Books". Los Angeles Review of Books. Retrieved 2018-11-09.
- ^ "Lorraine Hansberry: The Life Behind A Raisin in the Sun". Macmillan. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
- ^ results, search (2018-05-15). The Beauty Suit: How My Year of Religious Modesty Made Me a Better Feminist. Beacon Press. ISBN 9780807093924.
External links[edit]
- Shields interviewed by NPR, "Kurt Vonnegut was Not a Happy Man. 'So It Goes.'
- Charles J. Shields, "The Editor at the Breakfast Table," Brevity: A Journal of Concise Literary Nonfiction. May 6, 2014. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
- Shields interviewed by Kirkus magazine, "And So It Goes: A Portrait of Kurt Vonnegut." Retrieved October 23, 2018.
- Appearances on C-SPAN
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