M = MCCULLOUGH, David - Author, A-Z Blog Challenge 2016

Take me on a trip to a distant city, in a time already passed - tell me how it really was. . .

David McCullough has done that several times.

David McCullough at Emory University, 2007

M = McCullough, David, Author
Theme = Authors, AtoZ



David Gaub McCullough born in Pittsburg, July 7,1933, is an American author, narrator, historian and lecturer. He is a two-time Pulitzer Prize recipient and has been honoured with the National Book Award. He has also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the US. 

McCullough's first book was The Johnstown Flood 1968, and following his success with that, was Harry S. Truman, John Adams, and The Brooklyn Bridge.  McCullough also narrated many documentaries such as Seabiscuit, and The Civil War by Ken Burns.

As a child, McCullough's parents and his grandmother introduced him to books at an early age and read to him. He often heard his parents talking about history, a topic he says should be discussed more often. He decided to write about a subject showing "people were not always foolish and inept or irresponsible." So, he wrote the story of the Brooklyn Bridge, which he had walked across many times.

In 1977, McCullough travelled to the White House to advise Jimmy Carter on the Panama Canal issues. Carter later said the bill wouldn't have passed had it not been for the book which McCullough had written (The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal).


Quote: David McCullough
To me history ought to be a source of pleasure. It isn't just part of our civic responsibility. To me it's an enlargement of the experience of being alive, just the way literature or art or music is."

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David McCullough lives in Boston and is married to Rosalee Barnes McCullough whom he met when she was just 17. They have five children and many grandchildren. He enjoys sports, history and art.

The Greater Journey, Americans in Paris . . . A Review by DGH
http://dghudson-rainwriting.blogspot.ca/2014/03/the-greater-journey-americans-in-paris.html

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Have you heard of David McCullough or have you read any of his books?  If you have, let me know which ones. Do you like history based stories?

Please leave a comment to let me know you were here and I'll respond. Thanks for dropping by!

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A to Z Challenge - 2016

It's April again and time for the 2016 Blogging from A to Z challenge  This is my 4th year participating in the challenge! (Previous A to Z  posts at the top of my blog page tabs are: Art A-Z, French Faves, Paris, Etc. 

Thanks to originator Lee (Arlee Bird at Tossing It Out), and the co-hosts and co-host teams who make the challenge run smoothly. See the list of participants, and other important information at the A to Z Blog site.  The basic idea is to blog every day in April except Sundays (26 days). On April 1st, you begin with the letter A, April 2 is the letter B, and so on. Posts can be random or use a theme.

Blogging from A to Z Challenge 2016 - Badge

http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/p/a-z-challenge-sign-up-list-2016.html A to Z Blog List

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References:

Wiki on McCullough
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_McCullough 

Image
David McCullough speaking at Emory University, on April 25, 2007.

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D = DOCTOROW, E L - Author, A-Z Blog Challenge 2016

E. L. Doctorow - American novelist, 20th Century

E.L. Doctorow,, Author, Image Credit*

D = Doctorow, E. L. - Author, Editor, and Professor
Theme = Authors AtoZ

Edgar Lawrence "E. L." Doctorow, (January 6, 1931 - July 21, 2015) was best known internationally for his works of historical fiction. He wrote twelve novels, three volumes of short fiction and a stage drama. They included the award winning novels, Ragtime (1975), Billy Bathgate (1989), and The March (2005). Doctorow won numerous awards, too many to name them all in this post. Refer to the wiki link if you are interested.

A number of Doctorow's novels were adapted to the large screen, but his most notable was for the film, Ragtime in 1981 and the Broadway musical version in 1988. Billy Bathgate followed in 1991 with Dustin Hoffman in the starring role. 

Immense research was required for Doctorow to create stories based on real events and characters. That research was then woven into the fiction. Doctorow told tales of what had happened in certain situations so we would learn and not repeat the errors that had already been made. You need to know a bit about the past to understand the present.

During his writing career, Doctorow spent nine years as a book editor, working with Ian Fleming and Ayn Rand among others. He was known by his own editors to be thorough and particular with his manuscripts. They arrived polished and finished. . .

Doctorow succumbed to an ongoing fight with cancer and died July 21, 2015, aged 84. His legacy of historical fiction will keep his name circulating for years to come. 

From DG:

* * Homer and Langley, a tale about two brothers from a well to do family in New York relates how a disability and an untreated mental condition contributed to their withdrawal from the outside world.. Read my past review of this novel. 

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Have you read any of these novels by Doctorow: Homer and Langley, Ragtime, Billy Bathgate or The March?

Please leave a comment to let me know you were here and I'll respond. Thanks for stopping by!

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A to Z Challenge - 2016

It's April again and time for the 2016 Blogging from A to Z challenge  This is my 4th year participating in the challenge! (Previous A to Z  posts at the top of my blog page tabs are: Art A-Z, French Faves, Paris, Etc. 

Thanks to originator Lee (Arlee Bird at Tossing It Out), and the co-hosts and co-host teams who make the challenge run smoothly. See the list of participants, and other important information at the A to Z Blog site.  The basic idea is to blog every day in April except Sundays (26 days). On April 1st, you begin with the letter A, April 2 is the letter B, and so on. Posts can be random or use a theme.

Blogging from A to Z Challenge 2016 - Badge

A to Z Blog List

http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/p/a-z-challenge-sign-up-list-2016.html 

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REFERENCES:

Website of author
http://www.eldoctorow.com/ 

Previous Book Review of Homer and Langley
http://dghudson-rainwriting.blogspot.ca/2013/06/el-doctorow-homer-and-langley-new-york.html

* Image Credit:  Doctorow by Ruth Fremson/The New York Times

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