author

In 1960, a first-time author named Harper Lee published To Kill a Mockingbird. The novel blended a young Southern girl’s coming-of-age story with a provocative account of her attorney father’s losing struggle to defend an African American man falsely accused of rape. The best-seller won a Pulitzer…

E.L. Doctorow took the art of historical novels a step beyond by reimagining historical figures as fictional characters. In his most famous work, the 1975 best-seller Ragtime, Doctorow, who passed away on July 21 in New York at age 84, set a cast that includes Harry Houdini, Sigmund Freud, Henry…

Recently our new AARP CEO Jo Ann Jenkins challenged Americans to “Be Fearless at 50+.” What does that mean? I saw the answer in action recently when actress and activist Holly Robinson Peete got an oversized AARP card as she celebrated her 50 th birthday at a star-studded oceanside party in Malibu,…

Some writers are myth-makers. Joe McGinniss, who died on March 10 at age 71 in Worchester, Mass., was the opposite.

Maurice Sendak, children's book author and illustrator, best known for his work "Where the Wild Things Are" has died at age 83. Sendak was also known for several other books, including "In the Night Kitchen" and as a theater set designer. His books have become a staple of childhood reading for…