Crane, George T. 1957- (Sam Crane)

PERSONAL:

Born 1957; married Maureen Strype (a registered nurse); children: Aidan, Margaret. Education: Purchase College, State University of New York, B.A.; University of Wisconsin—Madison, Ph.D.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Williamstown, MA. Office—Political Science Department, Williams College, Stetson G-12, P.O. Box 676, Williamstown, MA 01267. E-mail—George.T.Crane@williams.edu; scrane@williams.edu.

CAREER:

Political scientist, educator and writer. Williams College, Williamstown, MA, began as associate professor, became professor of political science, and chair of Asian studies.

WRITINGS:

The Political Economy of China's Special Economic Zones, M.E. Sharpe (Armonk, NY), 1990.

(Editor) The Theoretical Evolution of International Political Economy: A Reader, Oxford University Press (New York, NY), 1991, revised edition, 1997.

(As Sam Crane) Aidan's Way: The Story of a Boy's Life and a Father's Journey (memoir), Sourcebooks (Naperville, IL), 2002.

Contributor to periodicals, including National Interest, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Journal of International Affairs, American Political Science Review, and Salon.com.

SIDELIGHTS:

George T. Crane, also known as Sam Crane, turned from his writings about political science to reflect on life with his severely disabled son. In Aidan's Way: The Story of a Boy's Life and a Father's Journey, Crane reflects on how life changed with the birth of his son Aidan, who was initially healthy but began having seizures ten days after his birth. After several similar emergencies and a CAT scan of their son, Crane and his wife, Maureen, learned that Aidan had a malformed brain that would prevent him from ever seeing, speaking, or walking. The author writes about how the couple learned to care for their son, including exercising him and giving him medications, only to have Aidan suffer a grand mal seizure that required him to be fed intravenously. The memoir follows Crane as he struggles in his marriage and looks for meaning in Aidan's life by poring over the Chinese classics that Crane has long taught as a university professor. The author eventually gains a new outlook both on the life of his son Aidan and his own view of living.

Writing a review of Aidan's Way in Kirkus Reviews, a contributor noted: "Never scanting the heartaches and medical emergencies, never maudlin or under any illusions about outcome, Crane … finds affirmation and comfort in accepting what good can be gleaned from his family's heartbreak." Other critics also praised the author's honest appraisal of his son's situation and the meaning of life, including a Publishers Weekly contributor who wrote that "this book will ring true for parents dealing with similar situations." Vanessa Bush, writing in Booklist, called the book a "heart-wrenching, soul-searching look at the challenges of raising a disabled child."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

Crane, Sam, Aidan's Way: The Story of a Boy's Life and a Father's Journey, Sourcebooks (Naperville, IL), 2002.

PERIODICALS

Ascribe Higher Education Service, October 31, 2002, "The Book ‘Aidan's Way’ Is Testament to the Value of Human Life."

Booklist, November 1, 2002, Vanessa Bush, review of Aidan's Way, p. 453.

Commonweal, September 25, 1998, Sam Crane, "Aidan's gift. (The Last Word)," p. 31.

Kirkus Reviews, August 15, 2002, review of Aidan's Way, p. 1191.

Library Journal, December, 2002, KellyJo Houtz Griffin, review of Aidan's Way, p. 163.

Publishers Weekly, September 9, 2002, review of Aidan's Way, p. 51.

ONLINE

CollegeNews.org,http://www.collegenews.org/ (March 28, 2007), "The Book ‘Aidan's Way’ Is Testament to the Value of Human Life."

Williams College, Political Science Department Web site,http://www.williams.edu/ (March 28, 2007), faculty profile of author.