Love, Dennis 1954-

PERSONAL:

Born 1954.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Sacramento, CA.

CAREER:

Writer and journalist. Has worked as reporter for numerous publications, beginning with the Anniston Star, Anniston, AL, and including the Los Angeles Daily News, Buzz, Sacramento Bee, and the Arizona Republic.

AWARDS, HONORS:

National prize for commentary, American Association of Sunday Newspaper Editors; Associated Press News Writing awards (seven); and Best of the West awards (two).

WRITINGS:

(With Stacy Brown) Blind Faith: The Miraculous Journey of Lula Hardaway, Stevie Wonder's Mother: An Authorized Biography of Lula Hardaway, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2002.

My City Was Gone: One American Town's Toxic Secret, Its Angry Band of Locals, and a $700 Million Day in Court, William Morrow (New York, NY), 2006.

ADAPTATIONS:

Blind Faith was adapted as a sound recording, S & S Audio, 2002.

SIDELIGHTS:

Dennis Love is a journalist who collaborated with colleague Stacy Brown for his first book, Blind Faith: The Miraculous Journey of Lula Hardaway, Stevie Wonder's Mother: An Authorized Biography of Lula Hardaway. In the biography, the authors look at both Lula Hardaway's tough life scraping to get by (sometimes working as a prostitute and suffering abuse at the hands of her husband) and her son's success as a child prodigy in music and then a superstar recording artist. Book contributor Beth Kephart commented that Blind Faith is "chockfull of heartwarming scenes." Mike Tribby, writing in Booklist, noted: "Just brace yourself for this book's blazing brightness." Tribby added that the book is also a good source for rock history. An Ebony contributor called the biography "frank and compelling."

In My City Was Gone: One American Town's Toxic Secret, Its Angry Band of Locals, and a $700 Million Day in Court, Love tells the dark and troublesome story of the town he grew up in, Anniston, Alabama. As the author recounts, the Monsanto chemical plant and a military depot for chemical weapons were situated in the town. Over the years, chemicals leaked out or were dumped into the nearby countryside and streams. Eventually, the town's cancer rates rose to twenty-five percent above the national average, leading to Anniston's virtual desertion. The author delves into the court case and how the townspeople won a significant settlement due to widespread concern by the general public and other social and political forces. He frames his tale within the stories of a white mayor who is defending Monsanto and the government and a black community activist seeking justice for the townspeople. Love also includes his own reminiscences of growing up in Anniston. Vanessa Bush, writing in Booklist, noted that the author's "early memories of the town he could never forget provide compelling background to a dramatic story." A Kirkus Reviews contributor referred to My City Was Gone as "absorbing."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Book, September-October, 2002, Beth Kephart, review of Blind Faith: The Miraculous Journey of Lula Hardaway, Stevie Wonder's Mother: An Authorized Biography of Lula Hardaway, p. 80.

Booklist, August, 2002, Mike Tribby, review of Blind Faith, p. 1908; August 1, 2006, Vanessa Bush, review of My City Was Gone: One American Town's Toxic Secret, Its Angry Band of Locals, and a $700 Million Day in Court, p. 18.

Ebony, January, 2003, review of Blind Faith, p. 16.

Kirkus Reviews, June 15, 2006, review of My City Was Gone, p. 620.

Library Journal, July, 2002, review of Blind Faith, p. 83.

Publishers Weekly, June 3, 2002, review of Blind Faith, p. 74; May 29, 2006, review of My City Was Gone, p. 51.

SciTech Book News, December, 2006, review of My City Was Gone.