Wukovits, John F. 1944- (John Wukovits)

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Wukovits, John F. 1944- (John Wukovits)

PERSONAL:

Born November 3, 1944, in Akron, OH; children: Amy, Julie, Karen. Education: University of Notre Dame, B.A., 1967; Michigan State University, M.A., 1968.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Trenton, MI.

CAREER:

Military scholar, historian, and educator. Junior high teacher, 1968-2005.

MEMBER:

Organization of American Historians, Society for Military History, Golf Writers' Association of America.

WRITINGS:

Devotion to Duty: A Biography of Admiral Clifton A.F. Sprague, Naval Institute Press (Annapolis, MD), 1995.

Barry Sanders, introduction by Chuck Noll, Chelsea House (New York, NY), 1996.

Jesse James, Chelsea House (Philadelphia, PA), 1997.

Annie Oakley, Chelsea House (Philadelphia, PA), 1997.

Vince Lombardi, introduction by Chuck Noll, Chelsea House (Philadelphia, PA), 1997.

The Gunslingers, Chelsea House (Philadelphia, PA), 1997.

Wyatt Earp, Chelsea House (Philadelphia, PA), 1997.

The Black Cowboys, Chelsea House (Philadelphia, PA), 1997.

Butch Cassidy, Chelsea House (Philadelphia, PA), 1997.

Jack Nicklaus, Chelsea House (Philadelphia, PA), 1998.

John Stockton, introduction by Chuck Daly, Chelsea House (Philadelphia, PA), 1998.

Stephen King, Lucent Books (San Diego, CA), 1999.

The Composite Guide to Auto Racing, Chelsea House (Philadelphia, PA), 1999.

The Composite Guide to Soccer, Chelsea House (Philadelphia, PA), 1999.

Tim Allen, Chelsea House (Philadelphia, PA), 1999.

Martin Luther King, Jr., Lucent Books (San Diego, CA), 1999.

Anne Frank, Lucent Books (San Diego, CA), 1999.

Jim Carrey, Lucent Books (San Diego, CA), 1999.

(Editor) The 1910s, Greenhaven Press (San Diego, CA), 2000.

George W. Bush, Lucent Books (San Diego, CA), 2000.

Life as a POW, Lucent Books (San Diego, CA), 2000.

Life of an American Soldier in Europe, Lucent Books (San Diego, CA), 2000.

(Editor) The 1920s, Greenhaven Press (San Diego, CA), 2000.

Bill Gates: Software King, Franklin Watts (New York, NY), 2000.

The Encyclopedia of World Sports, F. Watts (Danbury, CT), 2000.

Colin Powell, Lucent Books (San Diego, CA), 2000.

The Encyclopedia of the Winter Olympics, F. Watts (New York, NY), 2001.

Hockey, Lucent Books (San Diego, CA), 2001.

Leaders and Generals, Lucent Books (San Diego, CA), 2001.

The Spanish-American War, Lucent Books (San Diego, CA), 2002.

Michael J. Fox, Lucent Books (San Diego, CA), 2002.

Strategic Battles, Lucent Books (San Diego, CA), 2002.

Flying Aces, Lucent Books (San Diego, CA), 2002.

Generals of the Revolutionary War, Lucent Books (San Diego, CA), 2003.

Oskar Schindler, Lucent Books (San Diego, CA), 2003.

Pacific Alamo: The Battle for Wake Island, New American Library (New York, NY), 2003.

Robin Williams, Lucent Books (San Diego, CA), 2004.

The War at Home, Lucent Books (San Diego, CA), 2004.

Ben Affleck, Lucent Books (San Diego, CA), 2004.

Life in the Negro Baseball Leagues, Lucent Books (Detroit, MI), 2005.

Tobey Maguire, Lucent Books (San Diego, CA), 2006.

Eisenhower, foreword by Wesley K. Clark, Palgrave Macmillan (New York, NY), 2006.

Jackie Robinson and the Integration of Baseball, Lucent Books (San Diego, CA), 2006.

One Square Mile of Hell: The Battle for Tarawa, NAL Caliber (New York, NY), 2006.

Ellen Ochoa: First Female Hispanic Astronaut, Lucent Books (Detroit, MI), 2007.

Booker T. Washington and Education, Lucent Books (Detroit, MI), 2008.

Contributor to Golf and Michigan Golfer.

SIDELIGHTS:

John F. Wukovits is a military scholar, historian, and educator. He taught history at the junior high school level for thirty-seven years while consecutively writing dozens of biographies and military history books. After retiring from the school system, he continued writing books and contributed to several golf magazines. In an interview on his own home page, Wukovits explained his interest in writing by saying: "I have always enjoyed writing, but I did not seriously look into it until the early 1980s. I read many magazine articles that I thought could have been better written, so I decided to try myself."

Wukovits published The Encyclopedia of the Winter Olympics in 2001. The book, published in advance of the games in Salt Lake City, Utah, gives a history of the sports held in the winter, strategies for the different races, and facts about equipment design and how the different designs affect the performance of the athlete. Wukovits also includes quotes from and controversies about certain athletes competing in the games. He also profiles twenty-seven athletes. Michael McCullough, writing in School Library Journal, commented that "the full-color action photographs, colorful headings and subheadings," as well as the interesting facts found in the sidebars "are an added bonus and make this book immensely readable and informative."

In 2003 Wukovits published Oskar Schindler. Wukovits outlines how Oskar Schindler changed from being a greedy businessman into a humanitarian during Nazi Germany's persecution of the Jews. He also describes Schindler's connection to Amon Goeth and the Nazi party and about the making of the Hollywood movie Schindler's List. In a School Library Journal review, Leslie Barban described the book as "a good addition to most collections," noting in particular its "well-placed" photographs in black and white and a text that is both "thorough" and "well-written."

In 2006 Wukovits published Eisenhower, with a foreword by Wesley K. Clark. Here Wukovits details the life of Dwight D. Eisenhower, the American military general who later became president. He starts from the early years when Eisenhower grew up in extreme poverty. He entered West Point Academy and joined the military but had a difficult time being given command of his own unit. Wukovits explains that Eisenhower's superiors always recruited him into their units as he was highly respected for his organizational skills. Eisenhower did advance in rank, however, eventually becoming head of the Allied forces of the European front during World War II, NATO Supreme Commander, and President of the United States. Brian DeLuca, writing in Library Journal, commented that, despite the abundance of Eisenhower biographies, the author wrote "an accessible if narrowly focused work that will likely inspire readers to find additional works on Eisenhower's military career." Booklist contributor Roland Green called the book "a sound introduction" to Eisenhower's life. Green commented, however, that "some may feel Wukovits falls short in assessing Eisenhower's strategic gifts." Rick Baillergeon, writing in History: Review of New Books, called this account an "ideal book for readers desiring to learn the basics on one of history's most prominent soldiers and leaders," adding that "it is fast paced and provides novices with just enough pertinent information on Eisenhower that they possess a fundamental knowledge" of the war hero and diplomat. A contributor to Kirkus Reviews remarked that Wukovits "efficiently distilled Eisenhower's life as a soldier" in this "tightly focused" book. The same critic commented that the book was appropriate "for the general reader looking for a handy guide to Eisenhower's long, important, and event-filled life in the armed forces."

Wukovits also published Jackie Robinson and the Integration of Baseball that same year. Wukovits highlights the segregation of American baseball at the time and how Jackie Robinson, one of the sport's most acclaimed players, led the way for a breakdown of the racial barriers in the sport and the country in general. Wukovits also covers Robinson's military career and his performance in the Negro Leagues before being drafted by the Brooklyn Dodgers. He also looks at the discrimination Robinson and his family faced upon the integration of the major leagues. Marilyn Taniguchi, writing in School Library Journal, remarked that the author does "a credible job of adding historical perspective to a straightforward account of Robinson's" many accomplishments throughout his life.

Wukovits published a third book in 2006, called One Square Mile of Hell: The Battle for Tarawa. The account tells of a battle of World War II where the American marines fought against the Japanese military on the island of Tarawa. Wukovits explains how the three-day battle was a nearly constant firefight, with the marines acquiring a number of their modern-day amphibious tactics during this battle. He outlines how the Japanese fortifications impressed the Americans and was a major factor in the number of deaths accrued on the American side. Wukovits uses stories and accounts from family members of those Americans who did not survive the battle. Booklist contributor Green noted that the author provides an "emotional punch with accounts of marines who did not survive." Green concluded that the book is "a worthwhile battle monograph."

In 2007 Wukovits published Ellen Ochoa: First Female Hispanic Astronaut. The book covers the life of Ellen Ochoa, a NASA astronaut who was the first Hispanic woman to go into space. The book recounts her early life and training to become an astronaut.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

American History, June, 2007, Jon Guttman, review of Eisenhower and One Square Mile of Hell: The Battle for Tarawa, p. 70.

Army, July, 2007, Cole C. Kingseed, review of Eisenhower, p. 86.

Booklist, August 1, 2006, Roland Green, review of One Square Mile of Hell, p. 35; November 15, 2006, Roland Green, review of Eisenhower, p. 22.

History: Review of New Books, fall, 2006, Rick Baillergeon, review of Eisenhower.

Journal of American History, December, 1996, Bernard D. Cole, review of Devotion to Duty: A Biography of Admiral Clifton A.F. Sprague, p. 1069.

Journal of Military History, April, 1998, Eric C. Rust, review of Devotion to Duty, p. 437; October, 2004, Robert J. Cressman, review of Pacific Alamo: The Battle for Wake Island, p. 1286.

Kirkus Reviews, September 1, 2006, review of Eisenhower, p. 897.

Library Journal, September 15, 2003, review of Pacific Alamo, p. 72; October 15, 2006, Brian DeLuca, review of Eisenhower, p. 70.

Marine Corps Gazette, December, 2003, review of Pacific Alamo, p. 45; December, 2003, Keith F. Kopets, "Marines Keep Wake," p. 45.

Reference & Research Book News, February, 2004, review of Pacific Alamo, p. 29.

School Library Journal, November, 2001, Michael McCullough, review of The Encyclopedia of the Winter Olympics, p. 190; March, 2003, Leslie Barban, review of Oskar Schindler, p. 258; March, 2007, Marilyn Taniguchi, review of Jackie Robinson and the Integration of Baseball, p. 236; September, 2007, Linda L. Plevak, review of Ellen Ochoa: First Female Hispanic Astronaut, p. 218.

Sea Power, September, 2003, Sherry L. Gardner, review of Pacific Alamo, p. 43.

World War II, March, 2007, Robert Citino, review of Eisenhower, p. 61.