Denenberg, Barry

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Denenberg, Barry

PERSONAL:

Born in Brooklyn, NY; married Jean Feiwel (a publisher).

ADDRESSES:

Home—Bedford, NY.

CAREER:

Writer. Worked as a bookseller, book buyer, and marketing executive in publishing.

AWARDS, HONORS:

American Library Association Best Books for Young Adults designation, and New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age designation, both for An American Hero: The True Story of Charles A. Lindbergh and Voices from Vietnam.

WRITINGS:

NONFICTION

John Fitzgerald Kennedy, America's 35th President, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1988.

Stealing Home: The Story of Jackie Robinson, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1990.

Nelson Mandela: "No Easy Walk to Freedom": A Biography of Nelson Mandela, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1991.

The True Story of J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1993.

Voices from Vietnam, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1995.

The Story of Muhammad Ali: Heavyweight Champion of the World, Gareth Stevens (Milwaukee, WI), 1996.

An American Hero: The True Story of Charles A. Lindbergh, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1996.

All Shook Up! The Life and Death of Elvis Presley, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2001.

Shadow Life: A Portrait of Anne Frank and Her Family, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2005.

FICTION

When Will This Cruel War Be Over? The Civil War Diary of Emma Simpson ("Dear America" series; also see below), Scholastic (New York, NY), 1996.

So Far from Home: The Diary of Mary Driscoll, an Irish Mill Girl ("Dear America" series; also see below), Scholastic (New York, NY), 1997.

The Journal of William Thomas Emerson, a Revolutionary Patriot ("My Name Is America" series), Scholastic (New York, NY), 1998.

The Journal of Ben Uchida, Citizen 13559, Mirror Lake Internment Camp ("My Name Is America" series), Scholastic (New York, NY), 1999.

One Eye Laughing, the Other Weeping: The Dairy of Julie Weiss ("Dear America" series), Scholastic (New York, NY), 2000.

Early Sunday Morning: The Pearl Harbor Diary of Amber Billows ("Dear America" series), Scholastic (New York, NY), 2001.

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: The Diary of Bess Brennan ("Dear America" series), Scholastic (New York, NY), 2002.

Elisabeth: The Princess Bride ("The Royal Diaries"), Scholastic (New York, NY), 2003.

Pandora of Athens: 399 B.C. ("Life and Times" series), Scholastic (New York, NY), 2004.

Atticus of Rome: 30 B.C. ("Life and Times" series), Scholastic (New York, NY), 2004.

OTHER

Dear America: So Far from Home (teleplay), 1999.

Dear America: When Will This Cruel War Be Over? (teleplay), 2000.

SIDELIGHTS:

Barry Denenberg is the author of many historical fiction and nonfiction titles for young adults. He has contributed to several historical book series told from a first-person perspective, among them the "Dear America," "My Name Is America," and "Royal Diaries" series. He has also written biographies about such notable figures in history as singer Elvis Presley, U.S. President John F. Kennedy, and South African leader Nelson Mandela. Denenberg's respected biography of aviator Charles Lindbergh, titled An American Hero: The True Story of Charles A. Lindbergh, led the writer to be interviewed for several television documentaries, including the ABC mini-series The Century.

Denenberg began his career as a bookseller and book buyer for independent bookstores and large chains, and eventually became a marketing executive in publishing. Realizing that corporate publishing was not for him, he decided to write a novel. Before he got too involved in this new project, however, Denenberg was offered work with Scholastic publishers, writing a biography of Kennedy. The result was John Fitzgerald Kennedy, America's 35th President, the first of several biographies Denenberg has written.

Reviewing Nelson Mandela: "No Easy Walk to Freedom": A Biography of Nelson Mandela, a Publishers Weekly critic wrote that "Denenberg's inspirational tone grabs and holds readers." Another Publishers Weekly critic found The True Story of J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI to be an "absorbing and detailed historical survey" as well as "a solid, workmanlike and age-appropriate biography."

A more unique form of biography, Denenberg's Voices from Vietnam is a collection of first-person reflections from people on all sides of the Vietnam conflict. The arrangement of these original texts helps give the era an historical and political context, encouraging readers to place themselves in the shoes of those whose stories they read. Horn Book critic Peter D. Sieruta commented on the "chorus of diverse voices" that make up the majority of the text. Voices from Vietnam was praised as "a moving tribute" by a Publishers Weekly reviewer and "a high-caliber oral history" by Chris Sherman in Booklist.

With An American Hero, Denenberg shifts his focus to general readers, presenting readers with a "fascinating, evenhanded, and carefully researched examination of the aviator," as Debbie Carton noted in a Booklist review. The author's biography of the controversial American pilot led documentary writers to approach Denenberg as a Lindbergh expert, a Publishers Weekly critic deeming the work a "hard-hitting and ambitious biography."

Denenberg's All Shook Up! The Life and Death of Elvis Presley takes a decidedly different format; its informal text is presented in personable language, and the story's narrator speaks in period slang. A Kirkus Reviews contributor found All Shook Up to be "an extremely accessible account" of the mid-twentieth-century rock-'n'-roll superstar, and Ilene Cooper wrote in Booklist that "it's colloquial, a little edgy, sometimes difficult to sustain, but the tone will capture readers' interest." Ginny Gustin, writing in School Library Journal, also predicted that Denenberg's "casual, chatty tone … will keep readers engaged." While Nora Krug noted in the New York Times Book Review that the narrative style detracts from the book's objective feel, Denenberg "writes with a bravado to match his subject; the book is conversational and opinionated (sometimes too much so)." Peter D. Sieruta wrote in Horn Book that Denenberg's "disarmingly informal narrative voice" helped some aspects of the biography, "the text does a good job of capturing Elvis's legendary persona," capturing the man over his contributions to music history.

Shadow Life: A Portrait of Anne Frank and Her Family also uses unconventional biography techniques. In retelling the story of the famous diarist and her wartime plight—the teenaged Frank and her Jewish family hid from Nazi soldiers in their native Germany but were eventually captured—Denenberg "recreates" a fictional dairy from Anne's elder sister Margot's perspective, using real correspondence in Margot's voice as a guide. "Another viewpoint does not detract from the original Diary but rather creates a sympathetic, understanding view of Margot's more famous sister, the often hotheaded, stubborn Anne," wrote Judith Hayn in the Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy. Ann W. Moore, reviewing the book for School Library Journal, found several flaws in the biography, including "awkward and choppy" writing and a lack of focus on a specific readership. A Publishers Weekly critic was more positive, however, writing that Denenberg's "uniquely constructed" biography "aims—and largely succeeds—at filling out the details" missing from the historical documentation the Franks left behind. Noting that there are several biographies of the Franks available, Booklist critic Carolyn Phelan wrote of Shadow Life that "this thoroughly researched volume offers much more." Michele Winship, writing in Kliatt, considered the book "a chilling reminder" of the events of the Holocaust.

Along with his nonfiction work, Denenberg writes diary-form historical fiction for several popular series. "Writing some of the first books in the 'Dear America' series was a turning point in my career," the writer commented on the Scholastic Web site. The series' "popularity and the resulting readers' letters made a great impression on me. This in turn inspired my writing and fueled my research." Denenberg's first contribution to the series, When Will This Cruel War Be Over? The Civil War Diary of Emma Simpson, places readers on the home front during the U.S. Civil War. According to a Publishers Weekly critic, the book is one of the strengths of an "imaginative, solid" series useful for stimulating interest in American history.

Denenberg's other diarists in the "Dear America" series include Bess Brennan, a blind girl who in Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: The Diary of Bess Brennan describes her experiences in the Perkins School for the Blind during the Great Depression. Protagonist Julie Weiss, in One Eye Laughing, the Other Weeping, flees to the United States in response to Nazi persecution of Jews during World War II. Of the first book, Catherine Andronik wrote in Booklist that Denenberg's inclusion of details such as "the education of the visually impaired in times gone by … will keep readers involved," while Margaret C. Howell wrote in School Library Journal that "the information is well presented, as are Bess's feelings when people talk about her as if she were not there."

Denenberg also uses the fictional-diary format for his contributions to both the "My Name Is America Series" and "Royal Diaries" book series. Of his Journal of William Thomas Emerson: A Revolutionary War Patriot, Phelan wrote in Booklist that the narrative "paints a vivid picture" of eighteenth-century America, and the narrator of The Journal of Ben Uchida: Citizen 13559 Mirror Lake Internment Camp "comes across as a real kid, coping with anger, resentment, confusion, and fear," according to fellow Booklist contributor Todd Morning.

Denenberg's contributions to the "Life and Times" series are set much earlier than any of his other historical fiction: Atticus of Rome, 30 B.C. and Pandora of Athens, 399 B.C. describe life in classical Greece and Rome. While School Library Journal critic Patricia D. Lothrop wrote that the books "fail to convey a real sense of living in the past," Booklist writer Kay Weisman deemed the narratives "rich in setting details" and added that the novels "dutifully describe a wide range of ancient customs."

In both his fiction and nonfiction titles, Denenberg places a great deal of his focus on research. "When it comes to research," he told an interviewer for KidsRead.com, "I really like to gather as much stuff as I can, especially first source materials.… Once I have the research materials, I know the book can be written. With all the books around I can really transport myself to the time period I'm writing about." All his reading focuses on the historical epoch surrounding his current writing project, and he avoids watching television during his research stage as a way of remaining immersed in his book's setting. "I prefer to over-research, and the more historical material there is, the happier I am," Denenberg concluded.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklinks, March, 2005, Carolyn Phelan, review of Shadow Life: A Portrait of Anne Frank and Her Family, p. 26.

Booklist, April 15, 1993, Sheilamae O'Hara, review of The True Story of J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI, p. 1504; February 15, 1995, Chris Sherman, review of Voices from Vietnam, p. 1082; January 1, 1996, review of Voices from Vietnam, p. 740; March 15, 1996, Debbie Carton, review of An American Hero: The True Story of Charles A. Lindbergh, p. 1261, review of Voices from Vietnam, p. 1274; April 1, 1997, review of An American Hero, p. 1286; December 15, 1997, Denia Hester, review of So Far from Home: The Diary of Mary Driscoll, an Irish Mill Girl, p. 697; June 1, 1998, review of When Will This Cruel War Be Over? The Civil War Diary of Emma Simpson, p. 1751; November 1, 1998, Carolyn Phelan, review of The Journal of William Thomas Emerson, a Revolutionary Patriot p. 490; December 15, 1999, Todd Morning, review of The Journal of Ben Uchida, p. 784; July, 2000, Ilene Cooper, review of One Eye Laughing, the Other Weeping: The Dairy of Julie Weiss, p. 2024; October 1, 2001, Ilene Cooper, review of All Shook Up, p. 308; October 1, 2002, Catherine Andronik, review of Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: The Diary of Bess Brennan, p. 325; November 1, 2004, Kay Weisman, review of Atticus of Rome, 30 B.C., p. 482; February, 2005, Carolyn Phelan, review of Shadow Life, p. 960.

Book Report, September-October, 1991, William J. Smith, review of Nelson Mandela: "No Easy Walk to Freedom,": A Biography of Nelson Mandela p. 54; September-October, 1993, Edna Boardman, review of The True Story of J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI, p. 57; March-April, 1995, Clyde L. Hofflund, review of Voices from Vietnam, p. 46; September-October, 1996, Carol Bomball, review of An American Hero, p. 47.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, March, 1995, review of Voices from Vietnam, p. 233; April, 1996, review of An American Hero, p. 261; October, 1996, review of When Will This Cruel War Be Over?, p. 55; November, 1998, review of The Journal of William Thomas Emerson, a Revolutionary Patriot p. 93; January, 2002, review of All Shook Up!, p. 169; May, 2005, review of Shadow Life, p. 378.

Children's Bookwatch, February, 2005, "Scholastic, Inc."; July, 2005, review of Shadow Life.

Cobblestone, March, 2001, review of So Far from Home, p. 46.

Emergency Librarian, September, 1996, review of Voices from Vietnam, p. 23.

Five Owls (annual), 2002, review of All Shook Up!, p. 87.

Horn Book, September-October, 1995, Peter D. Sieruta, review of Voices from Vietnam, p. 617; September-October, 1996, Elizabeth S. Watson, review of An American Hero, p. 612; January-February, 2002, Peter D. Sieruta, review of All Shook Up!, p. 95; March-April, 2005, Betty Carter, review of Shadow Life, p. 214.

Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, November, 1996, review of An American Hero, p. 232; September, 2005, Judith Hayn, review of Shadow Life, pp. 76-77.

Kirkus Reviews, October 1, 2001, review of All Shook Up!, p. 1421; January 15, 2005, review of Shadow Life, p. 119.

Kliatt, March, 2005, Michele Winship, review of Shadow Life, p. 10.

Library Media Connection, April-May, 2005, Augie E. Beasley, review of Shadow Life, p. 89.

New York Times Book Review, January 5, 1997, review of An American Hero, p. 22; January 20, 2002, Nora Krug, review of All Shook Up!, p. 15.

Parents, December, 1996, review of When Will This Cruel War Be Over?, p. 254.

Publishers Weekly, January 12, 1990, Diane Roback, review of The Story of Muhammad Ali: Heavyweight Champion of the World, p. 63; March 1, 1991, review of Nelson Mandela, p. 74; October 4, 1991, review of Nelson Mandela, p. 90; April 5, 1993, review of The True Story of J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI, p. 80; January 2, 1995, review of Voices from Vietnam, p. 78; May 6, 1996, review of An American Hero, p. 82; September 2, 1996, review of When Will This Cruel War Be Over?, p. 131; January 12, 1998, review of An American Hero, p. 61; December 11, 2000, "All in the Family," p. 28; September 8, 2003, review of All Shook Up!, p. 79; March 21, 2005, review of Shadow Life, p. 52.

Reading Teacher, December, 1997, review of An American Hero, p. 335; December, 1998, review of So Far from Home, p. 386.

School Librarian, summer, 2006, Beth Morrissey, review of Shadow Life, p. 102.

School Library Journal, February, 1989, Mary Mueller, review of John Fitzgerald Kennedy: America's 35th President, p. 92; April, 1990, Tom S. Hurlburt, review of The Story of Muhammad Ali, p. 131; January, 1991, Tom S. Hurlburt, review of Stealing Home: The Story of Jackie Robinson, p. 100; May, 1991, Courtrina Lewis Stevens, review of Nelson Mandela, p. 118; June, 1993, Mary Mueller, review of The True Story of J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI, p. 136; March, 1995, Mary Mueller, review of Voices from Vietnam, p. 228; July, 1996, Pat Katka, review of An American Hero, p. 102; September, 1996, Elizabeth M. Reardon, review of When Will This Cruel War Be Over?, p. 201; October, 1997, Rebecca O'Connell, review of So Far from Home, p. 132; May, 1999, Ann M. Burlingame, review of The Journal of William Thomas Emerson, a Revolutionary Patriot p. 122; December, 2000, Marcia W. Posner, review of One Eye Laughing, the Other Weeping, p. 143; January, 2002, Ginny Gustin, review of All Shook Up!, p. 152; October, 2002, Margaret C. Howell, review of Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, p. 160; April, 2003, Alison Grant, review of Elisabeth: The Princess Bride, p. 158; November, 2004, Patricia D. Lothrop, review of Atticus of Rome, 30 B.C., p. 142; April, 2005, Ann W. Moore, review of Shadow Life, p. 148.

Social Education, April, 1998, review of So Far from Home, p. 5.

Stone Soup, May, 1991, review of Nelson Mandela, p. 118; May-June, 2002, Cassy Charyn, review of One Eye Laughing, the Other Weeping, p. 16.

Tribune Books (Chicago, IL), May 4, 1997, review of When Will This Cruel War Be Over?, p. 1.

Voice of Youth Advocates, June, 1991, review of Nelson Mandela, p. 121; June, 1993, review of The True Story of J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI, p. 109; August, 1995, review of Voices from Vietnam, p. 180; June, 1996, review of An American Hero, p. 116; October, 1996, review of When Will This Cruel War Be Over?, p. 208; August, 1997, review of An American Hero, p. 163; February, 2001, review of One Eye Laughing, the Other Weeping, p. 422; April, 2002, review of All Shook Up!, p. 59; April, 2005, Walter Hogan, review of Shadow Life, p. 66; June, 2005, Lydia Scoles, review of Atticus of Rome, 30 B.C., p. 126.

Wilson Library Bulletin, May, 1991, Frances Bradburn, review of Nelson Mandela, p. 124.