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David Pietrusza

デイヴィッド・ピエトルーザ

David Pietrusza

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1949-11-22 （Amsterdam, New York, U.S.）
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Residence History
Amsterdam, New York, U.S. (birthplace) → Glenville, New York, U.S. (residence)

Career

Occupations
author, editor, lecturer, political commentator, historian
Active Years
1990-
Nominations
2022 Kirkus Prize nominee — Roosevelt Sweeps Nation, 2022 New Deal Book Award nominee — Roosevelt Sweeps Nation, 2004 Edgar Awards (Best Fact Crime) nominee — Rothstein, 1999 Seymour Medal finalist — Judge and Jury, 1997 CASEY Award finalist — Lights On!

Education

State University of New York at Albany
College of Arts & Sciences / Department of History
Degree: BA, MA (History)
Period: 不明
Country: United States
Reported to have earned bachelor's and master's degrees in history (citation needed).

Awards

Independent Publisher Book Awards Gold Medal (US History)
2023
Work: Roosevelt Sweeps Nation: FDR's 1936 Landslide and the Triumph of the Liberal Ideal
Category: アメリカ史
Organization: Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY)
Result: 受賞（金メダル）
Independent Publisher Book Awards Silver Medal (US History)
2019
Work: TR's Last War: Theodore Roosevelt, the Great War, and a Journey of Triumph and Tragedy
Category: アメリカ史
Organization: Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY)
Result: 受賞（銀メダル）
Independent Publisher Book Awards Silver Medal (Regional U.S. Non-Fiction)
2024
Work: Gangsterland: A Tour Through the Dark Heart of Jazz-Age New York City
Category: 地域米国ノンフィクション
Organization: Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY)
Result: 受賞（銀メダル、同点）
NYC Big Book Award Distinguished Favorite
2024
Work: Gangsterland: A Tour Through the Dark Heart of Jazz-Age New York City
Category: ノンフィクション
Organization: NYC Big Book Awards
Result: 名誉選出（Distinguished Favorite）
Edgar Awards (Best Fact Crime) Nomination
2004
Work: Rothstein: The Life, Times and Murder of the Criminal Genius who Fixed the 1919 World Series
Category: Best Fact Crime
Organization: The Mystery Writers of America (Edgar Awards)
Result: ノミネート
CASEY Award (Best Baseball Book)
Work: Judge and Jury: The Life and Times of Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis
Category: 野球史
Organization: CASEY Award
Result: 受賞
CASEY Award Finalist
1997
Work: Lights On!: The Wild, Century-Long Saga of Night Baseball
Category: 野球史
Organization: CASEY Award
Result: ファイナリスト
Seymour Medal Finalist
1999
Work: Judge and Jury: The Life and Times of Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis
Category: 野球史
Organization: Seymour Medal (Society for American Baseball Research)
Result: ファイナリスト
Excellence in Arts & Letters Award (University at Albany Alumni Association)
Organization: University at Albany Alumni Association
Result: 受賞
100 Notable Alumni of SUNY at Albany
Category: 選出
Organization: EduRank.org
Result: 選出
Greater Amsterdam (NY) School District Hall of Fame (inaugural class)
2015
Category: 殿堂
Organization: Greater Amsterdam (NY) School District
Result: 選出（殿堂入り）
New Deal Book Award Nominee
2022
Work: Roosevelt Sweeps Nation: FDR's 1936 Landslide and the Triumph of the Liberal Ideal
Category: 歴史
Organization: Living New Deal (New Deal Book Award)
Result: ノミネート
Kirkus Prize Nomination
2022
Work: Roosevelt Sweeps Nation: FDR's 1936 Landslide and the Triumph of the Liberal Ideal
Category: 一般歴史
Organization: Kirkus Reviews (Kirkus Prize)
Result: ノミネート

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Roosevelt Sweeps Nation: FDR's 1936 Landslide and the Triumph of the Liberal Ideal

2022 U.S. history / Political history

A study of FDR's 1936 landslide and its significance for the New Deal and American political life.

New Deal1936 electionliberalism

Gangsterland: A Tour Through the Dark Heart of Jazz-Age New York City

2023 Social history / Crime history

Explores organized crime and urban society in Jazz-Age New York, tracing cultural and criminal histories.

Jazz Ageorganized crimeurban history

TR's Last War: Theodore Roosevelt, the Great War, and a Journey of Triumph and Tragedy

2018 Biography / Military history

A biographical study of Theodore Roosevelt's engagement with World War I and its consequences.

biographyWorld War IAmerican foreign policy

1932: The Rise of Hitler and FDR: Two Tales of Politics, Betrayal and Unlikely Destiny

2015 Comparative political history / Biography

Compares the parallel rises of Hitler and Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932 and their divergent political trajectories.

1932extremist politicscomparative history

Dance Hall: A Novel of Sing Sing

2014 Novel (Fiction)

A fictional narrative set around Sing Sing prison, incorporating historical context and dramatized characters.

prisonfictionhistorical context

Calvin Coolidge: A Documentary Biography

2013 Biography / Political history

A documentary-style biography of Calvin Coolidge based on archival materials and primary sources.

presidential biographyearly 20th-century politics

1948: Harry Truman's Improbable Victory and the Year that Transformed America

2011 Political history

Analyzes Truman's unexpected 1948 victory and its transformative effects on American politics and society.

presidential electionpostwar politics

1920: The Year of the Six Presidents

2006 Political history

Examines the political turbulence of 1920 and the multiple figures who shaped that pivotal year.

1920spolitical transition

Rothstein: The Life, Times and Murder of the Criminal Genius who Fixed the 1919 World Series

2004 Crime history / Sports history

Investigates the life and murder of the figure associated with fixing the 1919 World Series.

sports historycrimeAmerican social history

Judge and Jury: The Life and Times of Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis

2001 Biography / Sports history

A biography of Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis, examining his role at the intersection of baseball and law.

baseball historylaw and sports

Lights On!: The Wild, Century-Long Saga of Night Baseball

1997 Sports history

Chronicles the development of night baseball and its cultural significance over a century.

baseballpopular culture

Major Leagues: The Formation, Sometimes Absorption and Mostly Inevitable Demise of 18 Professional Baseball Organizations, 1871 to Present

1991 Sports history

Surveys the rise and fall of numerous professional baseball organizations in American history.

baseball historyorganizational history

Bibliography

  • Gangsterland: A Tour Through the Dark Heart of Jazz-Age New York City (2023)
  • Roosevelt Sweeps Nation: FDR's 1936 Landslide and the Triumph of the Liberal Ideal (2022)
  • Too Long Ago: A Childhood Memory. A Vanished World (2020)
  • TR's Last War: Theodore Roosevelt, the Great War, and a Journey of Triumph and Tragedy (2018)
  • 1932: The Rise of Hitler and FDR: Two Tales of Politics, Betrayal and Unlikely Destiny (2015)
  • Dance Hall: A Novel of Sing Sing (2014)
  • Calvin Coolidge: A Documentary Biography (2013)
  • 1948: Harry Truman's Improbable Victory and the Year that Transformed America (2011)
  • 1920: The Year of the Six Presidents (2006)
  • Rothstein: The Life, Times and Murder of the Criminal Genius who Fixed the 1919 World Series (2004)
  • Judge and Jury: The Life and Times of Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis (2001)
  • Lights On!: The Wild, Century-Long Saga of Night Baseball (1997)
  • Major Leagues: The Formation, Sometimes Absorption and Mostly Inevitable Demise of 18 Professional Baseball Organizations, 1871 to Present (1991)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
archival, scholarly narrativefact-driven biographical styleaccessible nonfiction for general readers
Recurring Motifs
politics and power dynamicsearly- to mid-20th-century U.S. historyexploration of social culture through baseball

Legacy

Historian and author noted for expertise on 1920s U.S. politics and for writing on baseball and popular culture. Recognized in both scholarly and popular spheres with awards and nominations including IPPYs and Casey-related honors.

Academic Societies

  • University at Albany Alumni Association
  • Society for American Baseball Research (SABR)

In Popular Culture

  • Appearances and interviews on C-SPAN
  • Author profile on IMDb

Trivia

  • Elected to Amsterdam (NY) City Council, Fourth Ward, in 1985.
  • Inducted into the inaugural class of the Greater Amsterdam (NY) School District Hall of Fame in 2015.
  • Frequently cited as an expert on U.S. politics in the 1920s.
  • Author of numerous works in both political history and baseball history.