Ambassador Book Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 22 (2007) Winner
Debby Applegate
デビー・アップルゲイト
Debby Applegate
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1968-02-01 （Eugene, Oregon, U.S.）
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Religion
- Unclear (raised in a household influenced by New Thought and Irish Catholicism)
- Residence History
- Clackamas, Oregon → Eugene, Oregon → New Haven, Connecticut
Career
- Occupations
- Historian, Biographer, Professor, Author
- Active Years
- 1990-
- Affiliations
- Yale University (teaching), Wesleyan University (teaching), Marymount Manhattan College (teaching), Biographers International Organization (BIO)
- Memberships
- Biographers International Organization (BIO)
- Influenced By
- Henry Ward Beecher (subject of long-term research)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amherst College | — | — | BA | 1985–1989 | United States |
| Yale University | — | American Studies | PhD | — | United States |
Amherst College
Degree:
BA
Period:
1985–1989
Year of Graduation:
1989
Country:
United States
Graduated summa cum laude
Yale University
American Studies
Degree:
PhD
Country:
United States
Sterling Fellow (graduate research)
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography | The Most Famous Man in America: The Biography of Henry Ward Beecher | — | Pulitzer Prize Board (Columbia University) | 受賞 |
Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography
2007
Work:
The Most Famous Man in America: The Biography of Henry Ward Beecher
Organization:
Pulitzer Prize Board (Columbia University)
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
The Most Famous Man in America: The Biography of Henry Ward Beecher
2006 Biography 608 pagesA biography of 19th-century minister Henry Ward Beecher, tracing his role in abolitionism, his public prominence, and the widely publicized sex scandal. Combines scholarly research with narrative techniques to appeal to general readers.
ReligionScandalCelebrityAbolitionism
Madam: The Biography of Polly Adler, Icon of the Jazz Age
2021 BiographyA biography of New York madam Polly Adler, exploring her life and the cultural history of 1920s–1930s New York. Based on extensive primary-source research and archival material.
Urban cultureRoles of womenCrime and societyModernization
Bibliography
- The Most Famous Man in America: The Biography of Henry Ward Beecher (2006)
- Madam: The Biography of Polly Adler, Icon of the Jazz Age (2021)
- Articles and contributions (The Journal of American History, The New York Times, etc.)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Combines scholarly rigor with narrative techniques for general readersUses suspense and novelistic devices in narrative nonfiction
- Recurring Motifs
- Intersection of religion and powerContrast between public image and private lifeUrban change and social mobility
Legacy
Through a Pulitzer Prize win, she helped bring scholarly biography to a wide audience. A founding figure in the biographer community (BIO), she has contributed to popularizing and professionalizing the genre.
Academic Societies
- Biographers International Organization (BIO)
Quotes
-
"Half of it is just good luck ... Had it come out four years ago, I don't think the climate was ready for it."
Source: Comment upon winning the Pulitzer Prize (interview) (2007)
Trivia
- Married to business writer Bruce Tulgan.
- Grew up in Clackamas and was born in Eugene, Oregon.
- Founding member of Biographers International Organization (BIO) and served as its initial interim president.
- Madam was published after roughly thirteen years of research.