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Melissa Fay Greene

メリッサ・フェイ・グリーン

Melissa Fay Greene

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1952-12-30 （Macon, Georgia, U.S.）
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Religion
Judaism
Residence History
Macon, Georgia (birthplace) → Dayton, Ohio (raised) → Atlanta, Georgia (residence)

Career

Occupations
nonfiction author, journalist, memoirist
Active Years
1975-2025

Education

Oberlin College
Liberal Arts
Period: 1971-1975
Year of Graduation: 1975
Country: United States

Awards

John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship
2015
Organization: John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
Result: 受賞
Georgia Governor's Award for the Arts & Humanities
2013
Organization: State of Georgia
Result: 受賞
Induction into the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame
2011
Organization: Georgia Writers Hall of Fame
Result: 殿堂入り
Honorary Doctorate of Letters, Emory University
2010
Organization: Emory University
Result: 受賞（名誉学位）
Elle's Lettres Readers Prize
2006
Work: There Is No Me Without You
Organization: Elle (magazine)
Result: 受賞
Southern Book Critics Circle Award
1996
Work: The Temple Bombing
Organization: Southern Book Critics Circle
Result: 受賞
Robert F. Kennedy Book Award
1992
Work: Praying for Sheetrock
Organization: Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights
Result: 受賞
Anisfield-Wolf Book Award
1992
Work: Praying for Sheetrock
Organization: Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards
Result: 受賞
Chicago Tribune Heartland Prize for Nonfiction
1991
Work: Praying for Sheetrock
Organization: Chicago Tribune
Result: 受賞
National Book Award (Nonfiction) finalist
1991
Work: Praying for Sheetrock
Organization: National Book Foundation
Result: ファイナリスト
National Book Award (Nonfiction) finalist
1996
Work: The Temple Bombing
Organization: National Book Foundation
Result: ファイナリスト

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Praying for Sheetrock

1991 Nonfiction (narrative journalism, history)

The true story of McIntosh County, Georgia in the mid-1970s, chronicling the rise of civil rights and the often-criminal behavior of local power structures; a narrative of social change and conflict in the rural South.

civil rightslocal corruptionracial issues in the American South

The Temple Bombing

1996 Nonfiction (history, investigative)

An investigation of the 1958 bombing of The Temple in Atlanta, examining domestic terrorism, the social position of Southern Jews, and connections to the civil rights movement.

religion and societyrace and civil rightslocal history

Last Man Out

2002 Nonfiction (history, reportage)

Tells the story of the 1958 Springhill mining disaster in Nova Scotia, the dramatic rescue, and the international and racial implications when the 'last man out' was a Black Canadian hero.

disaster and rescuemedia and politicsrace issues

There Is No Me Without You: One Woman's Odyssey to Save Her Country's Children

2006 Nonfiction (biographical reportage, international aid)

Illuminates the Ethiopian orphan crisis caused by the HIV/AIDS pandemic through the portrait of foster mother Haregewoin Teferra and her work rescuing children.

international aidchild welfarepandemic impact
Translations
  • Translated into 15 languages

No Biking in the House without a Helmet

2011 Memoir, essays

A humorous memoir and overview of family life with nine children from three continents, written with wit about parenting and domestic life.

familyparentingmulticultural family life

Bibliography

  • Praying for Sheetrock
  • The Temple Bombing
  • Last Man Out
  • There Is No Me Without You: One Woman's Odyssey to Save Her Country's Children
  • No Biking in the House without a Helmet

Translations of Works

  • There Is No Me Without You — translated into 15 languages

Style & Themes

Literary Style
detailed reportage stylenarrative nonfiction with strong character portraitureblend of investigative reporting and lyrical description
Recurring Motifs
civil rights and racecommunity conflictsindividual action impacting society

Legacy

Melissa Fay Greene is an American narrative nonfiction writer whose work on local history, civil rights, and humanitarian issues has earned critical acclaim and numerous literary honors, including induction into the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame.

Academic Societies

  • Associated with Georgia writing community
  • Frequently recognized by academic and literary organizations

Trivia

  • Graduated Oberlin College in 1975.
  • Born into a Jewish family in Macon, raised in Dayton, Ohio.
  • Lives in Atlanta; married Don Samuel in 1979 and has nine children.
  • Contributor to major publications including The New Yorker and The New York Times.
  • Known for deeply reported nonfiction on international and civil rights issues.
  • Two-time National Book Award finalist.