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Milton Meltzer

ミルトン・メルツァー

Miruton Merutsā

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1915-05-08 （Worcester, Massachusetts, U.S.）
Died
2009-09-19 （New York City, U.S.） age 94
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Residence History
Worcester, Massachusetts → New York City

Career

Occupations
historian, author
Active Years
1950-2009
Affiliations
University of Massachusetts Amherst (adjunct professor), Works Progress Administration (WPA), CBS Radio (writer), Pfizer (corporate position)
Nominations
National Book Award finalist: Langston Hughes: A Biography (1968), National Book Award finalist: Remember the Days (1974), National Book Award finalist: World of Our Fathers (1974)

Education

Columbia University
Period: 1932–1936
Country: United States
Attended 1932–1936 but dropped out to support his family after his father's death

Awards

Laura Ingalls Wilder Award
2001
Organization: Association for Library Service to Children (ALA/ALSC)
Result: 受賞
Boston Globe–Horn Book Award (Nonfiction)
1976
Work: Never to Forget: The Jews of the Holocaust
Category: ノンフィクション
Organization: Boston Globe–Horn Book
Result: 受賞
National Jewish Book Award
1976
Work: Never to Forget: The Jews of the Holocaust
Organization: Jewish Book Council
Result: 受賞
Boston Globe–Horn Book Award
1983
Work: Jewish Americans: A History in Their Own Words, 1650-1950
Category: ノンフィクション
Organization: Boston Globe–Horn Book
Result: 受賞
Carter G. Woodson Award
1981
Work: The Chinese Americans
Organization: National Council for the Social Studies
Result: 受賞
American Book Award (finalist)
1981
Work: All Times, All Peoples: A World History of Slavery
Organization: American Book Awards
Result: 最終候補

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Never to Forget: The Jews of the Holocaust

1976 Non-fiction (children/young adult)

An accessible introduction to the Holocaust for younger readers, documenting Jewish suffering and remembrance.

Holocaustmemoryhuman rights

Rescue: The Story of How Gentiles Saved Jews in the Holocaust

1988 Non-fiction (children/young adult)

Documents cases in which non-Jews risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust.

rescuecourageHolocaust
Translations
  • German edition available

A Pictorial History of the Negro in America

1956 Non-fiction (pictorial history)

A pictorial overview of African-American history, co-authored with Langston Hughes.

African-American historypictorial historyculture

All Times, All Peoples: A World History of Slavery

1980 Non-fiction

A global history of slavery examining systems and impacts across time and regions.

slaveryworld historyhuman rights

The Jewish Americans: A History in Their Own Words, 1650-1950

1982 Non-fiction (oral history/documentary)

An edited collection presenting Jewish-American history through first-person accounts and documents.

immigration historyJewish Americansoral history

Bibliography

  • In the Days of the Pharaohs: A Look at Ancient Egypt (1956)
  • A Pictorial History of the Negro in America (1956, with Langston Hughes)
  • Never to Forget: The Jews of the Holocaust (1976)
  • All Times, All Peoples: A World History of Slavery (1980)
  • Rescue: The Story of How Gentiles Saved Jews in the Holocaust (1988)
  • The Chinese Americans (1981)
  • Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?: The Great Depression, 1929–1933 (1969)
  • Langston Hughes: A Biography (1968)
  • The Underground Man (fiction, 1972)
  • Tough Times (fiction, 2007)

Adaptations

  • Contributed to documentaries such as 'History of the American Negro' and 'Five'

Style & Themes

Literary Style
clear, expository non-fiction stylestructured to present informational content for children and young adults
Recurring Motifs
human rights and social justiceexperiences of minorities and immigrantswitnessing and memory in history

Health

  • esophageal cancer
    2009（末期）
    Cause of death; ended his writing and public activities.

Legacy

Milton Meltzer authored nearly 100 books, chiefly non-fiction for children and young adults, and is celebrated for making issues of human rights and social justice accessible. Through pictorial histories and edited oral histories he helped teach historical facts and ethical questions to younger audiences.

Museums

  • University of Oregon Special Collections & University Archives Eugene, Oregon, U.S.

Archives

  • Milton Meltzer papers (University of Oregon)

Quotes

  • Much of my work has been my way of speaking out against injustices and dictatorships.
    Source: Interview / biographical accounts

Trivia

  • Wrote nearly 100 books during his lifetime.
  • Attended Columbia University (1932–1936) but did not graduate.
  • Served in the U.S. Army during World War II, rising to the rank of sergeant.
  • While working for Pfizer he traveled widely and collected illustrations and archival materials that informed his later writing.
  • Many of his papers and manuscripts are held at the University of Oregon.