Milton Meltzer
Milton Meltzer was a prominent American nonfiction writer known for his contributions to children's and young adult literature, with over a hundred published works and numerous awards to his credit. Born in 1915 in Worcester, Massachusetts, to immigrant parents, he developed a passion for reading early on, which led him to earn a scholarship to Columbia University. Meltzer's career began in the late 1930s with the Federal Theater Project, where he became involved in union activities, and later he held various writing positions until he committed to being a full-time author. His writing often focuses on historical themes related to freedom struggles and social justice, with notable works including "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" and "Never to Forget: The Jews of the Holocaust." Meltzer's biographies, such as those of Langston Hughes and Mark Twain, highlight significant figures in American history, while his historical novels and documentary work also reflect his commitment to educating young audiences. He received prestigious accolades, including the Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal and the John Newbery Medal, recognized for his engaging style and thorough research. His life's work not only showcases important historical narratives but also emphasizes the power of storytelling in shaping understanding and empathy among young readers.
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Subject Terms
Milton Meltzer
Author
- Born: May 8, 1915
- Birthplace: Worcester, Massachusetts
- Died: September 19, 2009
- Place of death: New York
Biography
Milton Metzler was America’s leading nonfiction writer for children and young adults, with more than one hundred books to his name and a number of awards. He was born in 1915 in Worcester, Massachusetts, to immigrant parents from Austria, Benjamen and Mary Meltzer. Benjamen had immigrated in 1904, Mary in 1900, meeting and marrying in New York City. They had three sons. Milton attended local public schools in Worcester before finishing, in 1930, at Classical High, a prestigious century-old school. He had consistently shown a love for books, and one of his high-school teachers suggested that he try for a scholarship to Columbia University as part of its progressive education experiment. He won a full scholarship and began attending in 1932.
After graduation, Meltzer went to work from 1936 to 1939 for the Federal Theater project, part of the New Deal arts project to employ artists and writers. He became a staff writer, getting heavily involved in union activities and lobbying to keep the various projects running. From 1939 to 1968, he held a succession of jobs, many to do with writing for corporations or radio, doing some publishing of his own books. He then decided to become a full-time writer, although from 1977 to 1980, he did serve as adjunct professor at the University of Massachussetts at Amherst.
His writing for young people can be divided into histories and biographies, especially to do with freedom struggles or fights against injustice in American and world history. In terms of histories, some of his better known books are Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? The Great Depression, 1929-1933 and In Their Own Words: A History of the American Negro, 1865-1916. The latter illustrates one of his typical ways of working, drawing documents together in which the protagonists speak for themselves, through letters, speeches, diaries and so on.
Another book on slavery, All Times, All Peoples: A World History of Slavery was an American Book Award finalist for 1981. Two books on the Jewish struggle both won awards: Never to Forget: The Jews of the Holocaust, which won the Horn Book Nonfiction Honor Book for 1976; and The Jewish Americans: A History in Their Own Words, 1650-1950, the same honor for 1983. A further book on the holocaust was Rescue: The Story of How Gentiles Saved Jews in the Holocaust. Another popular history in their own words was American Revolutionaries; A History in Their Own Words, 1750-1800 (1987).
His best-known biographies are those of Mark Twain Himself: Printer, Pilot, Soldier, Miner, Reporter, Lecturer, Editor, Humorist, Author, Businessman, Publisher— In Words and Pictures (1987), Langston Hughes (1969), Andrew Jackson and His America (1981), and Columbus and the World Around Him (1990). Mary McLeod Bethune: Voice of Black Hope combines slavery concerns in the biography of this little-known black educator.
Metzler also wrote a successful autobiography, Starting from Home, which gives a full account of his Worcester boyhood and his love of reading. His Worcester boyhood, especially memories of its “triple-decker” houses, features in many of his other books. He also wrote one historical novel, The Underground Man, about a white abolitionist who is imprisoned for helping runaway slaves, and worked in documentary films such as History of the American Negro and Five.
Other awards he won are the 2001 Laura Ingalls Wilder medal for his overall achievement in children’s informational writing and the John Newbery Medal. He received a listing for an American Library Association Notable Children’s Book in 1993 for The Amazing Potato. He was consistently commended for his lively and engaging style, his detailed research, and for the fact he never talked down to his readers.