An American Education

by Ed Gorman

In 1935, the depth of the depression, Edward Gorman, a freshly minted Baltimore public high school graduate, unable to afford college and unwilling to settle for a dead end $11 per week warehouse job without first glimpsing at least some of the world, discovered that the army would send him to Hawaii, an exotic paradise few had any hope of ever visiting. The Old Army (pre-World War II) quickly introduced an innocent boy to life's harsh realities and began an education of quite a different kind than an 18-year-old can expect today. That first step determined the haphazard course of a full and interesting life determined largely by pure happenstance, each phase linked to the next by an unforeseen circumstance or chance meeting. Such "linkages," as he calls them, can be recognized only by hindsight, and are a theme running through this unusual book. Although we are told of certain unique occurrences in both the battle of Leyte (the retaking of the Philippines from the Japanese) and the battle of Okinawa, the last and bloodiest of World War II, this is not a war book. It is a very personal life story written in an easy style that captures the author's personality. At the same time it tells us things about America that we did not know. His American education was topped by a Masters Degree from Oxford at age 70.

537 pages, Hardcover

Published March 1, 2004

About the author

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Edward Joseph Gorman Jr. was a prolific American author and anthologist, widely recognized for his contributions to crime, mystery, western, and horror fiction. Born and raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Gorman spent much of his life in the Midwest, drawing on that experience to set many of his novels in small towns. After working over two decades in advertising, political speechwriting, and industrial filmmaking, he published his first novel, Rough Cut, in 1984 and soon transitioned to full-time writing. His fiction is often praised for its emotional depth, suspenseful storytelling, and nuanced characters. Gorman wrote under the pseudonyms Daniel Ransom and Robert David Chase, and contributed to publications such as Mystery Scene, Cemetery Dance, and Black Lizard. He co-founded Mystery Scene magazine and served as its editor and publisher until 2002, continuing his “Gormania” column thereafter. His works have been adapted for film and graphic novels, including The Poker Club and Cage of Night. In comics, he wrote for DC and Dark Horse. Diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2002, he continued writing despite his illness until his passing in 2016. Critics lauded him as one of the most original crime writers of his generation and a “poet of dark suspense.”