Edward Robert McClelland is the author of Young Mr. Obama, about the president's early years in Chicago, Nothin' But Blue Skies, a cultural history of the Rust Belt, and most recently, Midnight In Vehicle City, about the pivotal Flint Sit-Down Strike of 1936. McClelland's work has appeared in the Chicago Reader, the Chicago Tribune, Salon, the New York Times, and a recent piece on the importance of the Stephen Douglas concession was published (on January 6th) in the Washington Post. Edward lives in Chicago.
"""A captivating and important new book on Douglas's relationship with Lincoln, from their 1858 debates to Douglas's death two months after Fort Sumter. Beautifully conceived and deeply researched, it is also a sheer pleasure to read.""--Professor John Stuaffer, Harvard University Praise for Nothin' But Blue Skies: ""Engagingly written. McClelland's book reminds us of what has transpired in the heart of the country over the past thirty years and of the battering endured by hundreds of thousands of working-class families.""-- ""Los Angeles Times"" Praise for Young Mr. Obama: ""For the many Americans who remain fascinated with the American president, Young Mr. Obama makes for insightful, enlightening reading, a worthy supplement to Remnick's book and a valuable contribution to the record on the 44th president.""-- ""Christian Science Monitor"" ""Young Mr. Obama argues convincingly that our first black president couldn't have come from any place other than Chicago. If you want to understand the 'Chicago-style' politics that shaped our president, you have to read Young Mr. Obama.""--Joan Walsh, editor in chief of Salon.com ""[McClelland] makes a convincing case that President Obama's experiences in his adopted city shaped him profoundly and helped make him the seasoned and formidable politician he is today. An engaging overview of the president's early political education.""-- ""Kirkus Reviews"" ""As Barack Obama's presidency is beset by falling ratings, a weak economy, and an antideficit mood, McClelland's examination of Obama's ascendency should encourage supporters and instill caution in opponents.""-- ""Publishers Weekly"" ""Focusing on personal tales of woe with sympathy and verve, McClelland brings home the impact of the titanic shift in industry in the last half of the twentieth century.""-- ""Booklist"" ""McClelland explores how Chicago's long-established African American political power bases helped nurture Obama's career.""-- ""San Francisco Chronicle"" ""McClelland is a terrific reporter, smoothly blending facts from the historical record with the bitter, often profane, conversation of the displaced and desperate men and women he meets and his own reflections. These last are often as witty as they are shrewd.""-- ""The Washington Post"" ""McClelland is an engaging writer with an ear for local voices. He has a knack for the memorable phrase and often lends a poetic touch to urban affairs by memorializing the best days of American labor, he reminds us of just how much we had. And, of course, how much we lost.""-- ""Robert Smith, Cleveland Plain Dealer"""