Jeffrey M. "Jeff" Shaara (born February 21, 1952) is an American novelist and the son of
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...
New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick is a city (New Jersey), city in and the county seat, seat of government of Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Tallahassee, Florida. He graduated from
Florida State University
Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the st ...
in 1974 with a degree in
Criminology
Criminology (from Latin , "accusation", and Ancient Greek , ''-logia'', from λόγος ''logos'' meaning: "word, reason") is the study of crime and deviant behaviour. Criminology is an interdisciplinary field in both the behavioural and so ...
and lives in Gettysburg.
He wrote '' Gods and Generals'' and '' The Last Full Measure'', which are the prequel and sequel, respectively, to his father Michael's award-winning novel '' The Killer Angels''. Jeff followed his father's footsteps upon the latter's death, writing
historical fiction
Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other ty ...
and documenting the American wars and their most historically relevant characters. In total, Jeff has written fifteen ''New York Times'' bestselling novels.
Jeff delivered the commencement speech at University of Delaware's 2005 undergraduate ceremony. Jeff has deemed this "one of the most important moments in his life."
He completed a trilogy in 2010 about World War II in the
European
European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to:
In general
* ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe
** Ethnic groups in Europe
** Demographics of Europe
** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe ...
and North African theaters. A fourth World War II novel, titled '' The Final Storm'', covers the end of the war in the Pacific, and was released on May 17, 2011.
Awards
Shaara has received the W.Y. Boyd Literary Award for Excellence in Military Fiction from the American Library Association in 2022 for ''The Eagle's Claw'', in 2018 for ''The Frozen Hours'', in 2005 for ''To The Last Man: A Novel of The First World War'', and in 1997 for ''Gods and Generals''. The American Library Association's Reference and Users Services Association recognized The Steel Wave as a 2009 Notable Book.
He has also been awarded The Lincoln Forum's "Richard Nelson Current Award of Achievement", New York Civil War Round Table's "Bell I. Wiley Award", and Florida State University's "Artes Award" as a Distinguished Alumnus. In 2011, Shaara was inducted into the FSU College of Criminology Hall of Fame and awarded FSU's first annual Distinguished Writer's Award.
A Blaze of Glory
''A Blaze of Glory'' is the first of a new 4-book series, set more in the "Western" theater of the Civil War. This first volume covers the Battle of Shiloh. (The title comes from a marvelous quote from General (later President) James Garfield
...
'' (2012)—Civil War (1861-1865), Western Theater, Tetralogy Part 1 of 4
* '' A Chain of Thunder'' (2013)—Civil War (1861-1865), Western Theater, Tetralogy Part 2 of 4
* '' The Smoke at Dawn'' (2014)—Civil War (1861-1865), Western Theater, Tetralogy Part 3 of 4
* '' The Fateful Lightning'' (2015)—Civil War (1861-1865), Western Theater, Tetralogy Part 4 of 4
* '' The Frozen Hours'' (2017)—Korean War (1950-1953)
* '' To Wake The Giant'' (2020)—Pearl Harbor, World War II (1939–1945)
* ''
The Eagle's Claw
''The Eagle's Claw'' is a 1924 American silent Western film starring Guinn "Big Boy" Williams. It was produced and directed by Charles R. Seeling.
The film is preserved in a foreign archive in Brussels. On DVD it is available from the Grapev ...
'' (2021) - Battle of Midway, World War II (1939–1945)
* ''
The Old Lion
Melbourne Street is a street situated in the Adelaide suburb of North Adelaide, South Australia. It is the main commercial area of the second-largest of the three grids that comprise North Adelaide. It was named after William Lamb, 2nd Visco ...
'' (2023) - Teddy Roosevelt's life and times, including Amazon exploration
Pritzker Military Museum & Library
The Pritzker Military Museum & Library (formerly Pritzker Military Library) is a non-profit museum and a research library for the study of military history on Michigan Avenue in Chicago, Illinois. The institution was founded in 2003, and its spe ...
on November 30, 2006
Video o audio interview by Karen Saupe on ''Inner Compass''
Video interview on ''The Steel Wave''
Interview on his father and ''No Less Than Victory'' at the
Pritzker Military Museum & Library
The Pritzker Military Museum & Library (formerly Pritzker Military Library) is a non-profit museum and a research library for the study of military history on Michigan Avenue in Chicago, Illinois. The institution was founded in 2003, and its spe ...