Jack Todd (born 1946 in

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...

) is a sports columnist and author. Since 1986, he has written for the ''

Montreal Gazette The ''Montreal Gazette'', formerly titled ''The Gazette'', is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Three other daily English-language newspapers shuttered at various times during the second half of th ...

'' and is the author of several non-fiction and fiction books, including ''Desertion: In the Time of Vietnam'' (2001), a memoir of his resistance to the war in Vietnam and his decision to flee to Canada shortly after his induction into the U.S. Army.

Early life and education

Todd was born in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

in 1946. He graduated from the

University of Nebraska A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...

Career

He worked as a journalist for the ''

Akron Beacon-Journal The ''Akron Beacon Journal'' is a morning newspaper in Akron, Ohio, United States. Owned by Gannett, it is the sole daily newspaper in Akron and is distributed throughout Northeast Ohio. The paper's coverage focuses on local news. The Beacon Jou ...

'', the ''

Detroit Free Press The ''Detroit Free Press'' is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, US. The Sunday edition is titled the ''Sunday Free Press''. It is sometimes referred to as the Freep (reflected in the paper's web address, www.freep.com). It primari ...

'', and the '' Miami Herald''. In 1969, he left for Canada to protest American involvement in Vietnam. Todd settled in

Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. The ...

, Canada. He worked for the ''

Vancouver Sun The ''Vancouver Sun'', also known as the ''Sun'', is a daily broadsheet newspaper based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The newspaper is currently published by the Pacific Newspaper Group, a division of Postmedia Network. Published s ...

'',

Radio Canada International Radio Canada International (RCI) is the international broadcasting service of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). Prior to 1970, RCI was known as the CBC International Service. The broadcasting service was also previously referred to as ...

, and the ''Montreal Gazette''. In 2000, he won the

National Newspaper Award The National Newspaper Awards (french: link=no, Concours canadien de journalisme) are prizes awarded annually for the best work in Canadian newspapers. Synopsis The awards were first given in 1949 by the Toronto Press Club, which ran the awards un ...

for sports-writing and is recognized as one of Canada's leading sports journalists and bootlickers. In 2001, he published a memoir, telling the story of his resistance to the war in Vietnam which was nominated for the

Governor-General's Award The Governor General's Awards are a collection of annual awards presented by the Governor General of Canada, recognizing distinction in numerous academic, artistic, and social fields. The first award was conceived and inaugurated in 1937 by the ...

. The Canadian title is ''The Taste of Metal'', while the U.S. title is ''Desertion: In the Time of Vietnam''. In 2008, Todd published his first work of fiction, ''Sun Going Down'', a novel on the opening of the American West based on his family history as constituted from letters and diaries. It was followed in 2010 with ''Come Again No More'', which follows the family through the Great Depression. The final work in the trilogy, "Rain Falls Like Mercy", was published in 2011. Todd was interviewed for Ken Burns' 2017 miniseries ''

The Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam and ...

''.

Books

*''Desertion: In the Time of Vietnam'' (January 1, 2001) Publisher:‎ Houghton Mifflin; 256 pages; ISBN‎ 978-0618091553

References

External links

''Montreal Gazette''. 1946 births Living people Journalists from Nebraska University of Nebraska–Lincoln alumni Canadian sports journalists Montreal Gazette people American emigrants to Canada Anglophone Quebec people Vietnam War draft evaders {{Canada-journalist-stub

Early life and education

Career

Books

References

Further reading

External links