James Gilbert

James Gilbert was born in Chicago but grew up during the 1950s in one of its outlying suburbs, very much like the one depicted in THE KEY PARTY. He received a doctorate in American history and became a distinguished university professor at the University of Maryland. He is the author of 11 books, several focusing on the history of the 1950s and one a New York Times "Notable Book of the Year." Despite his academic commitment to history, he never strayed very far from the belief that history and...See more

James Gilbert was born in Chicago but grew up during the 1950s in one of its outlying suburbs, very much like the one depicted in THE KEY PARTY. He received a doctorate in American history and became a distinguished university professor at the University of Maryland. He is the author of 11 books, several focusing on the history of the 1950s and one a New York Times "Notable Book of the Year." Despite his academic commitment to history, he never strayed very far from the belief that history and fiction are close cousins, each in its own way devoted to telling a complementary kind of truth. Being a six-time Fulbright visiting professor, a lecturer at the University of Paris and at Warwick University in the U.K., and a frequent traveler to Europe has made him particularly aware of his own American and Midwestern roots, as well as the singularity of American culture even in places that are awash with such franchises as Starbucks, McDonald's and American TV serials (dubbed). See less