{"product_id":"charlie-chans-poppa-earl-derr-biggers-9781983943454","title":"Charlie Chan's Poppa: Earl Derr Biggers","description":"\u003cp\u003eMystery readers know that \u003cb\u003emystery books' golden age\u003c\/b\u003e began with the amazing works of Agatha Christie and other British writers. Eventually American writers also entered the field, producing what are now considered \u003cb\u003eclassic mystery novels\u003c\/b\u003e. Among the first of these American authors was Earl Derr Biggers, who in 1925 published \u003ci\u003eThe House Without a Key\u003c\/i\u003e - the first of six daring novels featuring Hawaiian-Chinese police detective Charlie Chan. For those who don't already know it, the Chan of the novels is not the stereotyped Chan that Hollywood created.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eCharlie Chan's Poppa: Earl Derr Biggers\u003c\/i\u003e takes readers deep into the backstory of the author and the iconic character he created, offering insights not just into Biggers' writing process, but also into \u003cb\u003eauthor editor relationships\u003c\/b\u003e. Readers will chuckle at Biggers' outraged reaction and acerbic wit when the publisher put pine trees on the front cover of a novel set in Hawaii.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn addition to being a \u003cb\u003ebiography\u003c\/b\u003e of Biggers, \u003ci\u003eCharlie Chan's Poppa\u003c\/i\u003e also provides \u003cb\u003eliterary criticism\u003c\/b\u003e and introduces readers to each of his mystery novels.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBecause Biggers died after writing only six Chan novels, he was slowly forgotten as one of the important writers of the golden age of mystery. This book allows readers to understand what Biggers achieved. By analyzing the six Chan novels, this book helps bring to life the character who was known and loved by millions of devoted fans around the world.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBarbara Gregorich was first published at the age of eleven. That's when she knew she would become a writer. This already put her six years behind Earl Derr Biggers, who reached the same conclusion at the age of five. But it wasn't until she reached the age of sixteen that she learned about the Warren, Ohio, author who created Charlie Chan. Not the stereotyped Chan that Hollywood created, but a more complex, more interesting Chan. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Gregorich has read each of the six Chan novels four times, and each time she sees something different in them: something deeper and more complex. Which is not only why she keeps reading them, but also why she wrote Charlie Chan's Poppa: Earl Derr Biggers. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Equally at home with fiction and nonfiction, Gregorich was first published as a novelist, with the well-received, She's on First. This story of the first female major leaguer was praised by Publishers Weekly, which wrote that \"all baseball fans will appreciate Gregorich's sure feel for the game . . . .\" \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e After writing the fictional version of women in baseball, Gregorich began the long job of researching the true story of women who played hardball. The result of that research was Women at Play: The Story of Women in Baseball, published by Harcourt, 1993. Women at Play won the SABR-Macmillan Award for Best Baseball Research of the Year. In 2013 Women at Play was included in Ron Kaplan's 501 Baseball Books Fans Must Read before They Die. In 2017 Francis Ford Coppola, when asked by The New York Times Book Review which book readers would be surprised to find on his shelf, replied: \"Women at Play: The Story of Women in Baseball,\" by Barbara Gregorich.\" \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Gregorich also writes mystery fiction. Her novel Dirty Proof introduced Chicago private eye Frank Dragovic. Sound Proof is the sequel. In 2014 she published Guide to Writing the Mystery Novel: Lots of Examples, Plus Dead Bodies, based on her years of teaching writing skills and reading mystery novels. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Gregorich studied at Kent State University, the University of Wisconsin, and Harvard. Before becoming a writer she worked as an English instructor, a typesetter and a letter carrier. She lives in Chicago with her husband, Phil Passen, who plays the hammered dulcimer.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Createspace Independent Publishing Platform","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50367108514066,"sku":"9781983943454","price":8.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_e1ff1c20-1035-4381-9c4b-e92f185ce322.jpg?v=1728485362","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/charlie-chans-poppa-earl-derr-biggers-9781983943454","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}