Education Georgetown University Role Author | Name Thomas Harding Books Hanns and Rudolf | |
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Thomas Harding (born 1968) is a British/American non-fiction author, journalist, and former documentary maker.
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Early life and education
Harding was educated at the Westminster School in London and then studied anthropology and political science at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. He worked in television and journalism before becoming an author.
Non-fiction
His book Hanns and Rudolf: The German Jew and the Hunt for the Kommandant of Auschwitz (2013) was a national bestseller in the UK, Italy and Israel and was chosen as a "Book of the Year" for 2013 by The Times, the Sunday Times, The Guardian, The Observer, the Daily Telegraph and the New Statesman. It was shortlisted for the 2013 Costa Book Awards and won the 2015 Jewish Quarterly-Wingate Prize for non-fiction.
His next book, Kadian Journal, was published in 2014; it is about his son, who died in a cycling accident. Doron Weber of the Washington Post described it as 'a fine, brave book, a tough-minded, tender-hearted evocation of a beautiful boy, his all-too-short life and the impact of his death on a loving family. Harding has done his boy proud and turned nightmare into art.'
The House by the Lake, an account of the five families, including his grandmother, who resided in a house in Berlin, was published in 2015 and was shortlisted for the Costa Book Awards and longlisted for the 2016 Orwell Prize.
Journalism
Harding has written for numerous newspapers including The Guardian, The Sunday Times, The Independent, and The Financial Times. He also co-hosted a political talk show on WEPM (Martinsburg, West Virginia).
In December 2006 he became co-owner and publisher of the Shepherdstown Observer in West Virginia. In 2010 the newspaper won a Freedom of Information Act case before the West Virginia Supreme Court, which resulted in referendum petitions being released to it. In 2010 he convinced John Doyle, a delegate in the West Virginia House of Delegates, of the need for a state law protecting reporters' privilege not to reveal their sources; the reporters' shield bill sponsored by Doyle was passed by the West Virginia House and Senate in March 2011. In March 2011 he sold his interest in the paper to editor David Lillard.
Videos and documentaries
Before moving to the USA, Harding co-founded and managed the environmental and social justice production company Undercurrents. During his time at the company Undercurrents won several awards and became known for covering stories not covered by other news organizations. Undercurrents became part of the DIY culture and general protest upswing in the 1990s.
He and his wife were joint CEOs and co-founders of the Oxford Channel, a local television channel operating under a Restricted Service Licence. In 2000, the board voted to sell the station and its operating company to Milestone Group. The station is no longer operational.
While in the USA, he helped develop the American Conservation Film Festival (ACFF), in partnership with the National Conservation Training Center.