Arnie Bernstein

Arnie Bernstein is a nonfiction writer who loves exploring the forgotten stories of American history. He is the author of the books Swastika Nation: Fritz Kuhn and the Rise and Fall of the German-American Bund (St. Martin's Press & Picador) and Bath Massacre: America's First School Bombing (University of Michigan Press), and three books on Chicago film and Civil War history (Lake Claremont Press). His work has been acclaimed by Publisher's WeeklyKirkus Reviews, and The New York Times

Mr. Bernstein has been interviewed throughout the United States, Ireland, England, Israel, Australia, Poland, and Russia by newspapers, radio stations, television news, blogs, and podcasts. He’s appeared on MSNBC, C-SPAN Book TV, PBS, National Geographic Channel, and American Heroes Channel. He regularly speaks about his work to audiences at bookstores, libraries, book clubs, conferences, and college classes and symposiums.

He was awarded with a Puffin Foundation grant and won a slot in the prestigious Warner Brothers Comedy Writing Workshop. Most recently he was named one of the top 50 movers and shakers in the Chicago book world by New City magazine’s annual “Lit 50: Who Really Books Chicago.” Mr. Bernstein received honors from both the Illinois State Library and the State Library of Michigan. Someday he hopes to receive similar recognition by the State Library of Hawaii.

He is a member of The Author's Guild, PEN, and The Society of Midland Authors. Chicago is his hometown. He fervently believes in the philosophy of the great Jewish sage, Groucho Marx: "I must say I find television very educational. The minute somebody turns it on, I go into the library and read a good book."

Book Reviews by Arnie Bernstein

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Fersko avoids polemics or self-righteous posturing, keeping a smart focus on practical realities.

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“we should respect this iconoclastic disobedient Jew, one who used his Jewish sensibilities to pummel and reframe American comedy.”

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Bagby’s immaculate research, coupled with her keen sense for real-life character development and dramatic arcs, makes for a fascinating and surprisingly quick read on a fo

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“Bradford isn’t shy in playing the role of contemptuous biographer.”

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“Roberts tells an epic tale through these 31 stories, the evolution of a great city developed by people who wrote history with their lives.”

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The Last American Hero: The Remarkable Life of John Glenn captures the man and his time, his impact on space flight, and the nature of heroism and hero worship.”

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“Rainbow’s balance of self-deprecating humor and serious autobiography makes for a great read. Playing with Myself is aptly titled.

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From start to finish Buster Keaton: A Filmmaker’s Life, with all its rich detail and Curtis’s genuine love for his subject, is the biography that Keaton deserves.

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Al Worden, command module pilot on the Apollo 15 lunar mission, belongs to a unique club, one of only six men who flew to the dark side of the moon, alone and out of contact with any other human be

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The Writer’s Crusade is an important consideration of Kurt Vonnegut and the legacy of Slaughterhouse-Five.”

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Life of a Klansman is . . .

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The Vapors is a new take on the familiar gangster history, but it needs just a little bit more cohesion to make it all fit together.”

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Writing to Persuade provides solid instruction.

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In Charlottesville, VA, a statue honoring Confederate General Robert E. Lee has stood for generations.

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Every Drop of Blood is a masterful narrative of the day, weaving together a cast of characters and events in a compelling work that reads like ha

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Mobituaries is droll, ironic, sill

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In the post-Charlottesville world where the President of the United States continues to enable these “very fine people” with a deliberate blind eye to the intensity of the

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for anyone looking to understand Mike Nichols, his working methods, and impact on American culture, Life Isn’t Everything is a good place to start.”

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“Nearly 40 years after his death, Hitchcock still is a formidable influence on today’s movie aesthetics, a factor Paul Duncan emphasizes on every page of this book.”

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T. J. English’s newest look at the American criminal underworld, The Corporation: An Epic Story of the Cuban Underworld, has a unique genesis.

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Fifty years after its release, Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey upholds its iconic status and for good reason.