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Matthew Goodman

Biography

Matthew Goodman

Matthew Goodman is a New York Times bestselling author of five books: PARIS UNDERCOVER: A Wartime Story of Courage, Friendship, and Betrayal; THE CITY GAME: Triumph, Scandal, and a Legendary Basketball Team; EIGHTY DAYS: Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland’s History-Making Race Around the World; THE SUN AND THE MOON: Hoaxers, Showmen, Dueling Journalists, and Lunar Man-Bats in Nineteenth-Century New York; and JEWISH FOOD: The World at Table.

Matthew’s books have received the New York City Book Award and have been finalists for the National Jewish Book Award and the GoodReads Choice Award; they have been Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers, Indie Next “Great Reads” and Borders Original Voices selections, and have been translated into eight languages. His writing has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The American Scholar, the Harvard Review, Salon, Tablet, the Forward, Bon Appetit and many other publications.

He has given book talks at venues including the Museum of the City of New York, the Gotham Center for New York History, the Center for Jewish History, the National Yiddish Book Center, the Brooklyn Book Festival, the 92nd Street Y, the Newseum in Washington, D.C., Authors at Harbourfront Centre in Toronto, and many bookstores, universities and libraries. His radio and television appearances include National Public Radio’s "All Things Considered," "The Diane Rehm Show," "On the Media," "Only a Game," "Back Story" and "The Splendid Table"; "HuffPost Live"; the British Broadcasting Corporation’s "Woman’s Hour"; the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s "As It Happens"; Arte France’s "L’Incontournable"; and numerous others.

Matthew has taught nonfiction writing at writers’ conferences, including the Antioch Writers Workshop, the Cape Cod Writers Conference, and the Chautauqua Institution. He has received fellowships from the MacDowell Colony (twice) and the Corporation of Yaddo.

He lives in Brooklyn, New York, with his wife and two children.

Matthew Goodman

Books by Matthew Goodman

Paris Undercover: A Wartime Story of Courage, Friendship, and Betrayal
by Matthew Goodman - History, Nonfiction

During the Nazi occupation, Etta Shiber and Kate Bonnefous --- an American widow and an English divorcée --- find themselves unexpectedly plunged into the whirlwind of history. With the help of a French country priest and others, they set out to rescue British and French soldiers trapped behind enemy lines --- some of whom they daringly smuggle through Nazi checkpoints hidden inside the trunk of their car. Ultimately the Gestapo captures them both. After 18 months in prison, Etta is returned to the United States in a prisoner exchange. Back home, hoping to bring attention to her friend’s bravery, she publishes a memoir about their work, which becomes a publishing sensation. Meanwhile, Kate spends the rest of the war in a Nazi prison, entirely unaware of the book that has been written about her --- and the deeds that have been claimed in her name.

The City Game: Triumph, Scandal, and a Legendary Basketball Team
by Matthew Goodman - History, Nonfiction, Sports

The unlikeliest of champions, the 1949–50 City College Beavers were extraordinary by every measure. City College was a tuition-free, merit-based college in Harlem known far more for its intellectual achievements and political radicalism than its athletic prowess. Every single member of the Beavers was either Jewish or African American, and they stunned the basketball world by becoming the only team in history to win the NIT and NCAA tournaments in the same year. However, during the following season, all of the team’s starting five were arrested, charged with conspiring with gamblers to shave points. The story centers on two teammates, Eddie Roman and Floyd Layne --- one white, one black --- each caught up in the scandal, each searching for a path to personal redemption.

Eighty Days: Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland's History-Making Race Around the World
by Matthew Goodman - History, Nonfiction

On November 14, 1889, reporter Nellie Bly left New York City by steamship on a quest to break the record for the fastest trip around the world. Also departing from New York that day --- and heading in the opposite direction by train --- was journalist Elizabeth Bisland. Each woman was determined to circle the globe in less than 80 days. The dramatic race that ensued would change both competitors’ lives forever.