Bio — Neal Thompson

"Thompson captures the ache, fizz, yearning and frustration of being the father of adolescent boys—and of adolescence itself, observed and remembered." —Michael Chabon

"Thompson is the genuine article: smart and witty, empathetic and a pleasure to read." -Darin Strauss

“What a riveting, touching, and painful read!” —Maria Semple

"Anyone who wants to understand America needs to read this book.” —Ben Fountain

“Deliriously entertaining.” —Megan Abbott

Thanks for visiting my little slice of the web. I'm the author of The First Kennedys: The Humble Roots of an American Dynasty (2022); Kickflip Boys: A Memoir of Freedom, Rebellion, and the Chaos of Fatherhood (2018); and four other works of biography and narrative nonfiction. I’ve blabbed about them on ESPN, the History Channel, PBS, C-Span, Fox, TNT, the BBC, and NPR, the Diane Rehm Show, and The Daily Show.

As a journalist, I've written for the New York Times, Washington Post, Outside, Esquire, Backpacker, Vanity Fair, Men's Health, Sports Illustrated, Seattle Met, and Wall Street Journal. I spent 13 years as a reporter at the Baltimore Sun, St. Petersburg Times, Bergen Record, Roanoke Times, and Philadelphia Inquirer. I taught creative non-fiction at the University of North Carolina’s Great Smokies Writing Program, at Seattle’s Hugo House, and served on the board of Seattle Arts & Lectures. I'm a runner, reader, skier, stand-up paddleboarder, yogi, occasional cold-water swimmer and a fan of brown liquor. I'm a naturalized Irish citizen, a mediocre guitar player. I'm from New Jersey.

As a journalist and author, I’ve mostly written about flawed and adventurous men – athletes and explorers, astronauts and bootleggers, warriors and risk-takers, skateboarders and their fathers. My goal has been to tell inspiring stories about making it in America, stories about time and place that capture the aspirations and warts-and-all imperfections of those trying to live big lives, especially those who overcome hurdles, hardships, setbacks. I think "hero" is an overused word. I prefer the term striver.

"A gifted, straightforward storyteller" —The Washington Post

"The prose crackles." —The Kansas City Star

“It's great storytelling" —Timothy Egan

“Thompson has attitude, curiosity and affection..." —The Chicago Sun-Times

"Writes with eloquent grace." —The Indianapolis Star

"Neal Thompson has a nose for the strange and wonderful." —Stewart O'Nan

"He is a grand storyteller and does his homework.” —The Boston Herald

"Displays all the skill of a seasoned journalist in his pacing and savvy storytelling..." -Kirkus