MOORE, Christopher 1952-

(Christopher Paul Moore)

PERSONAL: Born 1952; married Kim Yancey; children: two sons. Education: Northeastern University, received degree, 1974.

ADDRESSES: Home—Brooklyn, NY. Office—Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, 515 Malcolm X Boulevard, New York, NY 10037-1801. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Broadcast journalist, curator, actor, playwright, and producer. Worked in radio for seventeen years, including as a radio news editor; New York Public Library's Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, New York, NY, currently curator and research historian. Actor, including for soap opera As the World Turns and in off-Broadway production of A Soldier's Play. Member of New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, 1994–.

WRITINGS:

(With Pamela Johnson) Santa and Pete: A Novel of Christmas Present and Past, illustrated by Julie Scott, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY) 1998.

(With Howard Dodson and Roberta Yancy) The Black New Yorkers: The Schomburg Illustrated Chronology, John Wiley (New York, NY), 2000.

Jubilee: The Emergence of African-American Culture, National Geographic Press (Washington, DC), 2002.

(Coauthor) Standing in the Need of Prayer: A Celebration of Black Prayer, Free Press (New York, NY), 2003.

The Last Season (play), published in Seven Black Plays, Northwestern University Press (Chicago, IL), 2004.

Fighting for America: Black Soldiers, the Unsung Heroes of World War II, Ballantine/One World (New York, NY), 2005.

Author and producer, The African-American Burial Ground: An American Discovery (television documentary), History Channel. Contributor to the New York Times and USA Today.

ADAPTATIONS: Santa and Pete was adapted as a movie for CBS television, 1999.

SIDELIGHTS: Having worked in radio for seventeen years and acted part-time on television and stage, Christopher Moore is now curator and research coordinator for the New York Public Library's Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. He has written several books about black culture and history, and has produced a television special for the History Channel.

Moore wrote Santa and Pete: A Novel of Christmas Present and Past, with Pamela Johnson. The book draws from European tales about St. Nicholas in which an African man named Pete saves Saint Nicholas from a Spanish prison and becomes his partner. The reader learns how this tale has been passed down through an African-American family: Cassandra and Terence have a porcelain Santa and Pete to decorate their Christmas tree, which leads Terence to reflect on how he first learned about Pete. The setting shifts back to 1959, when Terence was trapped by a Christmas Eve blizzard on a New York City bus driven by his grandfather. That was when he, and the other riders, learn about the history of the city and the story of Santa and Pete.

The authors include a rich mixture of elements in their tale, according to book critics. In a review for Essence, Robert Fleming admired the work's "timely messages about faith, history, and racial unity," while Booklist contributor Toni Hyde deemed it "a rich tale that combines history and tradition, transcending race and religion." A Publishers Weekly reviewer noted that Santa and Pete benefits from "strong prose and sure craftsmanship that keeps sentimentality at arm's length."

In Fighting for America: Black Soldiers, the Unsung Heroes of World War II Moore presents a subject drawn from his own family's experiences: His parents are World War II veterans who met in Europe. The central purpose of the book is to recognize contributions made by black soldiers, while also documenting the discrimination they faced. Moore shows soldiers who feel despised by superior officers and who routinely are not given credit for their hard work and bravery. In one example, black messman Dorie Miller aided wounded men and shot down four Japanese planes during the attack on Pearl Harbor, even though he was never trained to fire a gun. Newspaper accounts of the incidents referred to an anonymous black messman; Miller's identity only became known when Schomburg Center director Lawrence Reddick petitioned the U.S. Navy for his name.

Reviewers recommended the book as a tribute to black soldiers. According to Library Journal critic Thomas J. Davis, Moore's ldquo;deft narrative intersperses sparkling historical detail, vivid illustrations, and documentary excerpts." A Publishers Weekly writer called the work "a major addition to the literature," and in the Washington Post, Yvonne Latty remarked that "Moore's labor of love leaves no stone unturned." She concluded, "This book is filled with heroes of whom Americans of all colors have never heard. Their stories will both inspire you and break your heart."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, November 15, 1998, Toni Hyde, review of Santa and Pete: A Novel of Christmas Present and Past, p. 568; December 1, 2004, Vernon Ford, Fighting for America: Black Soldiers, the Unsung Heroes of World War II, p. 628.

Essence, December, 1998, Robert Fleming, "St. Nick's Black Sidekick," p. 76.

Library Journal, January 1, 2005, Thomas J. Davis, review of Fighting for America, p. 129.

Publishers Weekly, September 14, 1998, review of Santa and Pete, p. 49; November 1, 2004, review of Fighting for America, p. 54.

Washington Post, February 16, 2005, Yvonne Latty, "Enemies on Two Fronts," p. C7.