Neiwert, David A. 1956-

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NEIWERT, David A. 1956-

PERSONAL:

Born 1956, in ID.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Seattle, WA. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Palgrave Macmillan, 175 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10010. E-mail—[email protected]; [email protected].

CAREER:

Journalist. Internet writer and producer for MSNBC.com. Has worked for newspapers in Idaho, Montana, and Washington, beginning 1977.

AWARDS, HONORS:

National Press Club Award for Distinguished Online Journalism, 2000, for reporting on domestic terrorism.

WRITINGS:

In God's Country: The Patriot Movement and the Pacific Northwest, Washington State University Press (Pullman, WA), 1999.

Death on the Fourth of July: The Story of a Killing, a Trial, and Hate Crime in America, Palgrave MacMillan (New York, NY), 2004.

Strawberry Days: How Interment Destroyed a Japanese American Community, Palgrave MacMillan (New York, NY), 2005.

Contributor to periodicals, including Salon.com, the Intelligence Report, Montana Law Review, Washington Post, and the Freedom Writer.

SIDELIGHTS:

Freelance journalist David A. Neiwert writes extensively about hate movements, white supremacists, and proto-fascism in America. In his book Death on the Fourth of July: The Story of a Killing, a Trial, and Hate Crime in America he focuses on the case of three Asian Americans who were attacked on July 4, 2000, at a convenience store while vacationing in the small seaside town of Ocean Shores, Washington. The attack was made by a group of apparently drunk young men who resembled skinheads (neo-Nazis) and who had directed racial slurs at the visitors. When the fight was over, the recognized leader of the white group was dead, and one of the Asian Americans was charged with manslaughter. Neiwert, who knew the family of the Asian American because he ate at their restaurant in Seattle, recounts the events of the altercation, the ensuing trial, and the effects of the incident on the families involved and the small town itself. The author also explores hate crimes in general, including the myths surrounding such crimes and some lesser-known cases.

A Publishers Weekly contributor noted that the author sometimes "devolves into a pseudosociological treatise" but added that "Neiwert is at his best in reporting on the details of the trial, the feelings of the families and the disruption of the community." Writing in Library Journal, Harry Charles commented that Neiwert's "well-researched book deserves a wide audience." And David Pitt commented in Booklist that the issue of hate crimes is "a vastly complicated subject, and the author handles it delicately, intelligently, and gracefully."

Neiwert is also the author of Strawberry Days: How Interment Destroyed a Japanese American Community, which explores the long-term impact of the U.S. government's decision to establish an internment camp for Japanese immigrants following the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the start of World War II.