Strober, Gerald S. 1935-

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STROBER, Gerald S. 1935-

PERSONAL: Born October 11, 1935, in Brooklyn, NY; son of Philip (in business) and Faye (Cogert) Strober; married Deborah Hart (a musician and journalist); children: Robin, Jonathan, Lori. Education: Gordon College, B.A. (magna cum laude), 1961; New York University, M.A., 1962. Religion: Jewish.

ADDRESSES: Home—New York, NY. Agent—Aaron M. Priest Literary Agency, 150 East 35th St., New York, NY 10016.

CAREER: Worked as private social worker, 1962–67; National Conference of Christians and Jews, New York City, research consultant, 1967–68; American Jewish Committee, New York City, human relations executive, 1968–74; Noah Productions, New York City, vice-president, beginning 1977. Member of executive board of Herut-United Zionist Revisionists.

WRITINGS:

(With Lowell Streiker) Religion and the New Majority, Association Press, 1972.

Portrait of the Elder Brother (monograph), American Jewish Committee (Philadelphia, PA), 1972.

American Jews: Community in Crisis, Doubleday (Garden City, NY), 1974.

Graham: A Day in Billy's Life, Doubleday (Garden City, NY), 1976.

Billy Graham: His Life and Faith, Word Books (Waco, TX), 1977, revised edition (with wife, Deborah Hart Strober) published as A Day in the Life of Billy Graham: Living the Message, Square One Publishers (Garden City, NY), 2003.

Aflame for God: The Jerry Falwell Story, Thomas Nelson (Nashville, TN), 1979.

(With Anthony Zeoli) Free Forever: The Autobiography of Anthony Zeoli, Revell (Old Tappan, NJ), 1980.

WITH WIFE, DEBORAH HART STROBER

Let Us Begin Anew: An Oral History of the Kennedy Presidency, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1993, revised edition published as The Kennedy Presidency: An Oral History of the Era, Brassey's (Washington, DC), 2003.

Nixon: An Oral History of His Presidency, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1994, revised edition published as The Nixon Presidency: An Oral History of the Era, Brassey's (Washington, DC), 2003.

Reagan: The Man and His Presidency, Houghton (Boston, MA), 1998, revised edition published as The Reagan Presidency: An Oral History of the Era, Brassey's (Washington, DC), 2003.

The Monarchy: An Oral Biography of Elizabeth II, Broadway Books (New York, NY), 2002.

Reagan: A Tribute, Triumph Books (Chicago, IL), 2004.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama: The Oral Biography, John Wiley & Sons (Hoboken, NJ), 2005.

SIDELIGHTS: Gerald S. Strober is the author of books on religious and political personalities. Many of his oral biographies have focused on American presidents and have been done in concert with his wife, Deborah Hart Strober. Strober once told CA: "I am interested in the sociology of American religion with particular emphasis on the evangelical and fundamentalist movements. I am particularly concerned with the social and political outworkings of these movements and I am also keenly interested in tracing the careers and significance of the evangelical/fundamentalist leadership. My books on Billy Graham and Jerry Falwell have also provided the opportunity for me to obtain a close-up view of the movements these men represent."

Strober's interests expanded to the political realm with his Nixon: An Oral History of His Presidency, a "fascinating oral history," according to Booklist contributor Margaret Flanagan. The Strobers composed a portrait of Nixon and his time in office from scores of interviews with both supporters and critics. The couple put this same method to work in Reagan: The Man and His Presidency, a "sympathetic, composite portrait of Ronald Reagan," as a contributor for Publishers Weekly noted. Piecing together information from over one hundred interviewees, the couple created, as Library Journal contributor Karl Helicher commented, an "entertaining and informed compilation." With their 2002 title, The Monarchy: An Oral Biography of Elizabeth II, the Strobers interviewed hundreds of people close to the monarchy to trace the life of England's Queen Elizabeth up to her fiftieth year on the throne. The Strobers spoke with many persons, ranging from South African leader Nelson Mandela to novelist Jeffrey Archer. A critic for Kirkus Reviews called the resulting book a "sometimes engaging, occasionally illuminating patchwork of observations and reflections." A Publishers Weekly contributor found it "deliciously informative and always entertaining," while Library Journal reviewer Gail Benjafield, thought it was an "entirely engaging read."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, November 15, 1994, Margaret Flanagan, review of Nixon: An Oral History of His Presidency, p. 577.

Kirkus Reviews, October 1, 2001, review of The Monarchy: An Oral Biography of Elizabeth II, p. 1410.

Library Journal, May 1, 1998, Karl Helicher, review of Reagan: The Man and His Presidency, p. 122; October 15, 2001, Gail Benjafield, review of The Monarchy, p. 86.

Publishers Weekly, April 20, 1998, review of Reagan, p. 51; October 29, 2001, review of The Monarchy, p. 43.