Tom Clancy - Author of the Month

Picture from
TomClancy.com

Tom Clancy (1947-2013) always had a keen interest in naval history. He studied and read books, technical manuals, and journals as a young person and hoped to serve in the military. His poor eyesight prevented him from serving, and he instead took a job as an insurance agent and began writing on the side. His first published book was The Hunt for Red October (1984). It was a new genre of book - the espionage thriller - filled with stories of spies and descriptions of military technologies. 

Clancy's work is still highly popular. 17 of his books have been #1 on the New York Times Bestseller List, and he has sold millions of copies. Many of his books (specifically the Jack Ryan novels) have been made into major motion pictures and even video games. The genre he created has grown rapidly in popularity. We most likely wouldn't have TV shows like 24 and Homeland without Tom Clancy.

Clancy was a prolific writer up until his death in October of 2013. His final book Command Authority (a Jack Ryan novel) will be released December 3rd. 

If you like thrillers and military weapons and tactics, check out one of Tom Clancy's novels today. They are on display in the fiction section of the Library Media Center. You can find information about all of Clancy's books at his website TomClancy.com.

***Most of the information for this post came from the October 2, 2013 New York Times obituary for Tom Clancy.