Charles Patterson

Charles Patterson on New York's Upper West Side

Patterson is an author, historian, editor, therapist, and teacher.

He grew up in New Britain, Connecticut and graduated from Kent School, Amherst College, the Episcopal Theological School, Columbia University (M.A. in English Literature, Ph.D. in Religion), and the Yad Vashem Institute for Holocaust Studies in Jerusalem.

He lives in New York City where he has taught courses in history, literature, and writing at New School University ("Ancient Israel" & "Classics of World Literature"), Adelphi University ("Advanced Writing"), Hunter College ("The Bible as Literature"), and Metropolitan College (Adjunct Professor, Human Services).

Patterson's first book--Anti-Semitism: The Road to the Holocaust and Beyond--was called "important" by Publisher’s Weekly. "It can't be stressed enough how good a writer Charles Patterson is and what an excellent book he has produced," wrote Judaica Book News. "It deserves a place in every home, school and public library... excellent background reading in Jewish history and the history of western civilization."

The National Council for the Social Studies in Washington, D.C. presented him with its Carter G. Woodson Book Award for his young adult (YA) biography of Marian Anderson at a special luncheon at its annual convention in St. Louis, Missouri in 1989.

His most recent books include The Oxford 50th Anniversary Book of the United Nations, The Civil Rights Movement, From Buchenwald to Carnegie Hall (co-author), and Eternal Treblinka: Our Treatment of Animals and the Holocaust (now in 15 languages).

Five of his YA books are back in print through The Authors Guild Backinprint program--Anti-Semitism: The Road to the Holocaust and Beyond, Animal Rights, Hafiz al-Asad of Syria, Marian Anderson, and Thomas Jefferson.

His internationally acclaimed Eternal Treblinka: Our Treatment of Animals and the Holocaust has been translated into French, Spanish, German, Hebrew, Italian, Polish, Czech, Croatian, Serbian, Slovenian, Russian, Japanese, Brazilian Portuguese, and Korean.

His forthcoming book--In Dante's Footsteps (A Modern Divine Comedy)--is an autobiographical novel about an Episcopal priest who leaves the church and goes down into the Underworld (aka Hell).

Patterson is a member of PEN, The Authors Guild, and the National Writers Union and is on the Advisory Committee of Jewish Vegetarians of North America (JVNA).