Tracy Kidder

John Tracy Kidder was born in the 1940s in New York City. He attended elite schools: Phillips Academy for prep school, then Harvard University for college. At Harvard, Kidder had planned to study political science, with his parents’ approval, but as a sophomore, he switched to studying English. After graduating in 1967, he served as a lieutenant in the military for two years, during which he saw active duty in Vietnam. Afterwards, he was admitted to the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, often considered the most prestigious MFA program in the country. It was during his time in Iowa that Kidder decided to focus his creative energy on writing nonfiction and journalism. His first book, The Road to Yuba City (1975), about the Juan Corona murders, was particularly successful, but his second book, The Soul of the New Machine (1981), about the early days of the computer industry, was a hit, winning the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-fiction. Kidder has continued to write prolifically since the 80s, winning many awards in the process. He’s taught writing and journalism at Harvard, and contributed to hundreds of magazines. Currently he resides in Massachusetts.