David Sheinkin

Steve Sheinkin, born in 1968, is an American author recognized for his captivating history books aimed at young adults. Transitioning to full-time writing for young readers in 2008 after a career in textbook creation, Sheinkin has earned acclaim for making historical subjects more accessible to his audience. His literary output includes both fiction and non-fiction, with a particular focus on historical narratives presented in an engaging and suspenseful manner.

His fictional work includes the Rabbi Harvey graphic novel series, which features a Jewish rabbi who also serves as a sheriff in the Old West. These stories, set in a fictional Colorado town, utilize rabbinical wisdom to resolve conflicts, often in place of violence. The series draws inspiration from Sheinkin's own upbringing, which encompassed both Jewish folktales and American Western literature. The character of Rabbi Harvey is also partly inspired by the author's father. Sheinkin's non-fiction works have received significant recognition, including multiple finalist nods for the National Book Award and prestigious honors like the Newbery Honor and the Sibert Medal.

Sheinkin is the creator of the Rabbi Harvey series, a set of three illustrated graphic novels. These books center on Rabbi Harvey, a unique character who is both a Jewish rabbi and a sheriff in the fictional Old West town of Elk Spring, Colorado. Rather than relying on typical Western tropes of firearms, Rabbi Harvey employs Jewish rabbinical wisdom to solve the town's problems. The series, published by Jewish Lights Publishing, includes titles such as 'The Adventures of Rabbi Harvey,' 'Rabbi Harvey Rides Again,' and 'Rabbi Harvey vs. the Wisdom Kid.' The narratives ingeniously weave together elements from Jewish folklore and American frontier legends, reflecting Sheinkin's own diverse childhood experiences as a Jewish-American boy exposed to both traditions. The character of Rabbi Harvey also incorporates aspects of the author's father, David Sheinkin.

Steve Sheinkin's contributions to young adult literature have been widely recognized with numerous awards and honors. His non-fiction books, 'Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World's Most Dangerous Weapon' and 'The Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil Rights,' were both finalists for the National Book Award. 'Bomb' also garnered the Newbery Honor and the Sibert Medal from the American Library Association in 2013. In 2015, 'The Port Chicago 50' received the Carter G. Woodson Book Award. His 2015 publication, 'Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War,' was another National Book Award finalist and was lauded as an exceptional study of the Vietnam War for teen readers. Sheinkin was honored with the Margaret A. Edwards Award in 2020, and his most recent book, 'Impossible Escape,' earned a Sydney Taylor Book Award Honor.