Jim Lester holds a Ph.D in history and has written six books on regional history as well as teaching courses in American culture including "The History of Sports in America." He is also the author of FALLOUT, a critically acclaimed young adult novel published by Bantam/Delacorte and THE GREAT PRETENDER, a coming of age novel set in Little Rock, Arkansas in the 1950s. In addition, he is the author of TILL THE RIVERS ALL RUN DRY, a coming of age historical novel set in Venezuela on the eve of World War II and SHADOW GAMES, a novel about point shaving in college basketball. A life long basketball fan, he is the author of HOOP CRAZY: COLLEGE BASKETBALL IN THE 1950S. Jim is married to his high school sweetheart and lives in Denver, Colorado.