Author

Jim Murphy

Jim Murphy
  • On March 12, 1888, hurricane-force winds and unrelenting snow began to bring the region of Virginia to Maine to its knees. During the next three days, the Great Blizzard raged out of control, devastating every community in its path. Through the eyes and words of survivors and victims alike, as well as the careful research for which Newbery Honor Award author Jim Murphy is known, listeners will experience one of the most devastating natural disasters in US history and understand why, from that day on, life in the United States was forever changed.
  • The Great Fire of 1871 was one of the most colossal disasters in American history—with damage so profound that few people believed the city of Chicago could ever rise again. By weaving personal accounts of actual survivors together with careful research, Jim Murphy constructs a riveting and dramatic narrative, ultimately revealing how the human spirit triumphed even in a time of deepest despair, and the people of Chicago found the courage and strength to build their city once again.

  • On June 3, 1863, nineteen-year-old Confederate lieutenant John Dooley prepared to march on Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Thomas Galway, a seventeen-year-old corporal in the Union army, waited for the battle to begin.

    Drawing on the written accounts of these young soldiers, Murphy traces the circumstances leading to the dramatic battle of Gettysburg and Lincoln’s historic address at the dedication of the National Cemetery at Gettysburg.