John Holway

For over 75 years John B Holway has struggled to write short, clear English sentences. It's a challenge flung at him by a University of Iowa professor, whose lessons consisted of three sentences: Keep it short! Keep it short! Keep it short! After a stint in Korea, where he almost got killed, he's still trying to do it. He's written over 20 books, many of them based on research about, and interviews with, over 75 old-time Negro league ball players. The books won several awards. When he branched...See more

For over 75 years John B Holway has struggled to write short, clear English sentences. It's a challenge flung at him by a University of Iowa professor, whose lessons consisted of three sentences: Keep it short! Keep it short! Keep it short! After a stint in Korea, where he almost got killed, he's still trying to do it. He's written over 20 books, many of them based on research about, and interviews with, over 75 old-time Negro league ball players. The books won several awards. When he branched out to do black World War II flying heroes, the result became a movie, The Red Tails, by George Lucas of Star Wars fame. Holway has visited all 50 states and about 40 countries - China, Russia, India, Argentina, Ghana etc. His favorites: Nepal, where he wallowed through snow to 18,000 feet on Annapurna, and Japan, where he got married. He speaks a smattering of Japanese, Chinese, French, Nepali, and English. He married a Japanese girl and adopted four great kids from Korea, China, and Pakistan. He was greatly impressed by his first movie, at the age of three - The Mummy with Boris Karloff in 1933. As Karloff, wrapped in bandages, crept up behind two explorers, John screamed so loud his father swept him up and rushed him out of the theater. He's been an incurable movie nut ever since. See less