Casey Cep

Casey Cep is an American author and journalist. Cep is a staff writer at The New Yorker,[1] and her work has appeared in The New York Times,[2] The Paris Review,[3] The New Republic,[4] and other publications. Cep's debut non-fiction book, published by Knopf, Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee (2019), tells the story of how Harper Lee worked on, but ultimately failed to publish, an account of a murder trial that happed in Alabama in 1977.[5]

Biography

Cep was born and raised on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.[6] After attending public schools in Talbot County, Maryland public schools, including Easton High School, Cep graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University in 2007 with a degree in English.[7][8] Cep attended the University of Oxford on a Rhodes Scholarship,[9] earning an M.Phil. in theology.[10] After internships at the New Republic and other publications, she became a staff writer at The New Yorker.[11]

Cep's first book, Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud and the Last Trial of Harper Lee, was published by Knopf in May 2019. The book focuses on the life and criminal trials of Rev. Willie Maxwell —an African American preacher and businessman, five of whose relatives died during the span of seven years, all after he procured life insurance policies for them.[12] Additionally, the book examines the trial of the Reverend's killer, which Harper Lee attended and planned to write about in her final book, though it remained unfinished at the time of her death.[12] The Alabama lawyer, politician, and civil rights pioneer Tom Radney defended Rev. Maxwell during several murder investigations and civil trials for insurance payouts, and subsequently represented his accused killer.[11]

The podcast Criminal spoke with Casey Cep about Rev. Willie Maxwell and Harper Lee's unfinished book in their episode titled "The Reverend."[13]

Reviews and awards

Furious Hours debuted at No. 6 on the New York Times Hardcover Nonfiction Best Sellers List,[14] and is a Books-A-Million President's Pick.[15] The book won the 2020 ALCS Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction[16] and has been shortlisted for the 2019 Baillie Gifford Prize.[17]

In reviewing Furious Hours for the New York Times Book Review, the author Michael Lewis wrote: "She reminded me all over again how much of good storytelling is leading the reader to want to know the things you are about to tell him, while still leaving him to feel that his interest was all his idea."[18] Cep's book, he said, "makes a magical little leap, and it goes from being a superbly written true-crime story to the sort of story that even Lee would have been proud to write."[18] The New York Times selected Furious Hours for its "100 Notable Books of 2019." [19]

According to NPR's Ilana Masad, "Furious Hours delivers a gripping, incredibly well-written portrait of not only Harper Lee, but also of mid-20th century Alabama — and a still-unanswered set of crimes to rival the serial killers made infamous in the same time period."[11]

Time's Lucas Wittman writes, "In elegant prose, [Cep] gives us the fullest story yet of Lee’s post-Mockingbird life ... an account emotionally attuned to the toll that great writing takes, and shows that sometimes one perfect book is all we can ask for, even while we wish for another."[20]

Personal life

Cep was born and raised on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, where she still lives with her family.[21] Her partner is Kathryn Schulz.[22] She "grew up in the Lutheran Church, and I often say that Sunday services were my first book club, because week after week very thoughtful, very loving people gathered around the same book and tried to figure out what it meant. I was steeped in scripture as a kid, and I’ve devoted quite a lot of my adult life to studying religion and theology, so I find it is one of the great themes that interests me — not only as a writer, but as a person in the world, trying to figure out how to be a good partner and community member and citizen of the cosmos. I end up writing about it so much because I think about it so much."[23]

References
  1. "Casey Cep". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2019-07-24.
  2. Cep, Casey (2010-04-08). "Fiction Chronicle - Novels by Anastasia Hobbet, Lori Lansens, Michael Jaime-Becerra and Alex Berenson". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-07-24.
  3. "Casey N. Cep, Author at The Paris Review". The Paris Review. Retrieved 2019-07-24.
  4. "Casey N. Cep". The New Republic. Retrieved 2019-07-24.
  5. Alter, Alexandra (May 3, 2019). "What Happened to Harper Lee's Unpublished True Crime Book?". New York Times. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
  6. "'Furious Hours' author Casey Cep finds a nonstop book club as she tours the U.S." Tampa Bay Times. 2019-06-28. Retrieved 2019-07-24.
  7. Nery, Steve. "Cordova student named Rhodes Scholar". The Star Democrat. Retrieved 2019-07-23.
  8. "What Happened to Harper Lee After "To Kill a Mockingbird"?". Time. Retrieved 2019-07-24.
  9. Emery, Chris. "2 with Md. ties win Rhodes honor". baltimoresun.com. Retrieved 2019-07-24.
  10. Cep, Casey N. (2019-05-15). "The Hidden Harper Lee". The Paris Review. Retrieved 2019-07-24.
  11. "'Furious Hours' Tells The Tale Of Harper Lee And Her Unfinished Work". NPR.org. Retrieved 2020-01-02.
  12. FURIOUS HOURS. Kirkus Reviews.
  13. "The Reverend". Criminal. November 8, 2019.
  14. "Hardcover Nonfiction Books - Best Sellers - May 26, 2019 - The New York Times". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-07-23.
  15. "Books-A-Million Selects Casey Cep's "Furious Hours" as President's Pick". www.businesswire.com. 2019-04-17. Retrieved 2019-07-24.
  16. "Michael Robotham wins the 2020 Gold Dagger". The Booktopian. 2020-10-23. Retrieved 2020-10-23.
  17. "Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction shortlist revealed | The Bookseller". www.thebookseller.com. Retrieved 2019-10-23.
  18. Lewis, Michael (2019-05-06). "The True-Crime Story That Harper Lee Tried and Failed to Write". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-07-24.
  19. "100 Notable Books of 2019". The New York Times. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
  20. "Review: The Little-Known Story of Harper Lee's Failed Attempt to Write a True". Time. Retrieved 2019-07-24.
  21. About Casey Cep
  22. ISAAC SCHULZ 1941 - 2016
  23. AUTHOR PROFILE | Casey Cep, True crimes: Courtroom drama, Harper Lee's involvement spawn novel

Bibliography
  • Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee. Knopf. 2019. ISBN 9781101947869.
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