Andrew R. Heinze
Encyclopedia
Andrew R. Heinze is an author
, journalist
, playwright
, and scholar of American History.
Heinze grew up in Matawan, New Jersey
. At age fourteen, he won a scholarship to Blair Academy
in Warren County
, where he graduated in 1973. He subsequently won a Bodman Foundation scholarship that enabled him to attend Amherst College
, where he received his B.A. in 1977, graduating Magna Cum Laude. He attended graduate school at the University of California, Berkeley
, receiving his M.A. in 1980 and his Ph.D. in 1987 in American History. He has taught U.S. History at a number of schools, including San Jose State University
, the University of California, Davis
, and the University of California, Berkeley
. From 1993-2006 he was a tenured Professor of American History at the University of San Francisco
, where he was also Director of the Swig Judaic Studies Program
.
Heinze's book Adapting to Abundance (1990) was the first full-length study of the impact of American consumer culture on an immigrant group; it established his reputation as part of a scholarly vanguard that produced the first histories of mass consumption in Europe and America. To date, it has been referenced in hundreds of books, articles, and syllabi around the world. Heinze's book, Jews and the American Soul: Human Nature in the Twentieth Century (2004) was named one of the "Best Books of 2004" by Publishers Weekly
. Additionally, it was runner up in the 2005 National Jewish Book Award in the American Jewish History
category, and it was a Jewish Book Council
Finalist for the 2004 Weinberg Judaic Studies Institute Book Award, University of Scranton
. With Jews and the American Soul, "Heinze has made an important contribution to broadening our perspective on what counts as Jewish thought, and has helped to clarify the significant role that Jews and Jewish ideas have played in American intellectual history."
Heinze was one of nine authors who contributed to The Columbia Documentary History of Race and Ethnicity in America (Columbia University Press
), and to the abridged Race and Ethnicity in America: A Concise History. The Columbia Documentary History was praised as a "massive collection of primary-source documents dealing with 'the other' in America... [including]... an extensive introductory essay by a leading historian in the field." Heinze's articles have appeared in The Journal of American History, American Quarterly
, Religion and American Culture
, American Jewish History
, Journal of the West
, American Jewish Archives, Reviews in American History
as well as in newspapers, magazines and on-line publications. Heinze's observations and essays have been published in various newspapers and periodicals including The Jewish Daily Forward.
In 2007, Heinze left academia and moved to New York City
, where he began play-writing full-time. His first full-length play, Turtles All the Way Down, although unproduced, was praised by Soho Theatre
(London
) as "an accomplished first effort...sharp and highly enjoyable... very theatrical: fast moving with lots of humour." His short comedy The Invention of the Living Room was staged in 2009 at the HB Studio
in New York City. His comedy The FQ, has been staged at several venues, and it was a finalist in the 2010 American Globe Theatre's 16th Annual New York City 15-Minute Play Festival where it won "Audience Favorite." Additionally, it was awarded honorable mention in four more categories, including "Best Script." The FQ is going to be published in THE BEST TEN-MINUTE PLAYS of 2011 (Smith & Kraus). [Contract signed with Smith & Kraus, due to be published in Fall, 2011]
Heinze's short play The Bar Mitzvah of Jesus Goldfarb was produced in May, 2010, at the Stone Soup Theatre in Seattle, and again in May, 2011, in New York City
at the American Globe's 17th Annual New York City 15-Minute Play Festival (under the title The Bar Mitzvah of Jason Goldfarb), where it won four awards, including the "Judges Choice" and "Audience Choice" for "Best Play." He is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America
.
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
, and scholar of American History.
Heinze grew up in Matawan, New Jersey
Matawan, New Jersey
Matawan is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 8,810. The name "Matawan" comes from a Native American Lenape word....
. At age fourteen, he won a scholarship to Blair Academy
Blair Academy
Blair Academy is a private, coeducational, secondary boarding high school with an enrollment of about 448 students for grades nine through twelve. The school has 78 faculty members...
in Warren County
Warren County, New Jersey
Warren County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 108,692. Its county seat is Belvidere...
, where he graduated in 1973. He subsequently won a Bodman Foundation scholarship that enabled him to attend Amherst College
Amherst College
Amherst College is a private liberal arts college located in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Amherst is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 1,744 students in the fall of 2009...
, where he received his B.A. in 1977, graduating Magna Cum Laude. He attended graduate school at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, receiving his M.A. in 1980 and his Ph.D. in 1987 in American History. He has taught U.S. History at a number of schools, including San Jose State University
San José State University
San Jose State University is a public university located in San Jose, California, United States...
, the University of California, Davis
University of California, Davis
The University of California, Davis is a public teaching and research university established in 1905 and located in Davis, California, USA. Spanning over , the campus is the largest within the University of California system and third largest by enrollment...
, and the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
. From 1993-2006 he was a tenured Professor of American History at the University of San Francisco
University of San Francisco
The University of San Francisco , is a private, Jesuit/Catholic university located in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1855, USF was established as the first university in San Francisco. It is the second oldest institution for higher learning in California and the tenth-oldest university of...
, where he was also Director of the Swig Judaic Studies Program
Swig Judaic Studies Program
The Swig Judaic Studies Program is a Jewish Studies Program at The University of San Francisco in San Francisco, California.The program was funded by the Melvin Swig family over twenty years ago. It has the distinction of being the first Judaic Studies Program to be established at a Catholic...
.
Heinze's book Adapting to Abundance (1990) was the first full-length study of the impact of American consumer culture on an immigrant group; it established his reputation as part of a scholarly vanguard that produced the first histories of mass consumption in Europe and America. To date, it has been referenced in hundreds of books, articles, and syllabi around the world. Heinze's book, Jews and the American Soul: Human Nature in the Twentieth Century (2004) was named one of the "Best Books of 2004" by Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...
. Additionally, it was runner up in the 2005 National Jewish Book Award in the American Jewish History
American Jewish History
American Jewish History is an academic journal and the official publication of the American Jewish Historical Society. The journal was established in 1892 and focuses on all aspects of the American Jewish experience including discussions of culture, religion, and politics...
category, and it was a Jewish Book Council
Jewish Book Council
The Jewish Book Council, founded in 1944, is an organization encouraging and contributing to Jewish literature. The goal of the council, as stated on its website, is "to promote the reading, writing and publishing of quality English language books of Jewish content in North America". It is the only...
Finalist for the 2004 Weinberg Judaic Studies Institute Book Award, University of Scranton
University of Scranton
The University of Scranton is a private, co-educational Catholic and Jesuit university, located in Scranton, Pennsylvania, in the northeast region of the state. The school was founded in 1888 by Most Rev. William O'Hara, the first Bishop of Scranton, as St. Thomas College. It was elevated to a...
. With Jews and the American Soul, "Heinze has made an important contribution to broadening our perspective on what counts as Jewish thought, and has helped to clarify the significant role that Jews and Jewish ideas have played in American intellectual history."
Heinze was one of nine authors who contributed to The Columbia Documentary History of Race and Ethnicity in America (Columbia University Press
Columbia University Press
Columbia University Press is a university press based in New York City, and affiliated with Columbia University. It is currently directed by James D. Jordan and publishes titles in the humanities and sciences, including the fields of literary and cultural studies, history, social work, sociology,...
), and to the abridged Race and Ethnicity in America: A Concise History. The Columbia Documentary History was praised as a "massive collection of primary-source documents dealing with 'the other' in America... [including]... an extensive introductory essay by a leading historian in the field." Heinze's articles have appeared in The Journal of American History, American Quarterly
American Quarterly
American Quarterly is an academic journal and the official publication of the American Studies Association. The journal covers topics of both domestic and international concern in the United States and is considered a leading resource in the field of American studies. The current editor-in-chief is...
, Religion and American Culture
Religion and American Culture
Religion and American Culture is a semiannual academic journal published by University of California Press, in Berkeley, California. It is published on behalf of The Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture...
, American Jewish History
American Jewish History
American Jewish History is an academic journal and the official publication of the American Jewish Historical Society. The journal was established in 1892 and focuses on all aspects of the American Jewish experience including discussions of culture, religion, and politics...
, Journal of the West
Journal of the West
Journal of the West is an illustrated quarterly history journal devoted to the history and culture of the American West. Each issue of the Journal is highlighted by a series of articles on a theme central to the history and life of the region. The journal is published by ABC-CLIO, in Santa Barbara,...
, American Jewish Archives, Reviews in American History
Reviews in American History
Reviews in American History is an academic journal founded in 1973. Each issue presents substantive reviews of more than two-dozen new books on the topic of American history. It also features retrospectives on influential titles of the past...
as well as in newspapers, magazines and on-line publications. Heinze's observations and essays have been published in various newspapers and periodicals including The Jewish Daily Forward.
In 2007, Heinze left academia and moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, where he began play-writing full-time. His first full-length play, Turtles All the Way Down, although unproduced, was praised by Soho Theatre
Soho Theatre
Soho Theatre is a theatre in the eponymous Soho district of the City of Westminster. It presents new works of theatre, together with comedy and cabaret....
(London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
) as "an accomplished first effort...sharp and highly enjoyable... very theatrical: fast moving with lots of humour." His short comedy The Invention of the Living Room was staged in 2009 at the HB Studio
HB Studio
Founded in 1945 by Herbert Berghof, the HB Studio is a school that offers professional training in the performing arts. Located in Greenwich Village in New York City, its curriculum includes classes in a variety of areas, including acting, directing, playwrighting, screenwriting, musical theatre,...
in New York City. His comedy The FQ, has been staged at several venues, and it was a finalist in the 2010 American Globe Theatre's 16th Annual New York City 15-Minute Play Festival where it won "Audience Favorite." Additionally, it was awarded honorable mention in four more categories, including "Best Script." The FQ is going to be published in THE BEST TEN-MINUTE PLAYS of 2011 (Smith & Kraus). [Contract signed with Smith & Kraus, due to be published in Fall, 2011]
Heinze's short play The Bar Mitzvah of Jesus Goldfarb was produced in May, 2010, at the Stone Soup Theatre in Seattle, and again in May, 2011, in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
at the American Globe's 17th Annual New York City 15-Minute Play Festival (under the title The Bar Mitzvah of Jason Goldfarb), where it won four awards, including the "Judges Choice" and "Audience Choice" for "Best Play." He is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America
Dramatists Guild of America
The Dramatists Guild of America is a professional organization for playwrights, composers, and lyricists working in the U.S. theatre market.Membership as an Associate Member is open to any person having written at least one stage play. Active Members are playwrights who have had at least one play...
.