Bruce B. Henderson
Encyclopedia
Bruce Henderson also known as Bruce B. Henderson, is an American writer and the author
of more than 20 nonfiction books. He is a member of the Authors Guild and American Society of Journalists and Authors
, and has taught writing courses at USC School of Journalism and Stanford University
. After service in the United States Navy
aboard USS Ranger (CVA-61) during the Vietnam War
, and following college on the G.I. Bill, he worked as a reporter for several newspapers, including the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner
, and as a magazine staff editor at New West and California Magazine. His writing has appeared in periodicals such as Smithsonian Magazine ("Cook vs. Peary", April 2009), Esquire
, Playboy
and Reader's Digest
. One of his first books, And the Sea Will Tell
, written with Charles Manson
prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi
, was a #1 New York Times hardcover bestseller and highly-rated CBS
miniseries. "The book succeeds on all counts," reported the Los Angeles Times
. "The final pages are some of the most suspenseful in trial literature."
Henderson co-authored the autobiography of brother vintners Ernest Gallo
and Julio Gallo
, as well as Leap of Faith: An Astronaut's Journey into the Unknown, the memoirs of one of the original Mercury Seven
astronauts, Gordon Cooper
. Henderson's 2005 book, True North: Peary, Cook, and The Race to the Pole, examined the ongoing controversy as to which explorer reached the North Pole first: Robert Peary
in 1909 or Frederick Cook
in 1908. Publishers Weekly commented: "This adventure yarn delivers as both a cautionary tale and a fitting memorial to polar exploration." In 2006, Henderson co-authored Time Traveler: A Scientist's Personal Mission to Make Time Travel a Reality, the autobiography of African-American theoretical physicist Ronald Mallett
, which in addition to the United States has been published in the United Kingdom, China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan.
Henderson's book, Hero Found: The Greatest POW Escape of the Vietnam War, published in 2010. is the story of U.S. Navy pilot Dieter Dengler
, who was shot down over Laos in January 1966 and escaped from a Pathet Lao
POW camp six months later. Henderson and Dengler served together on the aircraft carrier Ranger in 1965–66.
in 1991. Filmed in Vancouver, B.C., and Tahiti, it starred Rachel Ward
, Richard Crenna
, James Brolin
and Hart Bochner
. Empire of Deceit: Inside the Biggest Sports and Bank Scandal in U.S. History, is in development for a feature film by Pelagius Films, producers of Talk to Me
(2007).
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:...
of more than 20 nonfiction books. He is a member of the Authors Guild and American Society of Journalists and Authors
American Society of Journalists and Authors
The American Society of Journalists and Authors was founded in 1948 as the Society of Magazine Writers, and is an organization of independent nonfiction writers in the United States...
, and has taught writing courses at USC School of Journalism and Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
. After service in the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
aboard USS Ranger (CVA-61) during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, and following college on the G.I. Bill, he worked as a reporter for several newspapers, including the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner
Los Angeles Herald-Examiner
The Los Angeles Herald Examiner was a major Los Angeles daily newspaper, published Monday through Friday in the afternoon, and in the morning on Saturdays and Sundays. It was part of the Hearst syndicate. The afternoon Herald-Express and the morning Examiner, both of which had been publishing in...
, and as a magazine staff editor at New West and California Magazine. His writing has appeared in periodicals such as Smithsonian Magazine ("Cook vs. Peary", April 2009), Esquire
Esquire (magazine)
Esquire is a men's magazine, published in the U.S. by the Hearst Corporation. Founded in 1932, it flourished during the Great Depression under the guidance of founder and editor Arnold Gingrich.-History:...
, Playboy
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
and Reader's Digest
Reader's Digest
Reader's Digest is a general interest family magazine, published ten times annually. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, its headquarters is now in New York City. It was founded in 1922, by DeWitt Wallace and Lila Bell Wallace...
. One of his first books, And the Sea Will Tell
And the Sea Will Tell
And the Sea Will Tell is a true crime book by Vincent Bugliosi and Bruce B. Henderson. The nonfiction book, a New York Times #1 hardcover bestseller and still in print as a trade paperback, recounts a double murder on Palmyra Atoll and the subsequent arrest, trial and conviction of Duane Walker,...
, written with Charles Manson
Charles Manson
Charles Milles Manson is an American criminal who led what became known as the Manson Family, a quasi-commune that arose in California in the late 1960s. He was found guilty of conspiracy to commit the Tate/LaBianca murders carried out by members of the group at his instruction...
prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi
Vincent Bugliosi
Vincent Bugliosi is an American attorney and author, best known for prosecuting Charles Manson and other defendants accused of the Tate-LaBianca murders. His most recent books are Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy , The Prosecution of George W...
, was a #1 New York Times hardcover bestseller and highly-rated CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
miniseries. "The book succeeds on all counts," reported the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
. "The final pages are some of the most suspenseful in trial literature."
Henderson co-authored the autobiography of brother vintners Ernest Gallo
Ernest Gallo
Ernest Gallo was the American co-founder of the E & J Gallo Winery. He was ranked 297th on the 2006 Forbes 400 list of billionaires. With his brother they founded the E.&J...
and Julio Gallo
Julio Gallo
Julio Gallo was one of the founders of the E & J Gallo Winery.-Biography:He was born on March 21, 1910 in Oakland, California to Joseph Gallo, Sr. He had two brothers: his partner in the wine business, Ernest Gallo; and his youngest brother, Joseph Edward Gallo. Joseph Gallo, Sr. died in a...
, as well as Leap of Faith: An Astronaut's Journey into the Unknown, the memoirs of one of the original Mercury Seven
Mercury Seven
Mercury Seven was the group of seven Mercury astronauts selected by NASA on April 9, 1959. They are also referred to as the Original Seven and Astronaut Group 1...
astronauts, Gordon Cooper
Gordon Cooper
Leroy Gordon Cooper, Jr. , also known as Gordon Cooper, was an American aeronautical engineer, test pilot and NASA astronaut. Cooper was one of the seven original astronauts in Project Mercury, the first manned space effort by the United States...
. Henderson's 2005 book, True North: Peary, Cook, and The Race to the Pole, examined the ongoing controversy as to which explorer reached the North Pole first: Robert Peary
Robert Peary
Robert Edwin Peary, Sr. was an American explorer who claimed to have been the first person, on April 6, 1909, to reach the geographic North Pole...
in 1909 or Frederick Cook
Frederick Cook
Frederick Albert Cook was an American explorer and physician, noted for his claim of having reached the North Pole on April 21, 1908. This would have been a year before April 6, 1909, the date claimed by Robert Peary....
in 1908. Publishers Weekly commented: "This adventure yarn delivers as both a cautionary tale and a fitting memorial to polar exploration." In 2006, Henderson co-authored Time Traveler: A Scientist's Personal Mission to Make Time Travel a Reality, the autobiography of African-American theoretical physicist Ronald Mallett
Ronald Mallett
Ronald Lawrence Mallett is an American theoretical physicist, academic, and author. He has taught physics at the University of Connecticut since 1975. He is best known for his scientific position on the possibility of time travel....
, which in addition to the United States has been published in the United Kingdom, China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan.
Henderson's book, Hero Found: The Greatest POW Escape of the Vietnam War, published in 2010. is the story of U.S. Navy pilot Dieter Dengler
Dieter Dengler
Dieter Dengler was a United States Navy Naval aviator during the Vietnam War. He was one of the two survivors , out of seven, to escape from a Pathet Lao prison camp in Laos. He was rescued after 23 days on the run, and was the first captured U.S...
, who was shot down over Laos in January 1966 and escaped from a Pathet Lao
Pathet Lao
The Pathet Lao was a communist political movement and organization in Laos, formed in the mid-20th century. The group was ultimately successful in assuming political power after the Laotian Civil War. The Pathet Lao were always closely associated with Vietnamese communists...
POW camp six months later. Henderson and Dengler served together on the aircraft carrier Ranger in 1965–66.
Partial bibliography
- Hero Found: The Greatest POW Escape of the Vietnam War (Harper, 2010, ISBN 978-0-06-157136-7)
- Down to the Sea: An Epic Story of Naval Disaster and Heroism in World War II (Collins, 2007, ISBN 978-0-06-117316-5)
- Time Traveler: A Scientist's Personal Mission to Make Time Travel a Reality (Basic Books, 2006, ISBN 978-1-56858-363-1)
- True North: Peary, Cook, and The Race to the Pole (W.W. Norton, 2005, ISBN 0-393-05791-7)
- Spy Dust: Two Masters of Disguise Reveal the Tools and Operations That Helped Win the Cold War (Atria Books, 2002, ISBN 0-7434-2852-8)
- Fatal North: Adventure and Survival Aboard USS Polaris, the First U.S. Expedition to the North Pole (NAL, 2001, ISBN 0-415-40935-3)
- Leap of Faith: An Astronaut's Journey into the Unknown (HarperCollins, 2000, ISBN 0-06-019416-2)
- Trace Evidence: The Hunt for an Elusive Serial Killer (Scribner, 1998, ISBN 0-684-80708-4)
- State of the Union: A Report on President Clinton's First Four Years in Office (General Publishing Group, 1996, ISBN 1-57544-008-3)
- Taking Back Our Streets: Fighting Crime in America (Scribner, 1996, ISBN 0-684-80277-5)
- Ernest & Julio: Our Story (Times Books, 1994, ISBN 0-8129-2454-1)
- And the Sea Will Tell (W.W. Norton, 1991, ISBN 0-393-02919-0)
- How to Bulletproof Your Manuscript (Writer's Digest Books, 1986, ISBN 0-89879-233-9)
- Empire of Deceit: Inside the Biggest Sports and Bank Scandal in U.S. History (Doubleday, 1985, ISBN 0-385-18933-8)
- The Black Cats (Major Books, 1980, ISBN 0-89041-271-5)
- Ghetto Cops (Canyon Books, 1974, ISBN 0-89014-122-3)
Film Adaptations
A highly-rated television miniseries adaptation of And the Sea Will Tell aired on CBSCBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
in 1991. Filmed in Vancouver, B.C., and Tahiti, it starred Rachel Ward
Rachel Ward
Rachel Claire Ward, AM is a British actress, columnist, film director, and screenwriter who has primarily pursued her career in Australia.-Early life:...
, Richard Crenna
Richard Crenna
Richard Donald Crenna was an American motion picture, television, and radio actor and occasional television director. He starred in such motion pictures as The Sand Pebbles, Wait Until Dark, Body Heat, the first three Rambo movies, Hot Shots! Part Deux, and The Flamingo Kid...
, James Brolin
James Brolin
James Brolin is an American actor, producer and director, best known for his roles in soap operas, movies, sitcoms, and television. He is the father of actor Josh Brolin and husband of singer/actress Barbra Streisand.-Early life:...
and Hart Bochner
Hart Bochner
Hart Matthew Bochner is a Canadian film actor, screenwriter, director, and producer.-Life and career:Bochner was born in Toronto, Ontario, the son of Ruth , a concert pianist, and actor Lloyd Bochner...
. Empire of Deceit: Inside the Biggest Sports and Bank Scandal in U.S. History, is in development for a feature film by Pelagius Films, producers of Talk to Me
Talk to Me
Talk to Me is a 1996 made-for-TV drama film that features Yasmine Bleeth and Ricky Paull Goldin.-Plot:The movie involves Diane Shepherd who is an idealistic talk-showproducer who is conscience-stricken when she clashes with her...
(2007).