Thomas Dyja is an American writer, living in New York City.^[1] He has written three novels, a biography of civil rights activist Walter Francis White, historical books on Chicago and New York City. Play For A Kingdom received the Casey Award^[2] and The Third Coast won the Chicago Tribune Heartland Prize for Nonfiction.^[3]

Early life and education

Dyja grew up in Belmont Cragin, Chicago and attended Gordon Technical High School. He moved to New York City to attend Columbia University, graduating in 1984.^[1][4]

Writing

Dyja's novel The Moon In Our Hands is based on the life of Walter Francis White.^[5]

His history of New York City, New York, New York, New York: Four Decades of Success, Excess, and Transformation, covers the terms of five New York City mayors: Ed Koch (1978–1989), David Dinkins (1990–1993), Rudy Giuliani (1994–2001), Michael Bloomberg (2002–2013) and Bill de Blasio (2013–present).^[6]

Publications

Novels by Dyja

• Play For A Kingdom: a Novel. Mariner, 1998. ISBN 978-0156006293.^[7]
• Meet John Trow. Viking, 2002. ISBN 978-0670030996.^[8][9]
• The Moon In Our Hands: a Novel. Da Capo, 2005. ISBN 978-0786715053.

Non-fiction books by Dyja

• Walter White: The Dilemma Of Black Identity In America. Ivan R. Dee, 2008. ISBN 978-1566637664.^[10]
• The Third Coast: When Chicago Built The American Dream. Penguin, 2013. ISBN 978-1594204326.^[11][12][13]
• New York, New York, New York: Four Decades of Success, Excess, and Transformation. Simon & Schuster, 2021. ISBN 978-1982149789.^[14][15]

Books with contributions by Dyja

• Only Connect: the Way to Save Our Schools. by Rudy Crew. Sarah Crichton, 2007. ISBN 978-0374294014.
• Up Is Down: Mid-Century Experiments in Advertising and Film at the Goldsholl Studio. Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art, 2018. ISBN 978-1732568402.

Books edited by Dyja

• Heart: Stories of Learning to Love Again. Illumina. Marlowe, 2001. ISBN 978-1569246429.
• Life-Changing Stories of Coming of Age. Illumina. Marlowe, 2001. ISBN 978-1569245767.
• Awake: Stories of Life-Changing Epiphanies. Illumina. Marlowe, 2001. ISBN 978-1569245835.
• Life-Changing Stories of Forgiving and Being Forgiven. Illumina. Marlowe, 2001. ISBN 978-1569245750.

Booked edited with others

• The Hard Way: Writing by the Rebels Who Changed Sports. Da Capo, 1999. ISBN 978-1560252306. With a foreword by Jim Bouton.

Awards

• 1997: Casey Award for Play For A Kingdom^[2]
• 2013: Chicago Tribune Heartland Prize for Nonfiction for The Third Coast^[16]