“For good or bad, people of the past have many things to say to us, about what we can do in the future,” said James Buckley Jr. about his Who Was or Who Is children’s historical biography book series. “[The subjects] can become examples of what to do or try (or what not to do or try). And understanding where we've been as a people is very important, I think.”
In 2000, the Santa Barbara author founded Shoreline Publishing, which has since produced more than 500 books — mostly nonfiction for adults and children. His Who Was/Who Is series has gained nationwide popularity, and Buckley is the author of more than 125 books for kids.
It is his Who Was/Who Is series, however, that has sparked recent interest and book sales. Buckley, one of a handful of authors who participate in writing the biography series, is a former Sports Illustrated writer and so has focused on athletic icons such as Muhammad Ali and Roberto Clemente. However, his first book in the series was on the famous chocolatier Milton Hershey.