Biographer Honored By State Historical Society - KGWN –Cheyenne, WY– Scottsbluff, NE News,Weather, Sports

Biographer Honored By State Historical Society

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By Jenna Browder - email

On Saturday, the Wyoming Historical Society honored Donald Hardy with its most prestigious book award. Hardy is the author of Shooting From the Lip: The Life of Senator Al Simpson.

The biography follows the life of Senator Simpson, from Wyoming to Washington D.C.

"What a tremendous honor" said Hardy about the award. "Back in Cody High School, I never dreamed of something like this -- my English teachers would have given odds against it! This was only possible because of Al Simpson's lifelong loyalty and friendship – and his 6,000 page diary!"

Simpson said that although he fact-checked a final draft of the book, "I didn't write a word of it and I don't make a penny from its sale." Of Hardy, his former senate chief of staff and resident of Red Lodge, Montana, Simpson said, "Over the course of six years, Don was steadfastly determined to present a true‘Simpson-eye' view of my life – from birth to today, private and public. His book is so rich in intimacy and detail that I found myself reliving many of the most eventful days of my life, both victorious and tragic, bringing me to laughter and tears. This book adds dimension to my life better than I ever could."

Earlier this year in Washington, DC, Haddad Media hosted a celebration of the book that was broadcast nationally on CSPAN's "Book TV." Attendees included former Vice President Dick Cheney, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, Former Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta, and media personalities Sam Donaldson, Nina Totenberg, Bob Woodward, Ann Compton and Brett Baier.

 In recognition of the book in New York City, Mayor Michael Bloomberg personally hosted a reception attended by some fifty nationally known figures, including Barbara Walters, Lesley Stahl and Paul Volker.

 "Shooting" is this year's silver medal winner for biography in the Independent Publisher Book Awards national competition, and was a first place finalist in the national ForeWord book reviews competition.