Pamela Toler's "The Dragon from Chicago. The Untold Story of an American Reporter in Nazi Germany"

In this episode of Biographers in Conversation, the historian Dr Pamela Toler chats with Dr Gabriella Kelly-Davies about her choices while crafting The Dragon from Chicago. The Untold Story of an American Reporter in Nazi Germany, the biography of Sigrid Schultz, the Chicago Tribune’s bureau chief in Berlin during Hitler’s rise to power.

Here’s what you’ll discover in this episode:

• Why Pamela Toler chose The Dragon from Chicago as the biography’s title
• Why Sigrid Schultz’s story is still so relevant today
• How Pamela responded to gaps and misinformation in the historical record
• How she reconstructed scenes from Sigrid’s life that reflected escalating intimidation and imminent danger in Nazi Germany
• How Pamela balanced her voice as the narrator with Sigrid’s voice and point of view
• How Pamela balanced Sigrid’s professional and public life with her human story
• How Pamela contextualised Sigrid’s life and choices within their broader historical, social and cultural landscape.