Writer Tracy Kidder Passes Away

Washington: Pulitzer Prize-winning author John Tracy Kidder (80) has passed away. He was a writer who turned nonfiction works into bestsellers. Kidder’s books, which ranged in topics from computer engineering to life in nursing homes, became bestsellers in the literary world. His long-time publisher, Random House, confirmed his death.

His 1981 work The Soul of a New Machine won both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. Notable works also include Among Schoolchildren (1989), which shed light on the darker side of aging and life in nursing homes, and Old Friends (1993).

In 2003, he wrote Mountains Beyond Mountains, a book about Paul Farmer's efforts to bring health care to Haiti through the organization Partners In Health. The book was selected as a study text by numerous universities, bringing even more attention to Kidder’s work.

Born in New York City in 1945, Kidder was educated at Harvard University. Other key works include Home Town, My Detachment: A Memoir, and Strength in What Remains.