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William Shaw

Goodreads Author

Born

in New York City, The United States

Website

https://www.williampshaw.substack.com

Genre

Historical Fiction, Fiction, Young Adult

Influences

James Joyce, Sebastian Barry, Ken Kesey. W.B. Yeats, Charles Frasier, ...more

Member Since

August 2014

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Born and raised in Brooklyn, William Shaw, PhD, taught English literature for many years at Le Moyne College and North Carolina State University.

Shaw spent many summers in Ireland, traveling with American students while teaching courses in Irish literature. He also taught one term at University College Cork as a Visiting Professor.

In 2005, Shaw published "Fellowship of Dust: Retracing the World War II Journey of Sergeant Frank Shaw." He currently writes opinion columns for his local newspaper, "The Pilot," while also producing his own digital newsletter for Substack -- "Wormwood: Reflections on an Endangered Nation."

"On the Run," published in 2023, tells the story of how the Troubles in Northern Ireland affect and transform each member of a ...more

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Combine Editions
William Shaw’s books

Average rating: 4.12 · 52 ratings · 23 reviews · 2 distinct works • Similar authors

	On the Run 4.06 avg rating — 49 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Fellowship of Dust: Retracing the WWII Journey of Sergeant Frank Shaw it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 3 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

* Note: these are all the books on Goodreads for this author. To add more, click here.

169 posts
William Shaw's Blog

Wormwood

Open Letters by MersaultPART 2: I Lost My Temper in a MAGA ChurchIn Part I of my ill-advised field study into America’s Christian nationalist movement, I attended my first-ever church service, a Sunday morning sermon inside a Calvary Chapel evangelical church where the teachings of Jesus arrived wrapped in the language of cultural collapse, political grievance, and low-grade civilizational panic…R Read more of this blog post »

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William is Currently Reading

William Shaw is currently reading

The Origins of Totalitarianism: with a new introduction by Anne Applebaum

by Hannah Arendt

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Jul 20, 2025 08:04AM

William Shaw is currently reading

The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story

by Nikole Hannah-Jones

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Jan 21, 2025 11:49AM

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And There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle

by Jon Meacham

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Jul 13, 2024 01:29PM

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William’s Recent Updates

William Shaw wrote a new blog post Wormwood Open Letters by MersaultPART 2: I Lost My Temper in a MAGA ChurchIn Part I of my ill-advised field study into America’s Christian nationalist movement Read more of this blog post »
Jun 01, 2026 06:56AM · like
William Shaw finished reading Buckeye by Patrick Ryan (Goodreads Author) Goodreads Choice Awards Nominee in Readers' Favorite Historical Fiction	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Apr 20, 2026 12:46PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Buckeye by Patrick Ryan. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Buckeye by Patrick Ryan <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
William Shaw is currently reading Buckeye by Patrick Ryan (Goodreads Author) Goodreads Choice Awards Nominee in Readers' Favorite Historical Fiction	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 10, 2025 11:20AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Buckeye by Patrick Ryan. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Buckeye by Patrick Ryan <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
William Shaw is currently reading The Origins of Totalitarianism: with a new introduction by Anne Applebaum by Hannah Arendt	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jul 20, 2025 08:04AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Origins of Totalitarianism by Hannah Arendt. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Origins of Totalitarianism by Hannah Arendt <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
William Shaw finished reading The Life of Brian: Screenplay by Monty Python	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
May 23, 2025 03:52AM · like
William Shaw is currently reading The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story by Nikole Hannah-Jones	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 21, 2025 11:49AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The 1619 Project by Nikole Hannah-Jones. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The 1619 Project by Nikole Hannah-Jones <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
William Shaw rated a book it was amazing Horse by Geraldine Brooks (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 20, 2025 10:51AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Horse by Geraldine Brooks. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Horse by Geraldine Brooks <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
William Shaw rated a book it was amazing The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 06, 2024 10:53AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
William Shaw is now following Kate and Lily A.
Sep 02, 2024 05:24PM

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William’s Quotes

“Each one of us here today will at one time in our lives look upon a loved one who is in need and ask the same question: We are willing to help, Lord, but what, if anything, is needed? For it is true we can seldom help those closest to us. Either we don't know what part of ourselves to give or, more often than not, the part we have to give is not wanted. And so it is those we live with and should know who elude us. But we can still love them - we can love completely without complete understanding.”
― Norman Maclean, A River Runs Through It and Other Stories

tags: life, love

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