Teacher, Writer, Poet And Filmmaker Brad Ricca To Speak At Lakewood Public Library

Brad Ricca is an expert in subjects many people know little about. While writing his book "Super Boys," published in 2013, Ricca uncovered new information about the creators of Superman by spending every Saturday for four years in the Cleveland Public Library. Now he’s back with a new book, "Mrs. Sherlock Holmes," about a woman who became a lawyer, a consulting detective for the New York City Police Department and the first female U.S. district attorney.

You can meet Brad Ricca on Thursday, December 7 at 7:00 p.m. in the Main Library Auditorium and learn more about this fascinating woman, Grace Humiston, and the author’s process of discovering obscure information through newspaper archives and records of old court cases.

"Mrs. Sherlock Holmes" tells the tale of Grace Humiston, whose nickname was given to her by the press after she solved a kidnapping case dropped by the New York City Police Department. Her success led to a job in the NYPD and a string of other cases around the world, many of which she worked pro bono. After graduating from law school in 1903, Grace opened a legal clinic for immigrants and the poor whose motto was “Justice for those of limited means.” Famous for wearing only black and going undercover to investigate forced labor by immigrants in the South, Humiston was a frequent topic for journalists, who were fascinated and sometimes highly critical of her determination to bring to light unfair labor conditions and the exploitation of girls and women.

The book is written as creative nonfiction, an increasingly popular style of true stories written to mimic fiction. Ricca used information from newspapers and court cases and says he made nothing up, but used dialogue, personal facts and gossip uncovered in his meticulous research. The result is a highly readable true story told in a compelling way. Ricca is a Westlake native who teaches classes on comics, popular culture, and narrative biography at Case Western Reserve University, along with science fiction/fantasy classes at the Cleveland Institute of Art. In addition to writing two nonfiction books, he has won many literary awards, published a book of poetry and made a documentary film about the creators of Superman.

Join Ricca at the Lakewood Public Library on December 7 to hear more about Mrs. Sherlock Holmes. Books will be available for sale and signing at the event.

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Volume 13, Issue 22, Posted 5:56 PM, 11.21.2017