Sid Fleischman was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1920 but grew up in San Diego, California. He had always loved all things magical and toured professionally as a magician until the beginning of World War II. Fleischman served in the U.S. Naval Reserve, and after the war, he went to college. After graduation, Fleischman got a job as a reporter with the San Diego Daily Journal. He stayed there until the paper folded in 1950. He started writing because his own children often wondered what their Daddy did. To show them how he created stories, he wrote them a book. Fleischman has been writing books and screenplays for almost fifty years. In 1987, his book "The Whipping Boy" won the Newberry… Award. Fleischman's son Paul has followed in his father's footsteps and become a well known children's author just like his dad.
Luca Rastellois a journalist at the Italian newspaperLa Repubblicaand director of Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso, a think tank and website that specializes in the criminal economy and international relations.