author
Defender
A Chicago journalist and publisher with firsthand experience inside the legendary Black newspaper at the center of this book, bringing both reporting skill and lived context to the story. His work focuses on history, politics, and the people who shape public life.
1 Audiobook
Sir Charles Warren and Spion Kop: A Vindication
by Defender
About the author
Based in Chicago, Ethan Michaeli is an award-winning author, publisher, and journalist. He worked at the Chicago Defender as a copy editor and investigative reporter from 1991 to 1996, giving him a close view of the institution he later wrote about in The Defender.
His writing is known for connecting major historical events with the lives of the people inside them. That background helps make his work feel both carefully reported and deeply human.
In The Defender, he explores the history and influence of one of America's most important Black newspapers, tracing its role in journalism, civil rights, and the shaping of modern Chicago and the nation.