Andrew E. Stoner (b. 1964), an Indiana native, writes on a variety of subjects from mass media, politics, history, true-crime, and popular culture.
A journalist by training, he holds a Ph.D. in Public Communication and Technology from Colorado State University (2013), a Master's degree in Journalism from Ball State University (1995), and a Bachelor's degree in journalism from Franklin College of Indiana (1986). He is an associate professor at California State University, Sacramento, Department of Communication Studies.
New books coming in 2021 include "Wanted in Indiana: Infamous Hoosier Fugitives" from the History Press, and "Dear Abby, I'm Gay: Newspaper Advice Columnists and Homosexuality" from McFarland Publishing. A third book, likely for 2022, takes up the rhetoric of former President Donald J. Trump in contrast to that of former Alabama Governor George C. Wallace in "Rhetorical Echoes: How George C. Wallace Influences the Trump Era" from University Press of Mississippi.
Stoner's latest book released in 2020 is "Courthouse Chaos: Famous and Infamous Trials, Mob Violence and Justice" (Cardinal Publishing) looks at shocking and provocative cases of violence and heartbreak at the county courthouses in communities big and small. The stories are an integral part of the history of our communities. The courthouse represents justice, safety and the rule of law. There are moments, however, when the courthouse serves as the backdrop for unspeakable violence and turmoil.
"The Journalist of Castro Street: The Life of Randy Shilts" (2019: University of Illinois Press) is the first-ever biography of the acclaimed author of "And the Band Played On," the country's most recognized tome on the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Shilts's success emerged from a relentless work ethic and strong belief in the power of journalism to help mainstream society understand not just the rising tide of HIV/AIDS but gay culture and liberation.
In-depth and dramatic, Andrew E. Stoner's biography follows the remarkable life of the brash, pioneering journalist. Shilts's reporting on AIDS in San Francisco broke barriers even as other gay writers and activists ridiculed his overtures to the mainstream and labeled him a traitor to the movement, charges the combative Shilts forcefully answered. Behind the scenes, Shilts overcame career-threatening struggles with alcohol and substance abuse to achieve the notoriety he had always sought, while the HIV infection he had purposely kept hidden began to take his life.
Stoner is also the author of "Campaign Crossroads: Presidential Politics in Indiana from Lincoln to Obama" (2017) from the Indiana Historical Society Press. It details presidential campaigning across the Hoosier state for more than a century and includes photographs from the vast collection of the Indiana Historical Society archives.
"Cobra Killer" - a book Stoner co-authored with Peter A. Conway - was recently reissued and was the subject of a segment on "Snapped: Killer Couples" on the Oxygen Network (NBC Universal). Film rights to the book were also sold for a 2016 independent theatrical release, "King Cobra" from James Franco and Justin Kelly.
"Notorious 92" - Stoner's original 2007 book on infamous murders from each of Indiana's 92 counties is in its third edition - the most recent released in 2017 from Cardinal Publishing.
Stoner's book, "Betty White: The First 90 Years" was released in December 2012 from Cardinal Publishers. In 2013, the book won the Silver Medal Benjamin Franklin Digital Award, from the Independent Book Publishers Association of America
For the Indiana Bicentennial in 2016, Stoner contributed a chapter to "Indiana's 200: The People Who Shaped the Hoosier State" from the Indiana Historical Society. His chapter: "John H. Dillinger: Bank robber, gangster, declared FBI Public Enemy No. 1" appears in the anthology edited by Linda C. Gugin and James E. St. Clair.
