About
Christopher Klein is an author and freelance writer specializing in history. He writes stories about the past that inform us about the present and guide us to the future.
Christopher's latest book is When the Irish Invaded Canada: The Incredible True Story of the Civil War Veterans Who Fought for Ireland's Freedom (Doubleday, 2019), which chronicles the outlandish story of a band of Irish-American revolutionaries who tried to free Ireland by attacking the British colony of Canada five times between 1866 and 1871 in what are known as the Fenian Raids.
He is also the author of Strong Boy: The Life and Times of John L. Sullivan, America's First Sports Hero, Discovering the Boston Harbor Islands: A Guide to the City’s Hidden Shores, and The Die-Hard Sports Fan's Guide to Boston.
Christopher is a frequent contributor to History.com, the web site of the History Channel. His articles have also appeared in The Boston Globe, The New York Times, National Geographic Traveler, The Boston Globe Magazine, The Daily, Harvard Magazine, The Boston Phoenix, Red Sox Magazine, GO (AirTran's in-flight magazine), AAA Horizons, The Patriot Ledger, St. Petersburg Times, New England Travel, Smithsonian.com, AmericanHeritage.com, Travora.com, and ESPN.com. His blog, HubTrotter (http://hubtrotter.blogspot.com), covers travel and history topics in Boston and beyond.
In addition to his historical and travel writing, Christopher has more than 15 years of experience authoring business books, market research reports, and white papers for architecture, engineering, and environmental consulting firms. He has written articles for numerous industry newsletters and magazines, including The Zweig Letter, Professional Services Management Journal, SMPS Marketer, CE News, Structural Engineer, BE Magazine, and Construction Specifier.
Christopher graduated summa cum laude and with honors from Drew University in Madison, New Jersey, in 1994, and he is a graduate of Andover High School in Andover, Massachusetts. He is a member of the Boston Authors Club, Biographers International Organization, and American Society of Journalists and Authors.
Featured Work
When the Irish Invaded Canada: The Incredible True Story of the Civil War Veterans Who Fought for Ireland's Freedom
The outlandish, untold story of the Irish American revolutionaries who tried to free Ireland by invading Canada
Just over a year after Robert E. Lee relinquished his sword, a band of Union and Confederate veterans dusted off their guns. But these former foes had no intention of reigniting the Civil War. Instead, they were bound by a common goal: to seize the British province of Canada and to hold it hostage until the independence of Ireland was secured.
By the time that these invasions--known together as the Fenian Raids--began in 1866, Ireland had been Britain's unwilling colony for seven hundred years. Thousands of Civil War veterans considered themselves Irishmen before they were Americans. They were those who fled rather than perish in the wake of the Great Hunger, and now they took their cue from a previous generation of successful American revolutionaries. With the tacit support of the U.S. government, the Fenian Brotherhood established a state in exile, planned prison breaks, weathered infighting, stockpiled weapons, and assassinated enemies. Defiantly, this motley group, including a one-armed war hero, an English spy infiltrating rebel forces, and a radical who staged his own funeral, managed to seize a piece of Canada--if only for three days.
When the Irish Invaded Canada is the untold tale of a band of fiercely patriotic Irish Americans and their chapter in Ireland's centuries-long fight for independence. Inspiring, lively, and often undeniably comic, this is a story of fighting for what's right in the face of impossible odds.
Other Works
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Strong Boy: The Life and Times of John L. Sullivan, America's First Sports Hero
2013
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The Die-Hard Sports Fan's Guide to Boston
2010
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Discovering the Boston Harbor Islands
2008
Awards and Recognition
- Bela Kornitzer Book Award
