Melissa Klapper Explained

Melissa R. Klapper
Fields:	American history, women's history, modern Jewish history, history of childhood
Workplaces:	Rowan University
Alma Mater:	Goucher College Rutgers University–New Brunswick
Doctoral Advisor:	Alice Kessler-Harris
Awards:	National Jewish Book Award (2013)

Melissa Rose Klapper is an American historian and storyteller. She is a professor of American and women's history at Rowan University. Klapper has authored books on American Jewish women's history and the history of children and youth in the United States.

Life

Klapper completed a B.A. at Goucher College in 1995.^[1] Peter Bardaglio, Julie Roy Jeffrey, and Laurie Kaplan served as undergraduate mentors of Klapper.^[2] She earned a Ph.D. in history from Rutgers University–New Brunswick.^[3] Her 2001 dissertation was titled "A Fair Portion of the World's Knowledge": Jewish Girls Coming of Age in America, 1860-1920. Alice Kessler-Harris was Klapper's doctoral advisor.

Since 2001 Klapper has been a professor of American and women's history at Rowan University, where she is also director of the Women's & Gender Studies Program.^[4] Klapper specializes in the late 19th and early 20th century. Klapper served as co-chair of the Modern Jewish History, The Americas division of the Association for Jewish Studies. Her 2013 book, Ballots, Babies, and Banners of Peace: American Jewish Women's Activism, 1890-1940, won a National Jewish Book Award in women's studies. In March 2023, she became a three-day champion on Jeopardy!, winning a total of $60,100. In March 2024, she competed in Jeopardy!s Tournament of Champions.^[5]

Selected works

• Book: Klapper, Melissa R. . Jewish Girls Coming of Age in America, 1860-1920 . 2005 . NYU Press . 978-0-8147-4780-3 . en. ^[6]
• Book: Klapper, Melissa R. . Small Strangers: The Experiences of Immigrant Children in America, 1880-1925 . 2007 . Ivan R. Dee . 978-1-56663-733-6 . en. ^[7]
• Book: Klapper, Melissa R. . Ballots, Babies, and Banners of Peace: American Jewish Women's Activism, 1890-1940 . 2013 . NYU Press . 978-0-8147-4894-7 . en. ^[8]
• Book: Klapper, Melissa R. . Ballet Class: An American History . 2020 . Oxford University Press . 978-0-19-090868-3 . en.

See also

• List of winners of the National Jewish Book Award

Notes and References

1. Web site: Feiler . Alan . 2023-03-20 . Baltimore Native Dr. Melissa R. Klapper Wins on 'Jeopardy!' . 2023-03-22 . JMORE . en-US.
2. Klapper . Melissa Rose . "A fair portion of the world's knowledge" : Jewish girls coming of age in America, 1860-1920 . 2001 . Ph.D. . Rutgers University–New Brunswick . 56898108.
3. Web site: Melissa Klapper, Ph.D. . 2023-03-16 . chss.rowan.edu.
4. Web site: May 5, 2022 . Amplifying voices of women and children in history . 2023-03-16 . today.rowan.edu . en.
5. Web site: 2024 Tournament of Champions . Jeopardy . 7 March 2024.
6. Reviews of Jewish Girls Coming of Age in America, 1860-1920:
   • Turk . Diana B. . 2006 . Review of Jewish Girls Coming of Age in America, 1860-1920 . Shofar . 24 . 4 . 206–208 . 0882-8539 . 42944226.
   • Stern . Miriam Heller . 2004 . Review of Jewish Girls Coming of Age in America, 1860–1920 . American Jewish History . 92 . 3 . 374–376 . 0164-0178 . 23887309.
   • Schwartz . Shuly Rubin . Shuly Rubin Schwartz . 2007 . Review of Jewish Girls Coming of Age in America, 1860-1920 . The American Historical Review . 112 . 1 . 231–232 . 10.1086/ahr.112.1.231 . 0002-8762 . 4136089.
   • Berg . Ellen L. . 2005 . Klapper . Melissa R. . Bridging Worlds: American Adolescent Jewish Girls . The Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era . 4 . 3 . 315–317 . 10.1017/S153778140000267X . 1537-7814 . 25144405. 163334674 .
   • Fishman . Aleisa . 2006 . Review of Jewish Girls Coming of Age in America, 1860-1920 . AJS Review . 30 . 2 . 469–470 . 10.1017/S0364009406340202 . 0364-0094 . 4131686. 161572016 .
   • Magnes . Rhea . 2006 . Review of Jewish Girls Coming of Age in America, 1860-1920 . Journal of American Ethnic History . 25 . 4 . 201–202 . 10.2307/27501767 . 0278-5927 . 27501767. 254484236 .
   • Moore . Deborah Dash . Deborah Dash Moore . 2006 . Review of Jewish Girls Coming of Age in America, 1860-1920 . The Journal of American History . 93 . 1 . 242–243 . 10.2307/4486152 . 0021-8723 . 4486152.
   • Schrum . Kelly . 2006 . Review of Jewish Girls Coming of Age in America, 1860-1920 . Journal of Social History . 40 . 1 . 233–234 . 10.1353/jsh.2006.0096 . 0022-4529 . 4491867. 55225389 .
7. Reviews of Small Strangers:
   • Barrett . James R. . 2009 . Review of Small Strangers: The Experience of Immigrant Children in America, 1880-1920 . History of Education Quarterly . 49 . 1 . 125–127 . 10.1111/j.1748-5959.2009.01172.x . 0018-2680 . 20462276. 144489630 .
   • Wild . H. Mark . 2008 . Review of Small Strangers: The Experiences of Immigrant Children in America, 1880-1925 . The Journal of American History . 94 . 4 . 1282–1283 . 10.2307/25095396 . 0021-8723 . 25095396.
   • Cross . Gary . 2008 . Review of Small Strangers: The Experience of Immigrant Children in America, 1880-1925 . Journal of Social History . 42 . 2 . 521–522 . 10.1353/jsh.0.0127 . 0022-4529 . 27696463. 142801361 .
   • Weissbach . Lee Shai . 2008 . Review of Small Strangers: The Experience of Immigrant Children in America, 1880-1925 . The American Historical Review . 113 . 3 . 839–840 . 10.1086/ahr.113.3.839 . 0002-8762 . 30223112.
   • Berger . Garrett . 2008 . Review of Small Strangers: The Experiences of Immigrant Children in America, 1880–1925 . The Virginia Quarterly Review . 84 . 1 . 260 . 0042-675X . 26445969.
   • DeLuzio . Crista . 2008 . Klapper . Melissa R. . Growing up between Two Worlds . Reviews in American History . 36 . 4 . 566–574 . 10.1353/rah.0.0048 . 0048-7511 . 40210963. 144066973 .
   • Bush . William S. . 2011 . Davis . Rocío G. . Fass . Paula S. . Klapper . Melissa R. . Childhood without Borders . Journal of American Ethnic History . 30 . 4 . 63–70 . 10.5406/jamerethnhist.30.4.0063 . 0278-5927.
   • Mintz . Steven . Steven Mintz . 2008 . Klapper . Melissa R. . Children: The Neglected Actors in the Drama of Immigration . The Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era . 7 . 3 . 383–385 . 10.1017/S1537781400000785 . 1537-7814 . 25144535. 163182526 .
8. Reviews of Ballots, Babies, and Banners of Peace:
   • Dollinger . Marc . Marc Dollinger . 2014 . Review of Ballots, Babies, and Banners of Peace: American Jewish Women's Activism, 1890-1940 . The American Historical Review . 119 . 3 . 910–911 . 10.1093/ahr/119.3.910 . 0002-8762 . 23784867.
   • Antler . Joyce . Joyce Antler . 2014 . Review of Ballots, Babies, and Banners of Peace: American Jewish Women's Activism, 1890–1940, KlapperMelissa R. . American Jewish History . 98 . 1 . 33–35 . 0164-0178 . 26414389.
   • Moore . Deborah Dash . Thébaud . Françoise . Françoise Thébaud . 2016 . Review of Ballots, Babies, and Banners of Peace: American Jewish Women's Activism, 1890-1940, Klapper Melissa R. . Clio. Femmes, Genre, Histoire . 44 . 317–320 . 1252-7017 . 26265057.
   • Rubel . Nora L. . 2015 . Review of Ballots, Babies, and Banners of Peace: American Jewish Women's Activism, 1890–1940 . Journal of the American Academy of Religion . 83 . 1 . 284–288 . 10.1093/jaarel/lfu113 . 0002-7189 . 24488145.
   • McCune . Mary . 2014 . Review of Ballots, Babies, and Banners of Peace: American Jewish Women's Activism, 1890—1940 . The Journal of American History . 100 . 4 . 1231–1232 . 10.1093/jahist/jau075 . 0021-8723 . 44307928.