Author. He will be best remembered for his penning of the novel “Little Big Man” (1964). The work was made into a 1970 motion picture adaptation which starred Dustin Hoffman. Born Thomas Charles Berger, his father worked for a Cincinnati-area school district. Both of Thomas’ parents were avid readers and encouraged their son to take to literature for which he gladly did. He briefly attended Miami University in Ohio, but lost interest and joined the United States Army, with who he was assigned to the Medical Corps and stationed in Europe during World War II. Upon his return him, he earned a Bachelors Degree in English from the University of Cincinnati and later attended Columbia University, where he did his graduate work. He went on to find work as a librarian and summary writer with the New York Times. In 1958, his first novel “Crazy in Berlin” was published. This was followed by “Reinhardt in Love” (1962). His book “Neighbors” (1980) was made into a 1981 film adaptation which starred John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd and his work “The Feud” earned him a Pulitzer Prize nomination in 1984. Privately, Berger was highly reclusive and was difficult to contact, even for those close to him. During the course of his career, he totaled more than twenty novels. (bio by: C.S.)