Tom CLancy Term Paper, page 1

Here is my term paper on the famous writer TOm Clancy. I found it really hard to get info on him so i figured for all yall who wanted to know about him here is a good source

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More than just an entertaining writer, Tom Clancy�s works not only deeply immerses its readers in thrilling experiences and critical decisions in the political and military arenas, but also influences many of its readers. From humble beginnings to becoming the premier writer not only in his genre, but in modern American literature Clancy has stayed true with his literature and has not let it decline in value. Clancy�s works have influenced many in the civilian world and many more in the military world. �Tom�s books have done wonders for the Military� says Secretary of State Colin Powell about his friend Tom Clancy (A&E Video). Like Powell Tom Clancy has also worked in cooperation with many other of the United States Military�s greatest leaders. Clancy�s books have spanned decades and many of his books have been inspired by tense real world situations like the Cold War. Not only have the times Clancy�s works shaped his novels, but on occasion his works have shaped the times we live in. Yet, Clancy never really envisioned his success would be this great.

Thomas L. Clancy, Jr. was born on April 12, 1947 in Baltimore, Maryland (Biography 1). Clancy lived in Northeast Baltimore with his parents. Clancy attended grammar school and then moved onto Loyola High School. After doing very in high school Clancy moved onto college at Loyola College. Clancy was very involved in his academic work. He was very serious and competitive and everyone in his family knew it, �Tom was a bookworm� states Tom Clancy�s brother Pat Clancy (A&E Video). While at Loyola College Clancy received a major in English Literature (Jension, 1). While at college Clancy was part of the ROTC. His involvement in the ROTC was mainly due to his want to be a soldier that was evident ever since he was a small child. After his service in the ROTC Clancy attempted to stay on longer and join the military and make his dream of becoming a soldier a reality. His dream was shattered though when he was rejected because of his poor eyesight. During Clancy�s senior year Clancy met his future wife Wanda Thomas. Soon after he graduated he married Wanda Tomas. The two moved to Towson, Maryland and had their first child Michelle. The small family soon moved to Huntingtown, Maryland where they had their second child Christine. The family moved to Hundtingtown because of a job opportunity from his wife�s parents as an insurance broker (A&E Video). While working as an Insurance broker Clancy still wanted to live his college dream to pen a novel (Jension, 1). Clancy was a long time military buff with a deep love of naval warfare and history. Clancy�s dream of writing a novel was still burning inside of him. The only credit to his name was an editorial he wrote about MX missiles and a letter to the Navy magazine the Preceding. While employed as an insurance broker in Maryland in 1984 Clancy�s dream became reality (Penguin, 1). Began writing a novel with the premise of a news story he read about a renegade Soviet Frigate trying to defect. After writing a few chapters Clancy submitted it to the Navy Institute Press who liked it. After diligently writing Clancy finished his first book. On February 28, 1983 Tom Clancy submitted his first work The Hunt for red October to the Navy Institute Press who agreed to publish it. Soon after its publication the book was bought by Putnam Books (A&E Video). They now write about his first work and how it gained rapid success, �His first effort, The Hunt for Red October�the story of a Russian submarine captain who defects to the United States�sold briskly as a result of rave reviews, then catapulted onto The New York Times bestseller list after President Reagan pronounced it "the perfect yarn" and "non-put-downable." Since then Clancy has established himself as an undisputed master at blending exceptional realism and authenticity, intricate plotting, and razor-sharp suspense (Penguin, 1).� This was only the beginning of Tom Clancy�s literary career. Clancy followed the success of this novel with twelve subsequent novels spanning over the next twenty years. Because of Clancy�s resounding success he has had the ability to eat with Presidents, officers from the navy, army, and navy have given him unprecedented access to many of the military premier weapons of war, and many from the department of defense and Pentagon often give him resources for his impending novels. Clancy�s success although has not only been limited to just works of literature. His works have been adapted into nearly every form of modern media. Some outlets Clancy�s work has been involved in are in the movies, television, internet, and even in the realm of video games. Clancy has become a resounding success in all areas of media. With all of the success he has had with his literature and all items connected to them Clancy has had a chance to buy the Minnesota Vikings for an immense amount of $200 million and is currently part owner and Vice Chairman of Community Projects & Public Affairs (Biography, 1) Through all this his books are still his primary focus.

Tom Clancy�s literary works have has been his main focus in the past twenty years. Many of Clancy�s works have received great honors. Clancy has received praise for earning #1 on the New York Times bestseller list eleven times (Biography, 1). Novels Clancy has written are: Hunt for Red October, Red Storm Rising, Patriot Games, Cardinal of the Kremlin, Clear and Present Danger, The Sum of All Fears, Without Remorse, Debt of Honor, Executive Orders, Rainbow Six, The Bear and the Dragon, Red Rabbit, and Clancy�s newest The Teeth of the Tiger (Without Remorse, 1). Clancy continued with many non-fiction works like �Armored Cav, Fighter Wing, Submarine, Marine, and Airborne�a series of guided tours of America's war fighting assets.� Clancy has also co-written three books with some of Americas top Generals. �Into the Storm: a Study in Command, written with armor and infantry General Fred Franks Jr., and Every Man a Tiger, written with Air Force General Chuck Horner, won unanimous praise for their detailed exploration of traditional war-fighting from the ground and from the air. The third book in the Commanders series, Shadow Warriors: Inside the Special Forces, written with General Carl Stiner, former commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command, tells the story of the soldiers whose training, resourcefulness, and creativity make them capable of jobs that few other soldiers can handle, in situations where traditional arms and movement don't apply (Penguin 1).� Four of Clancy�s books have been adapted into full feature length films, The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger, and the most recent Sum of all Fears. Clancy�s works have also been molded into video games. In Rainbow Six you take control of the elite anti terrorist group Clancy wrote about in the book Rainbow Six. Tom Clancy has also co-authored many books with many authors. Clancy along with Martin Greenberg, Clancy wrote the Power Play series. Steve Pieczenik was also another author to write with Clancy. Clancy and Pieczenik wrote to best selling series: Op-Center and Net force. All the series wrote with Greenberg and Pieczenik have become best sellers on the New York Times best seller list (Clancy, 1 Red Rabbit). Not only is Clancy�s work only entertaining but they also greatly influence us. Secretary of State Colin Powell give his opinion about Clancy�s books in the view of the members of the military who read them, �Military people Love his books we were the ones to make them popular in the first place (A&E Video).� Some of Clancy�s works are required literature in many of America�s finest military academies (Biography 2).

The times Clancy lives in greatly influence the way he writes. Through wars and advancements in technology Clancy�s literature evolves and adapts with the times. The one event that greatly influenced Clancy�s writing the most was the Cold War. Russia, the primary enemy during the Cold War, has been the major focus of Clancy�s work in the majority of his books. Clancy�s first book The Hunt for Red October deals with a defect Russian submarine captain. Also like in the book Patriot Games, Clancy�s adapts real world situations of terrorism with his main character taking down a terrorist organization. Also a bit of foretelling of events to come, Clancy wrote about a terrorist attack against our nations capital using commercial aircraft and Clancy�s fiction became a terrible reality on the tragic day of September 11, 2001. Tom Clancy has also lived through two wars with the country of Iraq. Clancy had a chance to write a book with the top military commander of the air strikes in the first Gulf War in his book Every Man a Tiger. Also the change in technology has been evident in Clancy�s writing. One can see the progression of technology throughout all of his novels.

It is clear that Tom Clancy�s writings are very popular in the public arena and assist in the military realm. Tom Clancy has not merely just been a form of entertainment but a tool for many people. Clancy�s works have help shape and influence the world we live in today.

[Edited on 2^15^04 by Quicksilver]