Michael Sokolove is the author of four books, including Drama High: The Incredible True Story of a Brilliant Teacher, a Struggling Town and the Magic of Theater. Since 2001, Sokolove has been a contributing writer for the New York Times Magazine, where he has written about the science, culture and sociology of sports, as well as politics and a broad range of other topics. His stories have included profiles of athletes Darryl Strawberry, Oscar Pistorius and Allonzo Trier; football coach Pete Carroll and politician Rick Santorum; an examination of how elite athletes age; and an exploration of how the nation’s largest casino, Foxwoods in Connecticut, reached the brink of bankruptcy. His work has been included in the Best American Sportswriting and Best American Medical Writing anthologies.

Before joining the New York Times Magazine, Sokolove worked as a newspaper reporter in Philadelphia. He and his wife, Ann Gerhart, an editor at the Washington Post, live in Bethesda, Maryland and have three children.