Eleanor McCallie Cooper

Eleanor McCallie Cooper

Eleanor’s new book Dragonfly Dreams is the story of a young girl caught between two worlds, protecting her American mother from capture during the Japanese occupation of China in World War II and seeking help from her Japanese friend. It is her first YA fiction. It’s based on a true story and portrays courage, hope and friendship against a backdrop of historical and social issues.

“Dragonfly Dreams is a testament to the bright, hopeful resilience and strength of youth. Go young people, GO!” said Doug McCallie, the five-time Emmy nominee and producer of the TV series Survivor.

Eleanor co-authored with William Liu the non-fiction account of her aunt Grace who married “a Chinaman” in the 1930s when interracial marriages were illegal in her home state of Tennessee. Grace lived in China for 40 years through World War II and Mao’s Cultural Revolution. First published as Grace in China (2000, including 100 photos), and then as Grace: An American Woman in China, 1934-74 (published 2003).

Eleanor lived in Japan for two years where she worked as a guide at the World’s Fair in Osaka. She has lived in Auroville in India, stayed with her Chinese cousins in China, did a fabric tour in Korea, and traveled with her daughter in Thailand and Laos, in addition to visiting many places in Europe and the Middle East.

She worked in New York and San Francisco before returning to her hometown in Chattanooga, Tennessee. She has two daughters and two grandchildren.