The author, Eugene Stovall, was raised in Oakland, California. He studied at St. Joseph's College Seminary, before enlisting in the Air Force. Stovall received his A.B from the University of California, Berkeley. After studying at the University of Lund in Sweden, he received his Masters at the University of California, Davis. As a National Foundation Fellow, he received his PhD from the University of California, Berkeley. Stovall worked at the California State Legislature, the University of California, Berkeley Pacific Bell and the Oakland Unified School District. Stovall has served as an adjunct faculty member at Merritt College, USF and St. Mary's College.
