Dr. Michael J. Cooper: Renowned Author and Retired Pediatric Cardiologist Delivers Sagas of Hope, History, and Heroism
Michael J. Cooper
Michael J. Cooper’s stories span centuries and faiths, building bridges of understanding and hope in a divided world.
LOS ANGELES, CA, UNITED STATES, July 7, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- From Healer to Masterful Storyteller
Dr. Michael J. Cooper’s path to becoming an author is deeply rooted in his personal and professional experiences in the Middle East. Born in Berkeley, California, Cooper immigrated to Israel in 1966, where he lived through the final year of Jerusalem as a divided city. Having spent the next decade living, studying, and working in Israel, his firsthand experiences during this tumultuous time, combined with his medical training at Tel Aviv University, provided him with a profound understanding of the cultural and political dynamics of the region. His 40 + year career in caring for little hearts in Northern California also included volunteer work in Israel/Palestine where he continues to provide pediatric cardiology service for children without access to care. Cooper’s range of experience provides a unique perspective that shapes his novels, which resonate with readers worldwide.
The Writer’s Journey
Dr. Cooper’s transition from publishing medical articles in peer-review journals to writing historical fiction novels was a natural evolution of his passion for healing little hearts to storytelling, and his deep and abiding hopes for a peaceful Middle East. In that context, Cooper was encouraged by the Egypt–Israel peace treaty signed on March 26, 1979, by Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat—a watershed event marking the first such agreement between the Jewish state and an Arab state. Further positive developments occurred under the leadership of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. A former decorated Israeli general and hero of the 1967 war, Rabin turned from military tactician to peacemaker as he spearheaded the Oslo Accords establishing a framework for peace on September 13, 1993. Continuing with these efforts, he helped craft a peace treaty between Israel and Jordan on October 26, 1994, with further progress on the Oslo peace process with the signing of the Oslo II Accord on September 28, 1995.
At that point, however, progress ended. According to Dr. Cooper, “as the accords were implemented, resistance began—in Israel and Palestine this resistance came from a seemingly bizarre and unholy alliance: on one extreme, ultra-nationalistic Jewish settlers, and on the other extreme, militant Palestinians such as Hamas—strange bedfellows in their vehement opposition to Rabin’s peace-making efforts. Their violent resistance to the Oslo process slowed and damaged the stepwise process toward peace, and the process ended on November 4, 1995, when Yitzhak Rabin was shot in the back by an ultranationalist Israeli assassin.”
Cooper experienced Rabin’s death with the same shock and sadness felt by millions throughout Israel and throughout the world. That’s when he decided to start writing. “I was determined to channel my grief into something of value, to insinuate a message of coexistence and peace into stories of historical fiction set in the Holy Land at pivotal moments of history—a vehicle that I hoped might change a few hearts and minds. This is precisely what I learned from the author, Richard Powers in The Overstory: ‘The best arguments in the world won’t change a single person’s mind. The only thing that can do that is a good story.’ That’s what I set out to do—to try to tell good stories.”
Award-Winning Historical Fiction
While each of Dr. Cooper’s novels stand alone, they are thematically connected by the physical and metaphysical centrality of Jerusalem’s Temple Mount—a site sacred to all three Abrahamic faiths with a unifying message of a shared humanity that transcends sectarian differences. In writing about this “Upper Jerusalem,” Cooper invokes a sacred space where we become our best selves and meet our better angels. His novels are also linked by the continuity of the St. Clair/Sinclair bloodline that runs throughout the series.
His debut novel, Foxes in the Vineyard, set during the 1948 Arab Israeli War, won the Grand Prize in the 2011 San Francisco Writers Conference contest. It raises the question; What if covert elements of Nazi Germany, secretly deployed to Palestine before the end of WWII, emerged in 1948, using terror to sow discord—driving jews and Arabs to war, driving the British from Palestine, and seizing Jerusalem as the new capital of the Third Reich? One newspaper review challenged readers: “Imagine a novel in which you find Mozart and Nazis, archeologists, hidden treasure, Knights Templar, lost loves, metaphysics and a little quantum physics…a rich, complex and erudite story.”
In Wages of Empire, the series presents the hero of Foxes in the Vineyard, 50-year-old Evan Sinclair, as a sixteen-year young man in the summer of 1914, when he runs away from home to join the Great War. Despite the war raging along the Western Front, Evan will discover that the true source of conflict will emerge in Ottoman Palestine, since it’s from Jerusalem where the German kaiser dreams to rule as Holy Roman Emperor. Other than Wilhelm II, other historical figures include, Gertrude Bell, T.E. Lawrence, Winston Churchill, Chaim Weizmann, and Faisal bin Hussein. Wages of Empire has won multiple awards: the CIBA 2022 Grand Prize for Young Adult Fiction, the 2025 Pacific Book Award for best historical fiction, and the 2025 International Impact Awards for both Young Adult Fiction and for Military Fiction. Additionally, Wages of Empire reached #1 on the Amazon bestseller list for Historical WW1 Fiction in January of 2024.
Young Evan’s story continues with Crossroads of Empire, set in 1915 with a similar cast of fictional and historical characters. Evan has nearly drowned when the hospital ship bringing him back to England is sunk by a German U-boat in the English Channel. Left with amnesia, he struggles to regain his memory and comes to understand the hidden secrets of his bloodline—an unbroken lineage that stretches back to the Crusades and will determine his future role in the Great War. Crossroads of Empire won the First Place CIBA Hemingway Award for Wartime Historical Fiction, and the 2025 International Impact Award for Historical War and Military Fiction. Lastly, it ranked #1 in December of 2024 for Historical Middle East Fiction.
The next book in the series is actually a prequel set at the end of the Crusades in the year 1291. The Rabbi’s Knight tells the riveting story of a Knight Templar who apprentices himself to a learned rabbi to discover how the hidden knowledge of Kabbalah might unlock the secrets of Jerusalem’s Temple Mount. Due for release in September of 2025, among other early reviews, one reader hailed it as a “stunning mix of history, theology, and mysticism that makes for an amazing novel.”
More novels are in the works, each focusing on the enduring impact of history and the power of strong, multidimensional characters, and in particular strong women characters—both historical and fictional. Cooper’s work spans centuries and cultures, offering gripping narratives that resonate deeply in today’s divided world.
Spreading the Word
While Cooper acknowledges that current prospects for peace are dim, this may actually be a time that holds promise for dramatic change. “When I began writing, there was still hope for the peace process,” he says. “Even though that hope is ebbing away, these stories matter now more than ever. As the Spanish-America philosopher, George Santayana famously wrote more than a century ago, ‘Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.’ We see examples of this all around us—people and nations seemingly ignorant of history. We have the opportunity and responsibility to change that narrative. By reading and writing about history, and by sharing this knowledge, we are actively engaged in the struggle to remember the past and to avoid history’s worst mistakes.”
Cooper’s novels, praised for their riveting blend of historical drama, mystery, and outstanding representation of powerful historical and fictional characters, are also united by a central message: peace is possible when societies embrace shared humanity. In this context, and to spread the word wider, Cooper envisions a multi-season dramatic series; “Bringing my books to life as a TV series isn’t just about giving viewers fresh and engaging stories, it’s also an effective way to shine a light on the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and to promote peace and coexistence in a region that desperately needs it.”
At the heart of Cooper’s work is not only a message of historical awareness and peace but also a deep commitment to female empowerment. His novels spotlight strong, complex women who defy the constraints of their time and lead with purpose and conviction. “I made a conscious effort to offer authentic portrayal of women’s voices, particularly in periods like the 13th century and early 20th century, where female agency was historically erased.”
Cooper’s novels uniquely combine accessible, page-turning storytelling with thoughtful, nuanced explorations of history. His work is suitable for readers of all ages. Through his stories, Cooper offers readers an unforgettable journey into the past, grounded in values that speak powerfully to the present.
Amanda Kent
Boundless Media USA
+1 313-403-5636
email us here
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
