Robbyn Swan
Robbyn Swan is an accomplished nonfiction author, journalist, and historian recognized for her incisive investigations into significant American scandals. Raised in Milford, Connecticut, she pursued her education at Smith College, where she earned a degree in politics and Russian history. Prior to her independent research endeavors, Swan gained experience working with notable authors like John Le Carré and Anthony Summers, with whom she has coauthored several best-selling books.
Her notable works include "The Arrogance of Power," which critiques Richard Nixon's political maneuvers, and "Sinatra: The Life," a biography exploring the complexities of Frank Sinatra's life and his alleged Mafia connections. Swan's research extends to the events surrounding September 11, 2001, in "The Eleventh Day," which garnered critical acclaim and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Additionally, she has contributed to various periodicals and appeared in documentaries related to her work. Beyond her literary achievements, Swan has engaged in charitable initiatives focused on homeless women and women's mental health, reflecting her commitment to social issues. She currently resides in Ireland with her husband and three children.
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Robbyn Swan
Author
- Born: Milford, Connecticut
Contribution: Robbyn Swan is an award-winning nonfiction author, journalist, and historian best known for her investigative research on American scandals.
Background
Swan was born and raised in Milford, Connecticut. She has a sister, Tracy, who is five years younger than her. She attended Smith College, a private women’s liberal arts college located in Northampton, Massachusetts, where she received her bachelor’s degree in politics and Russian history in 1984. Swan then did postgraduate work in Russian and East European studies. Prior to performing her own research and journalistic endeavors, Swan worked as a researcher for authors John Le Carré and Anthony Summers.
Career
Swan has written numerous articles and cowritten several best-selling books. Her research has focused on some of the highest-profile scandals in American history, including the assassination of US president John F. Kennedy, singer Frank Sinatra’s connections to the American Mafia, and the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. She has also done extensive research on US president Richard Nixon and his approach to politics.
For her first five books, Swan collaborated with her husband and longtime colleague, historian Anthony Summers. They published their first book together, The Arrogance of Power: The Secret World of Richard Nixon, in 2000. The book analyzes various aspects of Richard Nixon’s political career, from his early days as a California senator to his election to the presidency. One of several claims made by Swan and Summers is that Nixon manipulated the 1968 Vietnam War peace talks in order to improve his chances of being elected. The book was applauded for its presentation of new evidence that Nixon was involved with profiteering throughout his political career.
After years of research, Swan and Summers published their next book, Sinatra: The Life (2005), a biography of singer Frank Sinatra. The book explores many of the scandals that surrounded Sinatra, including his alleged ties to American mobster Lucky Luciano. Positive reviews of the book praised the authors for their meticulous research and the attention given to lesser-known facets of Sinatra’s life. Some of the more critical reviews argued that the book focuses too narrowly on the negative aspects of his life, particularly the alleged Mafia connections.
The couple’s third book, titled The Eleventh Day: The Full Story of 9/11 and Osama bin Laden, was released in September 2011, the same month of the tenth anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, DC. Swan and Summers referred to thousands of recently released official documents, transcripts, and interviews in their research. In the book, they claim that members of the Saudi royal family provided the hijackers with material and financial support to conduct the attacks and that the administration of George W. Bush worked to cover up evidence of the royal family’s involvement.
The Eleventh Day was highly acclaimed for its exhaustive research and fresh perspective on the terrorist attacks. It was one of the four finalists for the Pulitzer Prize for history in 2012 and won the Gold Dagger Award for nonfiction, presented by the Crime Writers Association to the best nonfiction book on the subject of crime.
Swan and Summers went on to coauthor Looking for Madeleine (2014), about the disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann in Portugal in 2007. They later updated the book and issued a revised edition in 2019, based on additional information about the McCann case. The pair have faced criticism and even online abuse for exonerating McCann's parents from any involvement in her disappearance and for supporting a theory involving a local pedophile.
In A Matter of Honor: Pearl Harbor—Betrayal, Blame & a Family's Quest for Justice (2016), their fifth collaboration, Swan and Summers describe a US military cover-up in which blame for the Pearl Harbor attack was assigned to Admiral Husband Kimmel, then commander-in-chief of the Pacific Fleet. The authors also document the Kimmel family's subsequent efforts to reveal the truth and clear his name.
Swan has also contributed to various periodicals, including Vanity Fair, Marie Claire, and the Irish Times. She has been asked to serve as a consultant on television specials and documentaries by several networks, including the History Channel, PBS (Public Broadcasting Service), A&E, the BBC, and CNN. She appeared in several documentaries, particularly regarding Sinatra and McCann. In 2023, Swan notably appeared in the documentary Kennedy, Sinatra and the Mafia.
Before moving to Ireland with Summers, Swan spent five years in Washington, DC, running a shelter for homeless women. She stayed with the women as part of a project to build housing for long-term homeless individuals. Swan has said that she ran the shelter as a way to immerse herself in her community.
Impact
Swan’s work and her collaborations with her husband have won her various awards and provided significant insight into some of the most definitive events and influential individuals in US history. In addition, her charitable work has helped both alleviate and illuminate the plight of homeless women in the United States as well as women's mental health and eating disorders in Ireland.
Personal Life
Swan married her longtime colleague Anthony Summers in 1992. They live in Ireland and have three children, Colm, Fionn, and Lara.
Bibliography
Gulandi, Stacey. “Author Robbyn Swan on Finding the Truth about 9/11.” Women’s Eye. Women’s Eye, 8 Sept. 2011. Web. 19 Sept. 2013.
Monagan, David. “Irish Yearning.” Connecticut Mag. Connecticut Magazine, Mar. 2013. Web. 19 Sept. 2013.
"Robbyn Swan." IMDb, 2024, www.imdb.com/name/nm2495455. Accessed 16 Sept. 2024.
Swan, Robbyn. “Was Sex the Motive for the Watergate Break-In?” Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group, 16 June 2012. Web. 19 Sept. 2013.
Swan, Robbyn. “If You Want Your Children to Do Well, Then Push Them Out.” Independent. Independent.ie, 18 Aug. 2008. Web. 19 Sept. 2013.