Draft:Debora Harding (Writer)

  • Comment: The core standard for authors is here: WP:NAUTHOR, the short version is "two books, two decent independent reviews for both books". So I don't think we are there here. In addition the sourcing has to be to the review rather than some publisher PR piece. The PW review is OK for this, but we need more. Alternatively you can look at an article just for the book, under WP:NBOOK, which may be easier on one level, but won't be an article on the writer. ChrysGalley (talk) 17:05, 6 February 2026 (UTC)


Debora Harding is an American-British memoirist, essayist, and cultural critic whose work has appeared in The Guardian,[1] The Daily Mail,[2] The Observer,[3] and Unbound.[4]

Early life

Harding grew up in Omaha, Nebraska, and Laurens, Iowa.[5] She obtained a BA in political science at George Washington University.[6]

Career

Working under her maiden name Debora Cackler, Harding began her career in Washington, D.C., working for Senator Gary Hart, Senator Tom Daschle, and pollster Peter Hart.[7] She later served as executive director of the Capital Crescent Trail project, overseeing early development of the rail-trail connecting Georgetown, D.C., to Silver Spring, Maryland.[8] Harding co-founded Oxford Channel (later Six TV), one of the first free-to-air local terrestrial television channels in Oxford, England.[9][10] She later trained as a restorative justice mediator in Texas.[11]

Writing

Her memoir Dancing with the Octopus: A Memoir of a Crime (2020), published by Bloomsbury Publishing in the US and Profile Books in the UK,[12][13] explores trauma, PTSD, and restorative justice through her own experiences. The book was reviewed in major outlets including The Guardian[14] and The New York Journal of Books.[15] It received a starred review from Publishers Weekly[16] and was named an Amazon Editors’ Pick.[17] The book was shortlisted for the Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction in 2021[18] and was selected as a best true crime book of 2020 by CrimeReads[19] and Oxygen.[20] In January 2024, it was selected for the One Book One Nebraska programme.[21]

Personal life

Harding holds both American and British citizenship and lives in Hampshire, England.[22] She is married to British author Thomas Harding.[23] They have two children, including Kadian Harding (1998–2012), whose death in a cycling accident in Wiltshire is documented in her husband's memoir Kadian Journal.[24]

Official website

References

  1. ^ Harding, Debora (11 February 2017). "The lost letter that nearly wrecked our relationship". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  2. ^ Harding, Debora (18 May 2013). "Riding my bike, climbing trees, raiding the biscuit jar". Daily Mail. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  3. ^ Harding, Debora (6 September 2020). "PTSD insulated me until I was forced to confront a terrible trauma". The Observer. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  4. ^ "The Gallery". Unbound. 12 March 2020. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  5. ^ "Debora Harding's memoir picked for One Book One Nebraska". The Independent. 17 November 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  6. ^ "Kidnapped and raped at 14, 25 years on I confronted my attacker". The Telegraph. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  7. ^ "Debora Cackler Harding". Unbound. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  8. ^ "April–June 1990 Capital Crescent Trail Newsletter" (PDF). Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  9. ^ "Six TV closure". The Guardian. 24 July 2000. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  10. ^ "The days of Bwana and his nine attendants draw to a close in Oxford". The Independent. 28 March 1994. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  11. ^ "Crime & forgiveness". The Christian Science Monitor. 29 October 2003. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  12. ^ "Interview: Debora Harding, Author of 'Dancing with the Octopus: A Memoir of a Crime'". Hippocampus Magazine. September 2020. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  13. ^ "Dancing with the Octopus". Profile Books. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  14. ^ "Dancing with the Octopus by Debora Harding review – kidnapped at 14". The Guardian. 19 September 2020. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  15. ^ "Dancing with the Octopus". Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  16. ^ "Dancing with the Octopus". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  17. ^ "Dancing with the Octopus Memoir Debora Harding". Amazon. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  18. ^ "2021 CWA Dagger Awards Shortlists Announced". 2021. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  19. ^ "The Best True Crime Books of 2020". Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  20. ^ "The Best True Crime Books of 2020 for Holiday Gifting". Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  21. ^ "Dancing with the Octopus, A Memoir by Debora Harding, as 2024 One Book One Nebraska". 16 October 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  22. ^ "Interview: Debora Harding". September 2020. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  23. ^ Harding, Thomas (8 December 2014). "Kadian Journal: A father tries to survive the loss of his son, 14". The Washington Post. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  24. ^ Harding, Thomas (8 December 2014). "Kadian Journal". The Washington Post. Retrieved 27 January 2026.

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