{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2026}} {{for|the basketball player|Ron Charles (basketball)}}[[File:Ron charles 045551.JPG|thumb|Ron Charles]] {{Short description|American literary critic (born 1962)}} '''Ron Charles''' (born 1962 in [[St. Louis, Missouri]]) is an American book critic, formerly of ''[[The Washington Post]]''.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Ron Charles|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/ron-charles/?itid=sf_subnav|access-date=February 1, 2022|newspaper=Washington Post|archive-date=August 13, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220813073055/https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/ron-charles/?itid=sf_subnav|url-status=live}}</ref> His awards include the 2008 [[National Book Critics Circle Award]] Nona Balakian Citation<ref name="NBCC">{{cite web |url=http://bookcritics.org/blog/archive/ron_charles_wins_nbcc_nona_balakian_citation/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090416130805/http://bookcritics.org/blog/archive/ron_charles_wins_nbcc_nona_balakian_citation/ |archive-date=April 16, 2009 |url-status=dead |title=Ron Charles Wins NBCC Nona Balakian Citation |publisher=[[National Book Critics Circle]]|access-date=September 12, 2012}}</ref> for book reviews,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7g0aiTpzVX8 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211215/7g0aiTpzVX8 |archive-date=December 15, 2021 |url-status=live|title=Ron Charles's NBCC Acceptance Speech in NYC |date=March 3, 2009 |publisher=[[YouTube]] |access-date=September 12, 2012}}</ref> and 1st Place for A&E Coverage from the Society for Features Journalism in 2011.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://featuresjournalism.org/contests-2/excellence-in-features-writing |title=Excellence-in-Features Writing |publisher=Society for Features Journalism |access-date=September 12, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120811054122/http://featuresjournalism.org/contests-2/excellence-in-features-writing/ |archive-date=August 11, 2012 }}</ref> He was one of three jurors for the [[2014 Pulitzer Prize|2014 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pulitzer.org/jurors/2014-Fiction |title=The 2014 Pulitzer Prize Winners |publisher=pulitzer.org |access-date=May 8, 2014 |archive-date=May 19, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140519111853/http://www.pulitzer.org/jurors/2014-Fiction |url-status=live }}</ref>
Charles grew up in [[Town and Country, Missouri]], and graduated from [[Principia College]] and [[Washington University in St. Louis]] before getting a job as a teacher at [[John Burroughs School]].<ref name="Johnson">{{cite news |last1=Johnson |first1=Julia M. |title=Homegrown: Ron Charles |url=https://townandstyle.com/homegrown-ron-charles/ |access-date=February 1, 2022 |publisher=Town&Style |date=October 7, 2019 |archive-date=February 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220201221712/https://townandstyle.com/homegrown-ron-charles/ |url-status=live }}</ref> After a student's parent offhandedly suggested he try making a living as a book reviewer,<ref name="Johnson" /> Charles sent his first book review to ''[[The Christian Science Monitor]]'', which eventually hired him. He spent seven years as the ''Monitor''{{'}}s book review editor and staff critic.<ref name="NBCC" />
In 2005, he was hired by ''The Washington Post''. Sometime after August 2010, with his review of [[Jonathan Franzen]]'s ''[[Freedom (Franzen novel)|Freedom]]'',<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/video/2010/08/30/VI2010083003847.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190630093426/https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/video/2010/08/30/VI2010083003847.html |archive-date=June 30, 2019 |url-status=dead |title=Video review of Freedom |date=August 30, 2010 |access-date=September 12, 2012 |newspaper=Washington Post |author=Ron Charles}}<!-- video at Wayback doesn't work as of 2023 maybe it will someday..--> </ref> Charles began a series of video book reviews for ''Post'' called "The Totally Hip Video Book Review", a satirical look at books in the news and the art of [[book reviewing]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/people/article/46115-for-your-consideration-ron-charles-video-book-reviewer.html |title=For Your Consideration: Ron Charles, Video Book Reviewer |author=Dan Ozzi |work=[[Publishers Weekly]] |date=February 14, 2011 |access-date=September 12, 2012 |archive-date=September 8, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120908070910/http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/people/article/46115-for-your-consideration-ron-charles-video-book-reviewer.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In the series, Charles [[:wikt:ham it up|hams it up]] with [[sight gag]]s and intentionally bad [[joke]]s; he is sometimes joined by his wife, high school English teacher Dawn Charles.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/video/2010/09/22/VI2010092201878.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140106035936/https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/video/2010/09/22/VI2010092201878.html |archive-date=January 6, 2014 |url-status=dead |title=Videos by Ron Charles: Totally Hip Video Book Reviewer series |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=September 12, 2012 |date=September 22, 2010}}</ref>
In 2026, Charles was laid off by ''The Washington Post'' when it reduced its staff by one-third and eliminated the newspaper's books and sports sections.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bauder |first=David |date=February 4, 2026 |title=Washington Post cuts a third of its staff in a blow to a legendary news brand |url=https://apnews.com/article/washington-post-staff-reduction-layoffs-cuts-923f87d4bd319c8a64b278165d0a6e27 |access-date=February 5, 2026 |work=[[Associated Press]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Spratford |first=Sam |date=February 4, 2026 |title=WashPo Shutters Books Section Amid Widespread Layoffs |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/99611-washpo-nixes-books-section-amid-widespread-layoffs.html |access-date=February 5, 2026 |website=[[Publishers Weekly]]}}</ref>
==See also== *[[Michael Dirda]] *[[Jonathan Yardley]]
==Notes== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/linkset/2005/12/12/LI2005121200902.html Ron Charles], articles at ''[[The Washington Post]]'' * [https://roncharles.substack.com/ Ron Charles], at [[Substack]] *[https://twitter.com/roncharles Ron Charles], at [[Twitter]] *[http://www.bookslut.com/features/2009_10_015219.php Interview with Ron Charles], by [[Bookslut]], 10/2009 *{{C-SPAN|1028975}} *[https://1455litarts.org/ron-charles-storyteller-of-the-year/ Ron Charles Receives Storyteller of the Year Award at 1455 StoryFestLive], 2022
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Charles, Ron}} [[Category:1962 births]] [[Category:American literary critics]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Writers from St. Louis]] [[Category:The Washington Post journalists]] [[Category:Journalists from Missouri]] [[Category:The Christian Science Monitor people]] [[Category:PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction winners]] [[Category:Principia College alumni]] [[Category:Washington University in St. Louis alumni]] [[Category:20th-century American journalists]] [[Category:20th-century American male journalists]] [[Category:21st-century American journalists]] [[Category:21st-century American male journalists]]