Efrem Sigel is a published novelist and memoir writer, and an active volunteer and team leader to education nonprofits in New York.
His nonfiction book, JUROR NUMBER 2: THE STORY OF A MURDER, THE AGONY OF A NEIGHBORHOOD, published in November 2020, is available from The Writers' Press (www.thewriterspress.com). Compulsively readable, JUROR NUMBER 2 is a true crime memoir and an expose that takes you into the housing projects, police precincts and schools in East Harlem to show you the problems faced by young people growing up here−and to highlight what’s working amidst so much that isn’t.
BookLife, in a review appearing in Publishers Weekly, said "Novelist Sigel turns his sharp eye for detail to a beautifully written hybrid of true crime and memoir. He adeptly recounts the events of the murder, making clear the gravity of the crime without resorting to sensationalism. . . True crime buffs and fans of memoirs will be enthralled by Sigel’s irresistible mix of clear reporting, empathy, and thoughtful examination of the link between poverty and violence." .
His second novel, THE DISAPPEARANCE, was published in 2009 (The Permanent Press) and hailed by Booklist as "gripping, emotional and tender." Publishers Weekly, in a starred review, called it "powerful and elegantly crafted."
His stories and essays are in the Antioch Review, the Journal, Xavier Review, Sixfold, The Journal, the Maryland Review, the Potomac Review, Congress Monthly, The MacGuffin, Nimrod, Pleiades, Quercus Review, the Jerusalem Post and elsewhere, and have won several prizes and Pushcart nominations
Sigel's OpEds and articles on education and criminal justice reform have appeared in the New York Daily News, The Village Sun and other papers.
He lives in New York City, where he teaches writing and is a project coordinator for the Community Partners program at the Harvard Business School Club of New York, organizing pro bono consulting teams to assist education nonprofits. He serves as a board member and adviser to several nonprofits in New York City.
Sigel grew up in Staten Island, NY, attended Curtis High School, received his A.B., from Harvard College, served as a Peace Corps teacher in Ivory Coast, West Africa, received an MBA from Harvard Business School and started and later sold two business information companies.
