Ruth Reichard, author of Blood and Steel: Ryan White, the AIDS Crisis and Deindustrialization in Kokomo, Indiana, published by McFarland in 2021, has worked as a public servant for most of her adult life. Over a span of 30 years, from 1991 through 2019, Ruth served as a Judge and Senior Judge; her caseload in Indianapolis/Marion County included major felonies, criminal family violence cases, and civil protection order cases. Prior to Governor Evan Bayh’s appointment of her to the bench, Ruth worked as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney in Indianapolis/Marion County. She has recently pivoted to academia and is an Assistant Teaching Professor and Director of the Legal Studies Program in the Political Science Department at Ball State University. Ruth holds a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree from Indiana University in Bloomington, a Master of Arts (MA) degree from I.U. in Indianapolis, and a Juris Doctor (JD) degree from the I.U. Robert H. McKinney School of Law in Indianapolis and a Bachelor of Science degree from Ball State University. Blood and Steel is an urban and social history based on Ruth’s documentary dissertation in U.S. History, and it is her first book. A child of the 1960s, Ruth is passionate about social justice, the humanities, education, and fine arts. She enjoys her family, traveling, gardening, reading, and writing.