Michael J. Coop­er emi­grat­ed to Israel in 1966, stud­ied at Hebrew Uni­ver­si­ty, then Tel Aviv Uni­ver­si­ty Med­ical School. After eleven years in Israel, he returned to the US to spe­cial­ize in pedi­atric car­di­ol­o­gy. Coop­er prac­ticed for forty years, also vol­un­teer­ing in Israel for chil­dren lack­ing access to care. He writes his­tor­i­cal fic­tion set in and around Israel. Wages of Empire is his third novel.