Michael D'Orso is an American author and journalist based in Norfolk, Virginia. He was born on October 12, 1953. As the son of a U.S. Navy submarine officer, Michael grew up traveling often, living on or near military bases from Key West to San Diego to Frankfurt, Germany. He graduated from high school near Washington, D.C. in 1971 and completed his undergraduate studies at the College of William and Mary in 1975 with a degree in Philosophy.

Michael D'Orso has penned several notable works, including Like Judgment Day: The Ruin and Redemption of a Town Called Rosewood (1996), Plundering Paradise: The Hand of Man on the Galapagos Islands (2002), and Eagle Blue: A Team, A Tribe and a High School Basketball Season in Arctic Alaska (2006).

In addition to his own writing, he has co-authored a number of books. These include Walking With the Wind: A Memoir of the Movement (1998), written with U.S. Congressman and former civil rights leader John Lewis; Rise and Walk: The Trial and Triumph of Dennis Byrd (1993), co-written with New York Jet defensive end Dennis Byrd; and Oceana: Our Endangered Oceans and What We Can Do to Save Them (2011), written with actor and environmental activist Ted Danson.