text: The protagonist of a novel by this author has a sister who goes into a near-catatonic state named for the "13th Zodiac sign" of the Starfish.
full_question: The protagonist of a novel by this author has a sister who goes into a near-catatonic state named for the "13th Zodiac sign" of the Starfish. A mother discovers an African-American washerwoman's baby buried alive in her garden in a novel by this author in which an Eastern-European immigrant who makes paper silhouettes becomes a "baron" in the animation industry. This man based Paul and Rochelle Isaacson's (*) execution on that of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg for his novel The Book of Daniel. After his Model T Ford is destroyed by firemen, Coalhouse Walker becomes a terrorist in a novel by this author that includes historical characters such as J.P. Morgan and Harry Houdini. For 10 points, name this American author of Ragtime.
first_sentence: The protagonist of a novel by this author has a sister who goes into a near-catatonic state named for the "13th Zodiac sign" of the Starfish.
raw_answer: E. L. Doctorow [or Edgar Lawrence Doctorow]