Complex sentence: The son of immigrant parents, Heatter grew up in Brooklyn as a student who found schooling difficult enough but had a passion for reading--and a rare speaking ability, becoming a sidewalk campaigner for William Randolph Hearst during the publishing giant's 1906 mayoral campaign.
Split into simpler sentences: The son of immigrant parents, Heatter grew up in Brooklyn. Young Heatter, who found school difficult but had a passion for reading--and a rare speaking ability-became a sidewalk campaigner for William Randolph Hearst during the publishing giant's 1906 mayoral campaign.