By Adrian Sobol (MACrwr'15)

(Malarkey Books; 2025)

HAIR SHIRT, Adrian Sobol’s second full-length poetry collection, continues his particular take on poetry. Filled with trademark black humor and absurdity, these poems transport you to a world full of stand-up-performing ghosts, invincible donkeys, surrealist torch songs, murderous priests, horses that execute criminals with math, the bittersweet beauty of the midwest, and—arguably—too much sea. Through a variety of characters, scenarios, and lyrical deftness, HAIR SHIRT offers poems for those who have ever felt intense regret, got drunk on longing, and wondered what art could be found in a life surrounded by such existential debris.

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By Phil Caragol (Comm'75)

(Rocketship Books; 266 pages; 2025)

Step into the wildly entertaining world of The Blunder Years, a laugh-out-loud debut memoir by San Francisco Comicle editor and award-winning writer Phil Caragol. Growing up in the 1950s and ’60s, Caragol’s boyhood stories capture a comedy of errors fueled by undiagnosed ADHD, a strict Catholic family, and a knack for turning everyday life into awkward, clumsy, mortifying moments…all set in historical events of the era like the JFK assassination, the Moon Landing, the British Invasion, and the counterculture movement.

Caragol shares 31 true tales that capture the coming-of-age joy, chaos, and life lessons of a scatterbrained kid—like a botched Maypole dance in kindergarten, a Boy Scout Cuban Missile Crisis prank gone wrong, an embarrassing first-crush encounter with heartthrob actress Jayne Mansfield, and psychedelic trips (one involving an imaginary pterodactyl) in the hippie years. Through his missteps, Caragol reveals universal truths and life lessons that shaped him into the person he became—showing readers that even the most comical moments can carry deeper meaning.

Perfect for fans of David Sedaris (Me Talk Pretty One Day) and J.R. Moehringer (The Tender Bar), and complete with vintage family photos, this memoir is a time capsule of a generation and a must-read for anyone who loves a good laugh with a side of life’s valuable lessons. Rediscover the innocence, mischief, and meaning of youth in The Blunder Years—a memoir where things go hilariously wrong, but life always finds a way to get it right.

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By Bill Shander (MAJour'93)

(Wiley; 1st edition, 320 pages; 2025)

People don't know what they need. The wants we communicate to others are shaped by our subconscious and the familiar, and limited by what we think is possible. But they don't always reflect our actual needs.

In Stakeholder Whispering: Uncover What People Need Before Doing What They Ask, author Bill Shander demonstrates how to get from your stakeholders' "order"―what they're asking for―to what they really need. You'll learn how to uncover the needs and desires of your clients, colleagues, bosses, customers, and other stakeholders based on what they ask for and how they ask for it, and how to deliver products and services that meet those needs.

Inside the book:

• Help your stakeholders accomplish their goals and make the best decisions possible by helping them see what they really need
• Shift from executing on tactics driven by others' commands, to strategic action driven by underlying needs
• Transform your organization from one filled with "order-takers" into one where people work collaboratively to meet goal-oriented requirements

Perfect for managers, executives, and other business leaders, Stakeholder Whispering will also earn a place on the bookshelves of entrepreneurs, founders, designers, product and project managers, UX experts, data and business analysts, and anyone else hoping to better meet the expectations of their coworkers, managers, clients, and customers.

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By Pat Peterson (Soci'60)

(Storytellers Publishing, 2024)

Pat Peterson has always been an adventurer. This memoir is more than a simple retelling of adventures around the world, nor is it a travel guide. Rather, in her own words, Pat wanted to "...share the remarkable diversity of planet Earth and the people I have met around the world whose stories, along with my own, are worth knowing". From falling off of Long's Peak after a blizzard, camping in the USSR, dancing on the Red Rock's stage, teaching in Haiti, surviving scuba in Fiji, climbing Fuji, discovering Korea, walking though Machu Picchu and Patagonia, hitchhiking 25,000 kilometers in France, boating in Provence and British Columbia, experiencing a rescue in the Grand Canyon, fishing in the Yukon, meeting Martin Luther King, Jr., digging dinosaurs, recounting the story of the Bishop of Okinawa, summiting Kilimanjaro, and more. This chronology of her life and adventures over the years reads more like a movie combination of Ann Bancroft, Amelia Earhart, and a female Indiana Jones than a memoir.

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By TianEn Stephenson (Mgmt'11)

(Momentus Creative Group, 2024)

Inspired by her parents’ sage advice that ‘Closed mouths don’t get fed,’ TianEn unlocked the secrets to career success: ask for what you want and speak up. In ‘Closed Mouths Don’t Get Fed,’ Stephenson shares her playbook for pursuing desires, securing ‘Yes!’ responses both professionally and personally. Balancing myriad roles—a wife, mother of four sons, career dynamo, diversity advocate, and mentor—she invites readers to join her journey.

Delving into the fear of rejection and unmet needs, Stephenson confronts common barriers to fulfillment. Through candid anecdotes and practical strategies, she empowers readers to overcome setbacks, embrace vulnerability, and share knowledge generously.

With actionable insights and simple tools, ‘Closed Mouths Don’t Get Fed’ equips readers to seize opportunities and embrace life’s abundance. Stephenson’s message is clear: with courage and persistence, you can fulfill your aspirations, chart your destiny, and savor life’s richness.

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By Andy DeRoche (PhDHist'97)

(iUniverse, 2024)

In Global Goals, author Andy DeRoche carefully examines the life of Eric Weinrich, who played in over 1,000 NHL games and represented the United States in more international hockey tournaments than any other player. Based on thorough research, this book details the actions of Eric “Weino” Weinrich on and off the ice during his over 30 years playing hockey. It also puts his career into the context of the final years of the Cold War in terms of US relations with the USSR. In addition to being a great athlete, “Weino” was a cultural ambassador who befriended former Soviet players such as Alexei Kasatonov. DeRoche is an old-fashioned historian who has written many previous books or articles, but what makes this work unique is that Eric Weinrich himself added considerable commentary in each chapter identified as “Weino’s Wisdom.”

After first playing hockey in Rumford, Maine in the late 1970s, “Weino” led North Yarmouth Academy to a state championship in 1985. He skated for the University of Maine Black Bears for over two full seasons, helping to build the Maine program into a national powerhouse. After he played in the 1988 Olympics for the USA, he went pro with the Utica Devils in the AHL. He moved up to the New Jersey Devils in 1990, and then enjoyed a long and successful career in the NHL in Chicago, Montreal, Philadelphia, St. Louis, and elsewhere. He ended his career on the ice as a player-coach for the Portland (Maine) Pirates and would later be inducted into the Maine Sports Hall of Fame.

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By Ken McConnellogue (Jrnl'90)

(MBB 5280 Press, 2024)

Bruce Benson was a man in a hurry. Born on the Fourth of July, he drew on a fierce work ethic learned on a World War II-era farm outside Chicago to propel him through his eventful and remarkable life. He overcame an early family upheaval and elusive educational success to attend an Ivy League university. Unsatisfied, he left school and hitchhiked West, where he worked as a roughneck in the Wyoming oil patch. He learned rigs from the ground up before earning a Geology degree at the University of Colorado, where he learned the science of what was below ground.

After early struggles, he used grit and savvy to build a prosperous oil and gas business. Its success allowed him to pursue his passion for making a difference in education, politics, philanthropy and community service. After his first marriage ended, he met and married his soulmate Marcy, whose journey before Bruce took her from Oklahoma to the White House, where she worked for Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. They were partners in all they did, and they did plenty, using deep commitment to elevate the fortunes of countless community organizations, causes and civic endeavors.

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By Patrick Hoffman (FmSt'98)

(Grove Press, 2025)

Bunny Simpson grew up poor in Grand Junction, Colorado. Now in his twenties, working in Denver, he has simple dreams: He wants to help his uncle pay rent, save a little money, maybe start a business one day. His best friend Jerry LeClair fantasizes about moving to California. The problem is, they don’t have any prospects. Enter: Helen McCalla, an attorney with an ax to grind against her ex-husband, who happens to be a judge in the local court. She offers the boys a deal: scare the man, rough him up a little, and she’ll give them a few thousand dollars. It’s simple—just friends helping friends, right?

Part crime novel, part portrait of friendship, extremism, and inherited trauma, celebrated novelist Patrick Hoffman is at his brilliant best in these pages. Bunny never wanted any trouble. So how the hell did he end up at a white supremacist compound in rural Colorado? Fast-paced, suspenseful, and by turns funny and terrifying, Friends Helping Friends is an electrifying thriller that moves at a breakneck pace, examining the vulnerability of our destinies—and how friendship can survive it all.

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By Janet Bornschlegel Marks (Edu'81)
(Illumify Media, 190 pages; 2024)

We all come into this life gasping for air then spend our years striving to make each breath matter. This book shows you how to use those breaths to slow down, look deeper within and contemplate the health of your soul.

Are you unsure if your wounded soul will ever mend?

Is the condition of your soul unclear?

Do you sense there could be more to your spiritual life?
God placed distinctive gifts in you and uses them to help restore your soul. Each chapter in this book offers gentle consideration of soul health and includes reflective thoughts to ponder your soul's unique journey. With humor and unwavering honesty, author and speaker 

Janet K. Marks guides you to bravely face your spiritual wounds and rediscover your beautiful soul.
 

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By Thomas Phillips (OrgMgmt'71)
(Vanguard Press, 430 pages; 2024)

The YouTube Candidate is a political thriller set in the divisive atmosphere of the present day. When Matt Anderson stands behind the family's kitchen table and makes a speech a president might deliver to the American people, his intention is to help his daughter with her class project. Instead, his presentation captivates the nation and elicits calls for him to enter the on-going campaign. Replete with warmth, humor, and unexpected moments of high drama, the story traces the formation of an advisory 'Dream Team' whose "outside the box" campaign innovations and dynamic ideas seek to overcome the new party's late start and underfunding. Results on election night lead to employment of a little-known constitutional process and the nail-biting suspense of determining the next President of the United States.

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