Books by Alumni

American Monsters 

Michael Schussler, Jr. '15

Arthur Novac is a quiet, lonesome gravedigger in the town of Burnwell, W.Va. Haunted by the death of his mother, left alone by the disappearance of his coal-mining father, Arthur, a young man, is thrust into the isolation of adulthood. As he navigates life on his own, he finds himself at the center of the strangest happenings this small town has ever seen. Between grisly crime scenes and disturbing, maniacal visions, Arthur creeps toward the edge of losing the very last thing he has: his sanity. American Monsters is Michael Schussler’s first feature-length novel and is available on the publisher’s website at https://raventalepublishing.com and on Amazon. Just search for “American Monsters by Michael Schussler Jr.”

The Book of Mem 

Jody Walker '67 

What if humans could see auras, could sense the colorful rays that extend out from everything all the time? And what if some of the newly born children of the earth could speak through touch? The critters of Little Meadow have not seen humans for many years, but one day that all changes. Old Oak holds the story together in a way only an oak tree can. And what a story! A secret escapes and a rock launches virtual reality, showering the critters at Little Meadow with wonder as well as concern. In this future world a young girl is able to transmit and receive messages through touch. Her brother has powers of his own and he is learning to use them. Connect these new humans to an old deserted campground and your passage to a new earth begins. This book is available on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Book-Mem-Jody-Walker/dp/0692067744 and on the author’s website at http://www.sacredearthart.com/the-book-of-mem.

The Eckhart Family From Western Maryland 

Diane Kelly Weintraub '68 

This nonfiction account of coal in wealth and poverty follows five generations of the Eckhart family, through good times and otherwise. Adam Eckhart came from a poor and war-torn area in southern Germany from which he and his father endured a difficult and life-threatening voyage to the New World. After landing in Philadelphia in 1750, he worked off an indenture, got married and started accumulating land. His plan was a good one. He walked the path of land acquisition on the way to wealth. His son, John, trod in Adam’s footsteps and acquired even more land. But trouble was coming as were riches. Was the land of Adam and John stolen by the Maryland Mining Company? Did someone go into the courthouse and have the names on the deeds changed? And did they kill one of the Eckharts or have them killed? And did the sons file a writ of lunacy against their mother, Mary, because she wanted to free all the slaves? Or was there another reason? John’s oldest son, Jacob, married Delilah Porter in 1825 when he was 25 and she was 13. Then he died mysteriously. Delilah’s father was a mystery until a court order was discovered. And why didn’t her parents marry? Then DNA proves what happened, but not why. This family history book is different in that it digs deeper into records to find the important ancestor stories that might have been easily lost to time. The book is available from Amazon.

The End of the Road: One Man's Journey Into and Outside of Himself 

Ron McFarland '68 

When you join the author on this travel journey (six years in the making), you’ll be taken to locales and concepts possibly new to you or at depths you’ve never experienced, giving you a better appreciation of your own worth and the worth of others. Here’s some of what’s in store: cutting corners to extend travel or make it less taxing on your wallet, more than 200 photos, ghosts, a shaman, bears/deterrents, bizarre religious philosophy, time warps, guardian angels, being struck by lightning, life with Eskimos, a Mexican divorce, close calls with rattlesnakes, forbidden love affairs, keeping promises, flying bulldogs, luck versus God’s invisible helping hand, a testicle festival, a moose thanking a beaver, Wild Bill’s pistol, Sitting Bull’s tomahawk, oxygen deprivation or high-mountain hysteria, optical illusions and an audio mirage, dry rain, a portable laundromat, Eskimo penicillin and a biker terrorized by a cow, but that’s not all. Join McFarland on his solo 10,060-mile, 30-day trip by minivan from Western Maryland to Yellowknife, Canada. Eighty percent of this book’s profits will be given to the kids at Wounded Knee and the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. 

Excerpts from The End of the Road: One Man’s Journey Into and Outside of Himself:

• My Eskimo friend told me that he couldn’t read or write, he could only see, speak and hear.
• When we do it, we call it Manifest Destiny. When other countries do it, we call it genocide or the Holocaust.
• I think the Native Americans missed the boat when they made him [Custer] a martyr. I think their purposes would have better been met had they captured him and just gave him a good spanking.
• What would you say to people today if they just walked into your house and claimed it along with the food in your freezer, and oh yeah, they want your car, too.
• Does God have a thankless job? First of all, He probably sees it more like a hobby than a job. … Let’s not do that to Him. I think He’s earned more “at-a-boys” than we give Him. So, get with the program.
• Left alone, I said a prayer for all of those people lying below my feet. I prayed that their death had come swiftly and whisked them away to a land of freedom, abundance and peace as they had once shared briefly so long ago.
• The cooing or wailing stopped abruptly when I reached the coffin.
• I found out way prior to this trip that age does help with a certain degree of comfort between the sexes. I guess the young girls figure out real soon that, “Hell, I can outrun this one!”

Judicial Soup: One Man's Wrongful Conviction and What it Means for Criminal Justice Reform 

Shannon Bohrer M'91

In Judicial Soup, Shannon Bohrer, a former Maryland state police officer and FBI firearms instructor, uses one “true crime story” – for which he was the expert witness – as a case study, exposing the need for criminal justice reform through an exploration of that particular case and summaries of more than a dozen others in which innocent people have been incarcerated. The story is simple, yet the judicial process evolved into a complex event. It is a crime story that featured too many players, some with individual motives, shoddy police work, prosecutors who would say anything to win and a judge who seemed to ignore evidence that did not fit his mental model of the case. If this were a novel, no one would believe it. The book also includes summaries of other cases presented in between chapters. These cases highlight problems with witnesses, physical evidence and individual misconduct. The case summaries emphasize a broader perspective, informing the reader that the reported case in Judicial Soup is not uncommon. Throughout the book, Bohrer examines, through the lens of United States of America v. Heath Patrick Thomas, how the heavy impact of this relatively minor incident, and the injustice, misconduct and incompetence found here, highlights a serious truth about the justice system. What does a case like this mean for our justice system, what are the far-reaching implications and what can be done to help fix a broken system in an age of police overreach and poor public perception? The book is available on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Judicial-Soup-Shannon-Bohrer/dp/1627205195.

Juju the Kangaroo 

Karin Nilson McGaw '81 

Learn about sharing as we follow Juju, a collector of fine and lovely things, and her animal friends in the colorfully illustrated picture book, Juju the Kangaroo. This rhyming children’s book introduces us to Juju’s beloved animal friends and their most prized possessions – Bailey the bear and his beloved honey pot, Jimmy the pup and his cherished ball, Rose the elephant and her favorite peanuts, Pete the lamb and his proud bell and Lola the duck and her silly boots. When these treasured items suddenly disappear, Juju’s actions come into question. Has she taken things too far? Find out in this charming and beautifully illustrated rhyming story.

Pierce

Patrick B. Simpson '09

When janitor Truman Pierce isn’t listening to his classical jazz records, he stays under the radar and keeps to himself. Nothing much happens in his world until popular college instructor Danielle Hutchins asks him out. The day after their first date, Pierce finds Danielle murdered in her classroom. With only a little information to go on, and a pair of detectives that he doesn’t trust, Pierce sets off to find Danielle’s killer. What starts off as murder quickly becomes more for Pierce as he begins to pull off the layers of his quiet town by going up against drug dealers, thugs, Danielle’s vengeful brother and an array of people who don’t want him to find out the truth. At every corner he turns, he finds another challenge to overcome. With the help of two college students, David and Goliath, and another college instructor, Pierce will do what it takes to find out the truth about Danielle. He’ll be tested to his limits as he seeks to track down the devious killer responsible for ending her life. But will the search for the truth be the end for Pierce?

They, Are Always Watching: Things That Go Bump in the Night

Joseph Norris III '86

Joseph Norris’ second book, a collection of short horror stories titled They, Are Always Watching: Things That Go Bump in the Night, is a nightmare-inducing book delivered with a hard gut punch. These tales’ settings span from rural anywhere to inner-city anytime. Each one resonates with unique disturbing terror. The stories include “Momma,” about a mother who does anything to keep her family together; “The Van,” where musicians take a circuitous route to a gig through hell; “Out House,” about a convenient and deadly device; and “Simone,” about a female vampire obsessed with drinking clean, clear blood. The book is available from Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Sophie, Milo and the Great Change

Jody Walker '67

Have you ever seen a Willabee? “What’s a Willabee?” you might ask. Well, if you’ve ever been outside chasing a butterfly, climbing a tree or hiking through the woods, some Willabees have probably spotted you! They love children most of all and want your world to be beautiful and exciting. Willabees have been with us for a long time. Their story begins when Sophie (the sacred feminine) and her brother, Milo (the sacred masculine), discover the Magic Clay. Sophie dreams her little creatures to life with her potter’s hands and her kind heart and Milo gifts their minds with the ability to think and reason, and in doing so, Sophie and Milo together represent the mind or intellect in service to the heart. When actions flow from love, can revelation becomes reality? Things go along quite well for all these new, fun-loving creatures until … until … well, that you must discover for yourself. But when you step into their crazy, mixed-up world, you’ll meet a little Willa named Eshon and you’ll be there when he makes an amazing discovery that changes everything! Look for some hidden pictures and try to find a mystery word along the way. This book is available for free on the author’s website at http://www.sacredearthart.com/sophie-milo-and-the-great-change.