Almost Missed You by Jessica Strawser

The author is a friend, former colleague, and a homegirl and I was thrilled when she landed a book deal with a big house and more excited to be at her book signing debut. However, there was a lot of anxiety about this first novel mostly because she and I are old pals and what if I didn't like her book? 

Now when asked to be an early reader prior to publication, I am always straightforward with notes and opinions even if they might sting a little. If I'm not honest at this point, it serves no one well and it's a waste of everyone's time to tell a friend their work is better than I really think it is. Certainly they may not agree with my suggestions but at least I've been square with them and fulfilled my duty.

However, post-pub is a little dicier, especially since I write about what I read on occasion. I will confess, there was a time or two that I chickened out completely and that was just an awful feeling. The faint praise I was able to muster coupled with not writing about it here was, well, it was miserable. Miserable and obvious. 

Happily that was not the case with Almost Missed You, a gripping tale of betrayal, grief, and kidnapping. It is a taut, tangled tale of deep friendships and dark secrets (my, how alliterative I am this morning!). Strawser offers up a worst-case scenario that somehow manages to worsen and which threatens everyone involved. When I felt certain I knew where this was going, it didn't and I found that quite skillful. 

I will say that had it not been written by a friend, I'm not sure I would have found this book but I'm so glad I did. She'll have another book coming out in 2018. Jump on the bandwagon now. 

Dan Rooney: My 75 Years with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the NFL by Dan Rooney

When friends told me Dan Rooney was signing this book at the Joseph-Beth in Pittsburgh, I told them to be prepared for a mob because Dan is the Son in the Holy Trinity of Pittsburgh, his father, being both the Father and Holy Ghost since he's been dead now for a number of years. It's just how influential and beloved the Rooney's are--they are synonymous with both Pittsburgh and the Steelers so, certainly, the appeal of this book is to fans of the mighty Pittsburgh Steelers, the greatest team ever, bar none. What's so great about this book isn't just the memoir but the fact that Dan Rooney is, as he puts it, "the last man standing" of those who worked with the men who founded the National Football League; Halas, Lambeau and all those guys who started the league at a car dealership in Canton, OH in 1922. As the son of "The Chief", Art Rooney, Sr., and his involvement with the family business and the league, there's hardly an aspect of the game of football that Dan Rooney hasn't been witness to or had a hand in creating, negotiating or resolving. Those looking for gossip will be disappointed. He's just not that kind of guy. What Dan Rooney accomplishes is a fond and fair look at the game, the league and the team with some great stories. He also paints an affectionate family portrait and writes a love letter to the city of Pittsburgh.

The World According to Mr. Rogers by Fred Rogers and I'm Proud Of You by Tim Madigan

One winter quarter in college, I got depressed and the one thing that made me feel better was watching Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood, despite the fact that I was probably 20. It just felt warm and good and helped get me out of my funk. As a little kid growing up in Western PA, it never occurred to me that people everywhere watched Mr. Roger’s—it just seemed like a local Pittsburgh show (it was). After losing my Father in June, I knew I would turn to a book to help me begin to deal with the loss. People made several kind suggestions and other books seemed to be exactly what I should be reading at a time like this (Kushner’s When Bad Things Happen to Good People came to mind). Instead, I turned to Mr. Rogers. These two books, one a collection of quotes by Fred Rogers and the other, the story of a friendship between a Texas journalist and Mr. Rogers really were helpful to me. From what I have learned, it seems like Fred really walked the walk and lived his life according to some very basic principles-- respect, honesty, faith, fairness, love—all those things he dealt with on his show for all those years. To buy into the caricature of Fred Rogers (“Can you say ‘dandelion’? I knew you could.”) is a mistake. It seems to me that Fred was the embodiment of the religious principles he held close and it gave me a lot to think about. Hokey as it sounds, I really believe the world is a decidedly better place because of him.