In My TBR Stack:

48 Whispers: From Pine Ridge and the Northern Plains
Written and Photographed by Kevin Hancock
Post Hill Press
Hardcover


From the publisher's website:

Author, photographer, and CEO, Kevin Hancock acquired a rare neurological voice disorder (spasmodic dysphonia/ SD) in 2010. From his home in Maine, he set out on a series of travel adventures to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and the surrounding northern plains in search of voice recovery through self-reflection and immersion in nature. On the Reservation, Kevin encountered an entire community—the Oglala Sioux Tribe—that felt a piece of their authentic voice had been taken or stolen from them. From this experience, Kevin came to see life as a quest for self-actualization. He then wrote a series of short meditations designed to advance the concepts of shared leaders, dispersed power, and respect for all voices. Kevin’s full-page color photos and writings span a decade of over twenty visits to the region—during which time he builds a series of deep friendships on the reservation and takes two Lakota names.

On My Radar:

Footsteps of Federer: A Fan's Pilgrimage Across 7 Swiss Cantons in 10 Acts
by Dave Seminara
Post Hill Press
Trade Paperback

From the publisher's website:

Roger Federer could live anywhere in the world, but he always returns to the place he loves most: Switzerland. Dave Seminara is a mad traveler and tennis lifer who has written about Federer for The New York Times and other publications. A pair of autoimmune diseases and a knee surgery kept Dave from playing tennis for years, but as he inched toward recovery, he had a bright idea: why not start his tennis comeback on hallowed ground—courts that his hero Roger Federer graced in Switzerland.

Footsteps of Federer is a funny, novella-length account of Seminara’s travels across seven Swiss cantons in search of insights into Federer’s character, which is inextricably linked to his deep roots in, and love for, his country. Seminara timed his unique pilgrimage to the 2019 Swiss Indoors, where he had a chance to ask Roger a number of offbeat questions before and after Federer hoisted his record tenth title there. Seminara’s Federer pilgrimage took him to Switzerland’s most important abbey, where he prayed with Abbot Urban Federer; to the vineyard of Jakob Federer from Berneck, where the Federer clan originated from; to the stunning villa where Roger and Mirka were married; and to many of the neighborhoods and tennis clubs where Roger has lived and trained at over the years.

On My Radar:

Son of a Milkman: My Crazy Life with Tesla
by Brian Wheat with Chris Epting
Post Hill Press
Hardcover


From the publisher's website:

Brian Wheat is far from your typical rock star. As bassist for the multi-platinum band, Tesla, he’s enjoyed the spoils of success and lived the sex, drugs, and rock ’n’ roll lifestyle to the hilt. But it came at a cost, one that took years to repair.

In this deeply honest and utterly revealing memoir, Wheat sheds light on the many challenges he faces, including bulimia, weight issues, and the crippling anxiety and depression caused by his conditions. Just like the songs his legendary band made, this is no-nonsense, blue-collar storytelling at its best. While revealing the vulnerable human behind the bass guitar, this autobiography also offers tremendous stories of life on the road, and collaborations and encounters with legendary figures like his pals in Def Leppard, David Lee Roth, Alice Cooper, and Paul McCartney. Son of a Milkman will entertain, surprise, and inspire longtime fans of this enduring band.

On My Radar:

60 Stories about 30 Seconds: How I Got Away With Becoming a Pretty Big Commercial Director Without Losing My Soul (Or Maybe Just Part of It)

by Bruce Van Dusen
Post Hill Press
Hardcover

From the publisher's website:

1977. New York City. Cool and crime-ridden, cheap and wild. Bruce Van Dusen shows up in town with a film degree and $150 to his name. He wants to make movies. So he does. The only ones anyone will pay him to make? Little ones. Thirty seconds long. Commercials. He has no idea what he’s doing and the money sucks. But he’s a director.

He quickly learns he has the two things he needs to succeed in the fickle world of commercial-making: a talent for telling short, emotional stories, and the hustle to fight for every job no matter how small. He still has no idea what he’s doing—not that anyone needs to know that. He just keeps making it up as he goes along.

He gets hired by a client on life support in the most depressing hospital in New York. Gets peed on by a lion. Abused by Charles Bronson. Explains peristalsis to a Tony winner. Makes a movie and goes to Sundance. Goes back to little movies when it bombs. Keeps hustling, shooting anything. Gets married, has kids. Pushes, shoves, survives. Gets divorced. Survives some more. Is an asshole, pays the price, finally learns when and how to be an asshole and becomes one of the industry’s stars.

Years go by and it’s not what he expected. It’s harder, weirder, and funnier. But it worked out. It worked out great, actually.

On My Radar:

Total F*cking Godhead: The Biography of Chris Cornell

by Corbin Reiff

Post Hill Press

Hardcover

From the publisher's website:

Total F*cking Godhead is the complete story of the complex and enigmatic artist, Chris Cornell. It’s the riveting account of a blue collar, high-school dropout emerging from Seattle, Washington to become one of the greatest singer-songwriters and voices of his generation. With input from people who knew and worked with him—together with Cornell’s own words—the book recounts in great detail the rise of his immortal band Soundgarden as they emerged from the 1980s post-punk underground to dominate popular culture in the ’90s alongside other Seattle bands like Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains, and Nirvana.

Long-time Seattle resident and rock writer Corbin Reiff examines Cornell’s dynamic solo career as well as his time in Audioslave. He delves into his hard-fought battle with addiction, as well as the supercharged reunion with the band that made him famous before everything ended tragically.
This is the story of an artist who channeled his own inner turmoil into songs that touched the hearts of millions around the world and turned Chris Cornell into one of music’s greatest icons.

On My Radar:

Tom Seaver and Me
by Pat Jordan
Post Hill Press
Hardcover

From the publisher's website:

The story of a forty-year friendship between two strong-willed, talented men—one a great success as a baseball pitcher, the other an abject failure.

I tell him what Hemingway said about writing talent, “It’s like a knife blade. If you save it it gets dull and rusty. Better to use it constantly to keep it sharp even if it wears down.”

Tom tilts his head like dogs do when confused by their master. He says, with a small smile, “You just keep thinking, Butch. That’s what you’re good at.”

I say, “I got vision, Sundance, and the rest of the world wears bifocals.”

Tom throws again. Fastball, low outside corner to a right handed batter.

I shake my head and say, “If I could have thrown my fastball to that spot, Big Guy, you’d be interviewing me now.”

***

Pat Jordan, a $50,000 bonus pitcher with the Milwaukee Braves in 1959, first met Tom Seaver, himself a $50,000 bonus pitcher with the New York Mets—and the greatest pitcher of his generation—in 1971. Combustible, combative, hilarious, and even touching at times,Tom Seaver and Me tells the story of the forty-year friendship that followed.

On My Radar:

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