READ

FICTION

The Path We Follow

Greg Deinzer ’87

Deinzer’s book came together as a celebration. His parents gifted him a collection of stories he had written over the years, and the roots of The Path We Follow stood out in the pile. A few years later, Deinzer decided to dive into publishing. Inspired by a man he met on a trip up the Himalayan Mountains, Deinzer penned an “inspirational story of courage, perseverance, compassion and selflessness,” according to the book’s summary. Deinzer said that while the book was not written with children in mind, he envisioned *The Path We Follow* as a picture book, and he worked with illustrators to bring his self-published book to life. —Z . H .

Betrayal of Father Garza

Daniel Hobbs ʼ68

Hobbs, who spent 44 years in city management, said he writes under the pen name Ben Leiter to “protect the guilty.” “I encountered some seriously flawed — even corrupt — people who thought they were good folks and just doing business,” he said. Such drama has found its way into four novels, including this political-religious thriller about a priest on the hit list. Hobbs, a two-time UD grad in English and public administration, has been writing fiction since 2011. “I thought I had just decided to take up writing in retirement, as a hobby. My daughter remarked, ‘But Dad, you’ve always been writing.’ She was correct,” he said. “Writing lets me express unpopular, maybe even controversial views through my protagonists and characters.” A fifth novel, featuring Garza as a time-shifting pilgrim, is in the works. —M . T .

Eyes on Me

Rachel Look ’22

When the idea for her latest book came to her, Look wrote the first 30 pages in one weekend. In Eyes on Me — released by Archway Publishing, an imprint of Simon & Schuster — everyone is born with a countdown clock that hits zero when you meet your true love. But main character Maeve’s clock never started. This is the second published book for the rising senior. Her first, a collection of poems titled The Pearl Ring, was published her freshman year. And the very first book she ever wrote was a story scratched in a green spiral notebook when she was 11. “Writing gets the ideas that are running rampant in my brain out on paper,” said Look, an early education major. —M . T .

Crimson at Cape May

Randy Overbeck ’77

Overbeck’s latest thriller combines a ghost story, a murder mystery and the stories of a runaway teen and an abandoned bride tied together by the haunted Cape May scene. His first book in the Haunted Shores Mysteries series, Blood on the Chesapeake, won awards and earned high praise from his readers. The sequel brings together the same edge-of-yourseat mystery while shining a light on the plague of human trafficking. Overbeck, who started a three-generation Flyer family, will be publishing the third book in the series, Scarlet at Crystal River, in the fall. —Z . H .

Mountain Road, Late at Night

Alan Rossi ’03

Rossi was introduced to the world of Eastern Philosophy and Buddhism while attending UD. Practicing Zen meditation for a decade has taught him much about the human mind and body, he said, lessons he incorporates into this book published by Pan Macmillan. The novel dives into the minds of four family members grappling with tragedy. After a fatal car accident, relatives of a now-orphan have to decide who will become his caregiver. “The characters in the book are all people in the midst of clarity and confusion, lost between the two, like all of us,” Rossi said. The novel acknowledges that life goes on and explores how people cope with that reality. —Z . H .

Killing Time

Suzanne Trauth ’71

The Etonville community theater is putting on Dracula just in time for Halloween, and a new face in town may be the perfect count. When someone is staked in the cemetery, the reader gets to follow along as the local restaurant manager Dodie O’Dell helps hunt down the person responsible. The sixth and final book in the mystery series brings a haunting close to the Dodie O’Dell saga. Trauth, an avid mystery reader and long-time theater professor said, “When I created the fictional town and characters, I added a community theater, which allowed for a lot of hijinks and chaos.” —Z . H .

HISTORY

The Dean, Dillinger, and Dayton, Ohio: Legend, Lore, Legacy

Stephen Grismer ’84

Grismer is a founding trustee of the Dayton Police History Foundation. A journalism major and criminal justice minor while at UD, he went on to a 25-year career in law enforcement and now researches and writes about Dayton police history. His newest book covers eight decades and features John Dillinger, who was arrested in Dayton in 1933 and a year later would be named the nation’s first “Public Enemy No. 1,” and Dayton Police Chief Rudy Wurstner, who would become the nation’s “Dean of Police Chiefs.” Said Grismer, “The Dayton police force has a remarkable legacy and is a reflection of the incredibly innovative community it serves. I am naturally curious and enjoy the discovery that comes from researching topics I find fascinating.” The book builds on the exhibit Bootleggers, Bandits, and Badges on display at Dayton’s Carillon Historical Park. —M . T .

HOBBY/CRAFT

Memoir Your Way: Tell Your Story Through Writing, Recipes, Quilts, Graphic Novels and More

Joanne Lozar Glenn ’75

The idea was crafted by a group of friends at the kitchen table one Sunday afternoon. Now known as the Memoir Roundtable, the teachers-turned-authors, including Glenn, realized each one of them was working on an unconventional memoir. A memoir doesn’t have to be a book, the group decided. From there, the roundtable created this guide to constructing a tribute by anyone who wanted to tell their story and in any form they could imagine: scrapbooks, quilts, cookbooks and graphic novels. “The intersection of experience and personal change is a place rich with story. We believe those stories are worth telling — and worth preserving,” Glenn said. —Z . H .

MEMOIR

Summer Baseball Nation: Nine Days in the Wood Bat Leagues

Will Geoghegan ’05

As a lifelong fan of the sport and award-winning sportswriter, Geoghegan first fell in love with baseball growing up watching summer collegiate games in Cape Cod. He discovered more summer baseball leagues across the country shortly after graduating with a journalism degree from UD. Geoghegan traveled all over to watch, including the Midnight Sun Game in Alaska, which is played late at night during the summer solstice. His book published by University of Nebraska Press chronicles his time spent with the leagues. “It was pretty incredible to see how universal that love is for baseball fans across the country. It’s truly baseball in its purest form, and I hope the book captures some of that magic,” Geoghegan said of his experience chronicling his travels. —Z . H .

POETRY

Exclusions

Noah Falck ’00

Falck’s second collection of poems, published by Tupelo Press, binds together new perspectives on the contemporary world. As the title suggests, the book features poems that exclude a single element. Envisioning a world without war, cancer, answers, politics — even a happy hour — help illustrate the heaviest and most important aspects of life. “Poems help us experience time in new ways, whether that is a moment of profound loss, unexplainable love, or seeing something strangely beautiful for the first time. Being alive and paying attention set this book in motion,” Falck said. Exclusions was a finalist in the 2020 The Believer magazine book awards. —Z . H .

RELIGIOUS

Undeniable Evidence That Few Believe

Sheila Marsh Albergottie ’78

More than a decade ago, Albergottie began writing her book as a labor of love and a display of faith. It grew into a collection of testimonies from 10 writers who explore themes of love, sickness, divorce, ministry, disappointment and commitment. The authors highlight personal evidence of how God has guided their life journey. Albergottie says she was commissioned by God to write her book. “The Lord gave these testimonies to the authors in this book for me to give to you for his purpose,” she said in the book’s preface. —Z . H .

The Future of Higher Education: The Open Circle

Father Jim Heft, S.M. ’66

Heft, former provost, chancellor and chair of religious studies at the University of Dayton, writes for Oxford University Press about a topic he knows best: higher education at Catholic institutions. As stated in the book’s description, “The Catholic Church has gone through more change in the last sixty years than in the previous six hundred.” An “open circle” concept for Catholic higher education, according to Heft, would allow for Catholic intellectual tradition to exist alongside other religions and modern cultural movements. He said, “My rich experiences and friendships at UD for nearly 30 years helped shape my thinking in many issues I address in the book.” — L . D

Surprised by God: Teaching Reflection Through the Parables

Christina McKeown Zaker ’89

The core of Zaker’s book is reflection. As a teacher, she set out to guide her students at Catholic Theological Union through ministry by reflecting on their lives. Zaker also wanted to introduce the concept to general audiences, who she said “need a good reminder that reflection is a critical part of our spiritual lives.” The parables of Jesus are used in Surprised By God to unlock collaboration and reflection with readers. Zaker wrote most of the book — published by Rowman & Littlefield — before the pandemic, but she said she found that amidst the chaos, her book and the themes of self-reflection were just what she needed to process the new world we live in. —Z . H .

SELF HELP

Mental Illness is an Actual Illness

John E. Medl ’04

While at UD, Medl knew he was suffering from mental illness, but it wasn’t until after graduation that he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder with psychotic features and began the process of understanding his condition. As he learned, he began to write. His fifth book is a collection of thoughts and philosophy. He credits UD English professor Albino Carrillo with exposing him to talented authors and encouraging him to write. “I want my readers to understand better what it’s like to live with mental illness, but also for those who are also suffering, I want them to feel not so alone,” he said. —M . T .

Unmasking Manipulation: Maneuvering the Undertow with Shrewdness and Innocence

“Meredith Wesley”

Meredith Wesley is the pen name of an anonymous grad who, as a mother of six, escaped a manipulative marriage after 15 years. While married, she studied the coercive tactics her husband used to tear down her self-image and freedoms. She collected her observations into this manual published by Köehler Books to help others in situations of coercive control. She said, “It is written with passion and clarity, as this is not only a painful and confusing topic but also a very relevant one.” Wesley said she hopes her book can reach people before they enter manipulative relationships and provide tools for current victims to dig their way to freedom. “Coercive control is an issue that deserves greater awareness because prevention is far better than a very imperfect cure,” she said. —Z . H .

TECHNOLOGY

Rethinking Information Technology Asset Management

Jeremy L. Boerger ’98

Jeremy Boerger had a book in him and didn’t know how to get it out, but fellow Flyer John Lynch ’98 was there with the advice and encouragement he needed. Published by Business Expert Press, Boerger’s book helps business leaders and IT executives who are tired of missed budget forecasts, unexpected software audit penalties, untrustworthy reports or the tired excuse that nothing can be done to fix the ever-present uncertainty of IT planning. He credits his undergraduate education, and an impromptu lesson in hegemony by philosophy professor Paul Benson, with his ability to understand complexity and see solutions to interminable challenges. “Studying philosophy taught me how to research, how to question and investigate, and how to build a logical explanation for why certain things are — or are not,” he said. —M . T .

----------

CALLING ALL FLYERS!

Send word of your book, movie, music or other creative ventures to classnotes@udayton.edu.