Friends,

I’m excited to announce that I’m working on a book drawn from “Truths and Wonders.” 

It’s a memoir in 50 letters addressed to my three daughters, tracing my life from earliest childhood through my mid-fifties (which I just reached last month). Each letter follows the same format: I tell the story of a real-life experience that shaped me and reflect on what I learned that might be useful to my daughters and others. Some of the letters are updates to posts I’ve previously published here. Others are brand new.

Today, I’m sharing the first chapter, with ten letters drawn from my childhood and adolescence. They feature a beer bottle scar, a 1970 Chevy Nova, my first drum kit, a nursing home at Christmas, wipeouts on West Virginia ski slopes, a disastrous swim meet, three million acres of Maine wilderness, a teen psychologist with pork-chop sideburns, the teacher who changed my life, and what I learned about kindness from looking at prom photos.

Four more chapters to come over the next several months. The book itself to follow. A link to Chapter 1 is below.

As always, if what I write helps you wonder and smile and think, I will have done my job. Bonus points if you actually laugh out loud. I welcome your ideas and feedback!

Best, 

Steve

🔗 Download a PDF version of Chapter 1