The elements of my father's life prompted me to write the book. His persistence and devotion to preparation are hallmarks of a great reporter.
Screamer: The Forgotten Voice of the Pittsburgh Steelers is a book that had to be written. The subject should have written it, but he past away in 1986 leaving notes for me, his son, to parcel through to a coherent tome. I chose to write the book in the first person as this is the way he would have written it. It is to you, the reader, to determine if this approach is appropriate.
I had a lot of fun delving into my late father’s closet and coming up with what others have referred to as “extraordinary,” “fascinating,” “fantastic,” “read it with great pleasure.” In the first 45 days that it has been available nearly 200 books have been sold. (Go to the website, www.murraytuckerwriter.com, to see what others have said).
Aside from the early and mostly unknown stories behind the generally lackluster Pittsburgh sports teams chronicled in the book, there is humor, romance and a little bit of R-rated material. Sales have gone to people scattered throughout the U.S., Canada, and even to Hong Kong.
While chock full of interesting anecdotes, you will find the story of Joe Tucker’s life an easy read. I dare say, several people, mainly women, have written to tell me that they could not put it down. One decided to read under the hairdryer and became so engrossed that she nearly burned off her coiffure.
The humor begins with several stories of legendary clown, Bill Cullen. My father “discovered” Bill working in his father’s garage. The stories with renowned Pirate announcer, Bob Prince, continue the saga. Then there are those tales of how do you take care of nature when there is no bathroom handy.
But Screamer is the story of a man, a man who persisted against overwhelming odds to become the dean of pro football announcers, only to be thrown on the dung heap of celebrity and forgotten with the passage of time. His fans endure to this day, although most are over 60.
Destiny's Daughter by Frances Altman highlights events in the life of Mary Edwards Walker, maverick suffragist, Civil War doctor and only woman Medal of Honor recipient.
This book has been eight years in the making. It is mostly a jumble of thoughts written down in old spiral notebooks and hidden in the bottom drawer underneath various manuals for software packages and hardware long since turned obsolete.
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