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I Became an Elementary School Outlaw is the true story of a Long Island boy whose series of elementary school injustices and mishaps changed him from a soft spoken, sensitive, trusting child into one who would carry the label of “bad boy" for many years. Being forced to wear an I FORGOT MY HOMEWORK paper hat, managing Show and Tell heckling and being left to dangle from a gymnasium rope while being ridiculed are just a few of the experiences that set Frank Nappi on a relentless course of pre-pubescent defiance, mischief and rebellion. His gentleness and innocence stripped away by callous, abusive educators, he found himself struggling to navigate his coming of age while juggling the array of emotions that accompany carrying around the moniker of troublemaker.
Now a teacher himself, one who has wrestled his entire life with the question “why do I still do that?” Nappi recalls in artful, whimsical fashion the litany of sordid events that made him who he is today – events that propelled him back to the classroom and finally to a long overdue meeting with his younger self in order to discover understanding and ultimately peace. This humorous, touching and at times troubling account of survival and ultimately redemption and success is an entertaining walking meditation that possesses the power to inspire others to turn adversity into triumph and to finally begin to see who they are and why. |
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It is 1950 and Mickey Tussler, the now famous autistic pitching prodigy with a golden arm, is back for another baseball season in this third installment of Frank Nappi’s critically acclaimed Legend of Mickey Tussler series. Talk of Mickey’s legendary exploits on the field has grown since his improbable debut two years prior, as have the fortunes of Murph and the rest of the lovable, rag-tag Brew Crew. The recent success that these minor league Brewers have enjoyed has turned more than a few heads, and now Mickey, Murph and Lester find themselves heading to Bean Town to play for the Boston Braves in the latest chapter of the Mickey Tussler saga, Welcome to the Show .
The call up is sweet, for all of them have overcome insurmountable odds to get where they are. But life in the Major Leagues is filled with fast paced action both on and off the field. And while the call up to the “show” is indeed exciting and filled with countless opportunities for the trio, the bright lights of Boston also hold a new series of challenges, hardships, and life lessons - especially for Mickey, who finds himself a long way from throwing apples into a barrel back on the farm. The three newest Braves have each other to lean on, and a new group of fans who are swept away by pennant fever, but balancing everything this new world has to offer may prove to be the greatest challenge of all. |
Nobody Has To Know, Nappi's dark and daring thriller, tells the story of Cameron Baldridge, a popular high school teacher whose relationship with one of his students leads him down an unfortunate and self-destructive path. Stalked through text-messages, Baldridge fights for his life against a terrifying extortion plot and the forces that threaten to expose him. NHTK is a sobering look into a world of secrets, lies, and shocking revelations, and will leave the reader wondering many things, including whether or not you ever really know the person you love.
"A haunting, briskly-paced page turner that explores the darkest recesses of the human psyche while propelling the reader through an intricate series of hair-raising twists and turns. Nobody Has to Know is a masterfully written tale that is expertly told. Frank Nappi knows how to entertain the reader from start to finish."
-- #1 New York Times Bestselling Author Nelson DeMille
"A haunting, briskly-paced page turner that explores the darkest recesses of the human psyche while propelling the reader through an intricate series of hair-raising twists and turns. Nobody Has to Know is a masterfully written tale that is expertly told. Frank Nappi knows how to entertain the reader from start to finish."
-- #1 New York Times Bestselling Author Nelson DeMille
In the late 1940s, the minor league Milwaukee Brewers are foundering yet again and manager Arthur Murphy is desperate. When he sees seventeen-year old Mickey Tussler throwing apples into a barrel, he knows he has found the next pitching phenom. But not everyone is so hopeful. Mickey’s autism—a disorder still not truly understood even today—has alienated the boy from the world, and he is berated by other players and fans. Mickey faces immense trials in the harsh and competitive world of baseball while coping with the challenges inherent to his disorder. An honest and knowledgeable book about overcoming adversity, and the basis for the television movie A Mile in His Shoes, Mickey’s powerful story shows that with support and determination anyone can be triumphant, even when the odds are stacked against him.
It’s 1949 and eighteen-year-old pitching phenom Mickey Tussler is back with the
rejuvenated minor league Brewers in the sequel to The Legend of Mickey Tussler
(the basis for the television movie A Mile in His Shoes). Despite Mickey’s proclamation that he will never play baseball again after last season’s violent conclusion, his manager—and now surrogate father—Arthur Murphy cajoles the emotionally fragile, socially awkward boy with autism into giving it another shot. Mickey reluctantly returns to the field and must once again cope with the violence and hatred around him. When a young African American player joins the team, the entire team is subjected to racial threats and episodes of violence, one of which Mickey witnesses firsthand. Struggling to understand such ugliness and hatred, and fearful of reprisal should he tell anyone about what he has seen, the boy’s performance on the field suffers. Mickey now must deal with a side of human nature he scarcely comprehends.
rejuvenated minor league Brewers in the sequel to The Legend of Mickey Tussler
(the basis for the television movie A Mile in His Shoes). Despite Mickey’s proclamation that he will never play baseball again after last season’s violent conclusion, his manager—and now surrogate father—Arthur Murphy cajoles the emotionally fragile, socially awkward boy with autism into giving it another shot. Mickey reluctantly returns to the field and must once again cope with the violence and hatred around him. When a young African American player joins the team, the entire team is subjected to racial threats and episodes of violence, one of which Mickey witnesses firsthand. Struggling to understand such ugliness and hatred, and fearful of reprisal should he tell anyone about what he has seen, the boy’s performance on the field suffers. Mickey now must deal with a side of human nature he scarcely comprehends.
Echoes From The Infantry is the tale of one Long Island World War II veteran, the misery of combat, and the powerful emotional bonds that brought him home to Rockaway Beach and the love of his life. It is about a father and son, and their ultimately redeeming struggle to understand each other's worlds - one a world at war, the other shaped by its veterans.
All James McCleary wants to do is forget the horrors of the battlefield. All his son John wants is to know his father. But memory is unforgiving, and James remains locked inside his own mind, unable to embrace his wife and children as he would like to. Meanwhile, John wrestles with troubling recollections of life with this enigmatic man he calls his father.
Now the death of John's mother draws the men together for a final showdown. As he sifts through family artifacts in his parents' attic, the disgruntled son gets a glimpse of the eternally frozen battlefields that left his father scarred - and of the quiet secret love that sustained him across the wasted expanse of wartime Europe.
All James McCleary wants to do is forget the horrors of the battlefield. All his son John wants is to know his father. But memory is unforgiving, and James remains locked inside his own mind, unable to embrace his wife and children as he would like to. Meanwhile, John wrestles with troubling recollections of life with this enigmatic man he calls his father.
Now the death of John's mother draws the men together for a final showdown. As he sifts through family artifacts in his parents' attic, the disgruntled son gets a glimpse of the eternally frozen battlefields that left his father scarred - and of the quiet secret love that sustained him across the wasted expanse of wartime Europe.