Kirjahaku

"Hey, Mike, what're we gonna do today?"It's 1960, and Mike is ten again, at least in his mind. Looking back on his final year of elementary school, he reflects on the many challenges that confronted him then. Junior high and the opposite sex loom on the horizon-his mini-version of the New Frontier. From the neighborhood baseball field to the local movie theatre, from Halloween to Christmas morning, and from Bozo buckets to a once-in-a-lifetime trip across the country to Disneyland, Mike is constantly in motion-and often in trouble. But he has his younger brother Tommy and a few close friends to help him navigate the vast suburban wilderness. This snapshot of a bygone era shows the last generation allowed to be kids taking full advantage of it-and having the time of their lives.MICHAEL J. BELLITO taught Speech and English, including creative writing classes, at John Hersey High School in Arlington Heights, Illinois, for thirty-two years. He has been previously published in North Shore, a Chicago-area magazine. That piece was a short story about his grandfather entitled "Waiting for a Pennant." Ten Again is his first novel. He is currently teaching at Harper College, a local community college. Having raised two children, he now lives with his wife in Wheeling, Illinois.

The Silent Journey traces the path of lifelong teacher Michael J. Bellito, who had to give up his beloved profession after suffering a stroke."I had a stroke on August 17, 2012," he says."My whole right side was paralyzed, plus I had the inability to talk. I was only 62 years old, ready to start my forty-first year of teaching. Ironically, I taught speech as well as English. I couldn't talk at all. Pretty wild for a speech teacher."It changed my life forever. I could either give up trying or make every day a new day. I chose the latter. With a whole group of therapists, I learned to walk and talk again, and to use my left hand exclusively. I learned to write and type this book with my left hand."This is a non-fiction, narrative book, which describes the agony I went through at first, and the relief I felt after two years at being able to come back."About the Author: Michael J. Bellito wrote several novels before this memoir. He was a teacher for forty years. He taught English and speech classes for thirty-two years at John Hersey High School in Arlington Heights, Illinois, and also taught at Harper College. The author and his wife Joani have two children and five grandchildren. "Today, I can't move my right arm (my dominant arm). I can barely move my right leg, but I get around with no trouble, and I walk a half mile every day, without a cane. God has been good to me." (It was originally written in 2016.)

The importance of baseball in the author's life is evident in his short story "The Legacy of the Diamond." I park the Dodge station wagon in front of Graceland Cemetery, where Chicago history is carved into large granite tombstones. Famous names adorn these structures: Carter Harrison, mayor of Chicago during the "Haymarket Square" riots; Jack Johnson, the first black heavyweight champion; and architect Mies van der Rohe. The oddest marker sits atop the grave of William A. Hulbert, the dynamic organizer of baseball's oldest league. It is a baseball-shaped headstone with the names of the eight original National League cities etched into white stone. Legend has it that on a clear summer's day, the cheers from Wrigley Field a half-mile away carry on a Lake Michigan breeze to the cemetery and keep Hulbert resting in peaceful bliss. In the book's first tale, "The Absolutely True Story of the Homemade Beatles Tie," the 14-year-old author is coming of age in Middle America. It is the winter of 1964, January to be precise, when our story begins. The United States was still mourning the loss of its dashing young president to a hail of bullets. My family, like so many others, had a difficult time celebrating Thanksgiving and Christmas in the weeks following the majestic funeral. My father was deeply touched by John Kennedy's death. After all, they were the same age, they had fought in the same war, and they were raising their families at the same time. A void was left for my dad's generation in America that could not be filled. Herein rest ten short stories (four new, six old). From a boy's adventure with his grandfather, to a tragedy set in the present day, to a magical Beatles tie made from scratch, these tales were written to captivate readers of all ages. In the book's first tale, "The Homemade Beatles Tie" turns into something magical when it's worn to the first dance, turning the author into the most popular guy at the party. This is the sixth book by Michael J. Bellito. He taught speech and English classes at John Hersey High School in Arlington Heights, Illinois, and also taught at Harper College in Palatine, Illinois. His first book was Ten Again, a story about 1960s America. Then came First Time Around, a story about a young boy falling in love for the first time. Next was Abner's Story, a tale of a senior citizen and two young boys following the Cubs baseball team. The Silent Journey was a nonfiction book about recovering from a stroke. Last is The Hilltop, about a young man's days in college from 1968 to 1972. (About the Author) Michael J. Bellito and his wife Joani have two children and five grandchildren. They live in Wheeling, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago.

The importance of baseball in the author's life is evident in his short story "The Legacy of the Diamond." I park the Dodge station wagon in front of Graceland Cemetery, where Chicago history is carved into large granite tombstones. Famous names adorn these structures: Carter Harrison, mayor of Chicago during the "Haymarket Square" riots; Jack Johnson, the first black heavyweight champion; and architect Mies van der Rohe. The oddest marker sits atop the grave of William A. Hulbert, the dynamic organizer of baseball's oldest league. It is a baseball-shaped headstone with the names of the eight original National League cities etched into white stone. Legend has it that on a clear summer's day, the cheers from Wrigley Field a half-mile away carry on a Lake Michigan breeze to the cemetery and keep Hulbert resting in peaceful bliss. In the book's first tale, "The Absolutely True Story of the Homemade Beatles Tie," the 14-year-old author is coming of age in Middle America. It is the winter of 1964, January to be precise, when our story begins. The United States was still mourning the loss of its dashing young president to a hail of bullets. My family, like so many others, had a difficult time celebrating Thanksgiving and Christmas in the weeks following the majestic funeral. My father was deeply touched by John Kennedy's death. After all, they were the same age, they had fought in the same war, and they were raising their families at the same time. A void was left for my dad's generation in America that could not be filled. Herein rest ten short stories (four new, six old). From a boy's adventure with his grandfather, to a tragedy set in the present day, to a magical Beatles tie made from scratch, these tales were written to captivate readers of all ages. In the book's first tale, "The Homemade Beatles Tie" turns into something magical when it's worn to the first dance, turning the author into the most popular guy at the party. This is the sixth book by Michael J. Bellito. He taught speech and English classes at John Hersey High School in Arlington Heights, Illinois, and also taught at Harper College in Palatine, Illinois. His first book was Ten Again, a story about 1960s America. Then came First Time Around, a story about a young boy falling in love for the first time. Next was Abner's Story, a tale of a senior citizen and two young boys following the Cubs baseball team. The Silent Journey was a nonfiction book about recovering from a stroke. Last is The Hilltop, about a young man's days in college from 1968 to 1972. (About the Author) Michael J. Bellito and his wife Joani have two children and five grandchildren. They live in Wheeling, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago.

Sean McKay is attending a small college in Iowa. It's called Hilltop because it's built on a series of hills, making walking a difficult task in the winter.The year is 1968, and within a year, the school will have all its customs and values turned upside down. The Vietnam War is pulling students apart. But all Sean wants to do is find some real-life friends and a girlfriend.Remember those fun college days? Sean experiences some wild times. Come along and discover what college was like without modern technology and social media.Come learn about "life."

Sean McKay is attending a small college in Iowa. It's called Hilltop because it's built on a series of hills, making walking a difficult task in the winter.The year is 1968, and within a year, the school will have all its customs and values turned upside down. The Vietnam War is pulling students apart. But all Sean wants to do is find some real-life friends and a girlfriend.Remember those fun college days? Sean experiences some wild times. Come along and discover what college was like without modern technology and social media. Come learn about "life."About the Author: This is the fifth book by Michael J. Bellito. His previous book The Silent Journey was a nonfiction narrative about his struggle to regain strength following a stroke in 2012. He taught English and speech classes for thirty-two years at John Hersey High School in Arlington Heights, Illinois, and also taught at Harper College. The author and his wife Joani have two children and five grandchildren.

John Belson is lonely. This one word sums up his entire being as he enters the massive junior high school building on his first day of eighth grade. More than anything else, John wants a friend, a buddy with whom to share the joys and sorrows of life. And, like any normal boy his age, he also wants a girlfriend, an innocent beauty who looks like Haley Mills or Natalie Wood. But his desires are just wishes, and nothing short of a miracle can possibly change John's sad social standing. At least that's what he thinks. But real-life miracles do happen, even in the suburbs. Set to the backdrop of Chicago in 1963, when JFK is president and no one in America has yet heard of the Beatles, First Time Around is a story for anyone who has experienced the feelings of falling in love for the first time. About the Author: Michael J. Bellito taught English and Speech classes for thirty-two years at John Hersey High School in Arlington Heights, Illinois. His first novel, Ten Again, a story about a young boy growing up in the suburbs of Chicago in the early 1960s, was released in January 2009. He is currently teaching at Harper College, a local community college.Bellito lives with his wife, Joani, in Wheeling, Illinois, and is the proud grandfather of identical twin boys. Publisher's website: http://www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/FirstTimeAround.html