A 1990 Ball State University alumnus will visit Muncie thisweekend with a new memoir, "Pig Boy's Wicked Bird," a book he hopeswill show students the power of sharing their experiences as theypursue the American dream.
Doug Crandell will be signing his book at Danner's Books from 11a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.
"Pig Boy's Wicked Bird" details Crandell's experiences whilegrowing up on a hog farm in Wabash during the summer of 1976, whenhe severed the fingers on his right hand in a farm accident. "PigBoy" was his childhood nickname, and his peers used to encouragehim to flip his injured middle finger - the "Wicked Bird," hesaid.
"Family is such a center of the book," Crandell said. "There'sso much about how family can support one another and how family cansometimes hurt one another, so I think there's a universal aspectto the book."
An excerpt of the book, which was published Sept. 1, appears inthis month's issue of Indiana Monthly. Crandell said the book beganas an essay he started writing early last year.
"I just couldn't get that summer out of my head, and I feltunresolved about that summer," he said.
Crandell, who lives in Atlanta, is on an eight-city book tourthat started in Alabama and includes other cities such asBloomington, Indianapolis and Terre Haute. He said he is lookingforward to meeting Ball State students and Muncie residents atDanner's Books, an independent bookstore.
Dottie Danner, manager of Danner's Books, said she was gladCrandell will be able to connect with students and provide valuableinformation about the book publishing process.
"Whether (students) want to buy a book or not, it's always agood experience to meet an author who has gone through the processand who will be helpful to students who are working toward thataim," Danner said.
Crandell, who earned his degree in psychology, said he alsohopes to encourage students not to be confined to their degree butto also branch out and be creative in sharing their stories withothers.
"Everybody has a story to tell," Crandell said. "That's why amemoir is so powerful."
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