WIFR - Shadow Divers (NS) AND I got to meet the author!

packfan20 · May 2015

My apologies for the length…

I’m in a book club that we have deemed the “worst book club ever”. For almost a year and a half, we keep picking books that suck. A couple months ago someone said we should switch to non-fiction so we somehow came across Crashing Through by Robert Kurson. It’s about a guy who was blind for 30+ years and has the opportunity to have surgery to make him see. As we’re picking this book, one of the women in the book club goes, “Hey! I know him! I went to school with him!” We jokingly told her to invite him to our next meeting. She actually did invite him but he wasn’t able to make it. A few weeks ago, she emailed everyone and said that the author emailed her and asked if we were free on May 7 – that he would be honored to come meet us. We quickly changed our plans and all rushed to read his first book – Shadow Divers (also non-fiction).

Sidebar – I LOVED Shadow Divers. Crashing Through was good but Shadow Divers – diving and WWII and U-boats? Right up my alley. Those who know me, know I’m a harsh critic but this book got 5 stars from me (Crashing Through got 4 stars). I spent the last quarter of the book with my hand over my mouth and my heart pounding – it was that good.

So last night, we got to meet the author – Robert Kurson! He was so humble and quiet and normal. He initially just sat there until we would ask him a question but then you could tell that he was so excited that we all enjoyed the book so much and he just kept telling us stories about his research and how everything fell into place. He brought his 9-year old son with (his wife ended up having to work late). His son stood up and introduced himself to everyone and shook our hands. When someone asked his son what it was like to have a famous author for his dad, he said, “I don’t think of him as famous. I just think of him as the guy who plays catch with me and listens to Stevie Wonder in his office.” 

Then someone asked the son if he had any siblings. His response: “My brother is 23. Or 59. I don’t know. But here’s the thing. I don’t hate him. He’s just awesome.” The kid was just the coolest (and his brother is 13, not 59  ).

It was very cool to hear the backstory of how Kurson started - went to law school and hated it so he started writing to “help the pain.” He eventually applied to all the Chicagoland newspapers and one gave him a job as a date entry clerk. That’s how he got his foot in the door. He said he responds to every email sent to him because he’s still in awe that people are reading his books. His next book comes out next month and he invited us to a signing at a book store not too far from us – so excited!

Anyway, if you like history and non-fiction, check out Shadow Divers. (Or if you’re more into science/medical stuff, read Crashing Through.) Robert Kurson is just the nicest, most normal guy in the world. (He said when he’s writing, he will walk through his neighborhood in his pajamas, not shaved, talking into his tape recorder to take notes. Said he was surprised no one has called the cops on him for being a creeper. LOL!)