New memoir now available

I am very pleased to announce that my first book is now available. Below is a description of “Emerging Son,” followed by information for ordering your copy. The next two posts will offer excerpts from the book. For an interview about the book, see the December 20, 2004 post.

“Emerging Son” is an autobiographical memoir about a man’s journey to a purposeful midlife from youthful uncertainty. The author’s quest to recreate the happiness of his youth takes him from the newsroom to the courtroom as he launches a career, from the Midwest to Rome as he deepens his faith, and to South America as he builds a family. Tom Bengtson looks to his father as an example but ultimately discovers he has to look within himself for answers to life’s questions about faith, family and work.

The book opens with Tom recalling the lessons he learned as a kid when he sailed with his dad. Sailing teaches him to pay attention to details, to forget about things he can’t control and to make the most of what he has -- lessons that prove valuable as Tom later becomes a writer, entrepreneur, husband and father.

His journalism career gets off to a rocky start when he quickly finds himself at the center of a libel case. Daily newspaper work back East ultimately proves to be the wrong fit for Tom and he returns to his hometown of Minneapolis where he begins a career as a financial reporter for a magazine – a magazine that he eventually purchases and grows into a profitable business. As Tom transitions from reporter to publisher, he works to inspire employees, grow the business with new publishing ventures and keep up with the latest management trends.

But more than professional success Tom wants a family like the one he grew up in, where he was one of five children. Tom and his wife struggle with infertility, frustrated by the inability of doctors to help them. They turn to adoption, making their way through an equally frustrating social services network. Over a seven-year period, they adopt children from Colombia, traveling to South America four times.

Tom’s efforts are guided by a renewed interest in his Catholic faith, rekindled after years of dormancy by the example of an Evangelical friend. Tom remembers fondly his years as a child serving as an altar boy and learning in Catholic schools. As an adult, however, he finds Catholicism challenging. He contemplates the meaning of life-long marriage, the practicality of natural family planning over birth control and the sacrament of confession. His experience with infertility further tests his faith commitment.

In addition to appealing to memoir enthusiasts, “Emerging Son” will be of interest to four groups. First, it will be of interest to anyone suffering with infertility. Second, it will interest people contemplating adoption, particularly international adoption. Third, it will appeal to anyone preparing for marriage, especially marriage in the Catholic Church. And fourth, it will be of interest to small business owners who want to read how one entrepreneur grows his company by taking on a business partner and adapting to changing market conditions. This 58,000-word memoir is a timeless work that addresses themes that will be of interest for decades to come.

Order your copy of this 227-page hard-cover book by sending a check for $24 to: NFR Communications, 3109 West 50th Street, No. 125, Minneapolis, MN 55410-2102. Make check out to NFR Communications. Rate includes $3 for shipping. Paypal paments accepted.