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Historical Nonfiction ∙ Sports
Bring One Home
A Memoir of Boyhood, Basketball, and Hometown Spirit
by Thomas L. Pelissero
In the 1960s, the biggest dream for many young boys across the Upper Peninsula of Michigan was to play for their high school basketball team. In the small town of Bessemer, this meant one thing: wearing the blue and gold of the Speedboys. The two obstacles standing in a Bessemer boy’s way: bitter winters of endless snow and a padlock on the doors of the only good gym in town.
One day, when a young, inexperienced coach is hired to lead the team, the Speedboys’ usual aspirations of winning championships suddenly become far humbler: they merely want to win a single game. Mired in an epic losing streak, the team’s declining fortunes come to mirror those of the town itself. Mines are shuttered. Jobs are lost. What transpires is nothing less than a test of the town’s soul and the character of its people.
Bring One Home is an irresistible trip back to the days when boys played basketball on snow-covered driveways, drank chocolate malts in the Tip Top Café, and got their news in the local barbershop. Told from the viewpoint of a young, anxious boy striving to fulfill the expectations set forth by the adults in his life, this underdog story is as heartwarming as it is heartbreaking. Filled with historical insights and laugh-out-loud moments, Bring One Home is a tribute to the author’s beloved hometown and their undeniable determination to win.
“A love letter to underdogs and growing up in a small town that resonates for anyone who enjoys a heart-warming story and a victory parade. I didn’t grow up in the Upper Peninsula, but Thomas Pelissero’s memoir made me feel like I did.”
— Judy Battista, NFL columnist and reporter
“Bring One Home is the "Wonder Years" meeting “Hoosiers” — almost. You’ll laugh, tear up, cheer, and feel what it means to lose basketball games and all that makes a small town in the 1960s special. But most of all, you’ll feel a kinship with people you’ve never met and places you’ve never been because Thomas Pelissero makes his childhood story universal.”
— Seth Wickersham, ESPN Senior Writer and New York Times bestselling author
“…a great and fun read that takes you back to your youth, when high school athletes were your community heroes - even if the team didn’t win. [Pelissero] reminds us that youthful innocence and hope can make that era of life an enjoyable ride. Well done!”
— Steve Wyche, NFL Chief National Reporter
“Bring One Home is a charming and unique slice of American life. Through the eyes of a young boy growing up in the '60s in Bessemer, Michigan, Pelissero proves that community and passion will always carry us through times of struggle. Touching on evergreen themes of family, human connection, and tenacity, Bring One Home is a reminder to us all how it’s impossible to lose if you never give up. Above all else, this is a story about hope. Something everyone could use a little more of today.”
— Jim Mahoney, Hollywood screenwriter
“Pelissero makes you root for the Bessemer Speedboys by weaving their challenges and eventual triumphs against the backdrop of crises that included JFK's assassination, fears of nuclear conflict, the escalation of the Vietnam War, and even the cultural paradigm shift created by the Beatles. Bring One Home is a trip back in time worth taking.”
— Bob Glauber, 30-year NFL columnist at New York Newsday, author of Guts & Genius and The Forgotten First
“An inspired folktale of American life and days gone by, Pelissero weaves a warm and graceful tale that connects friends and family with a small-town
and its basketball team that are both determined to win.”
— J. A. Fiorelli, author of The Renewal
About the Author
Thomas L. Pelissero is a gifted storyteller who was born and raised in Bessemer, Michigan. He graduated from A.D. Johnston High School in 1973, where he was a multi-sport athlete for the Bessemer Speedboys. In 1978 he paid tribute to his hometown by penning the lyrics to the song “My Bessemer.” He earned a B.A. from University of St. Thomas and an MBA from Concordia University, both in St. Paul, Minnesota. In 2019, he was named a Distinguished Alumni of his high school alma mater. Tom is known for his sense of humor and regaling friends and family with colorful stories. When he retired, he and his wife, Joy, moved back to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where they enjoy skiing, hiking, fishing, hunting, family gatherings and preserving local history.
Bring One Home is perfect for fans of:
Underdog journeys and the will to win
Hometown spirit
Nostalgic, small-town stories
High school sports sagas
1960s life in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula
Midwest memoirs
“Pelissero has a talent for bringing reality to life in engrossing, novel-like ways, resulting in a loving tribute to small-town life where research and interviews bring Bessemer, Michigan, into vivid focus. Whether it’s the sport elements or the personal memoir feel that you’re here for, there’s an ideal balance where you feel both the game and the people who live around it.”
— K.C. Finn, Indies Today
“The sense that resonates throughout is the desire to feel what people you have never met felt. We all have stories from our younger days, but not everyone can place the words across page upon page in a way to maintain their audience from cover to cover. Indeed, Mr. Pelissero’s voice is resounding from beginning to end. I say bravo and certainly look forward to his next book.”
— Diane Lunsford, Feathered Quill Book Reviews
“Bring One Home serves as a snapshot of the 1960s. We’re reminded of Vietnam and of growing up with a Cold War threat as unnerving as it was ubiquitous. The author does a great job at showing the dignity of everyday, working-class people who find meaning in community and friendship.”
— Paul Knobloch, Reader Views
“…an inspirational and compelling sports drama rich in hometown flavor and steeped in truth about the power of unity.”
— Deb “Danny” Glenn, author, adventurer, and inspirational speaker
Bring One Home raises $5,038 for Bessemer Public Library
Sales for Bring One Home generated over $5000 in just two hours on Saturday, November 1, to support literacy and reading programs at the Bessemer Public Library.
Thank you to everyone who purchased a book, helping us achieve our goal to “Bring One Home”!
Support your local library!
Libraries are essential to our communities. Get your library card and check out your next read, maybe even Bring One Home!
Click below to view a current list of libraries that carry Bring One Home.
Libraries that wish to add Bring One Home to their collection can reach out via the form or email listed below.
Contact Thomas L. Pelissero
Questions? Interested in connecting with Thomas L. Pelissero?
Email tlpelissero@sellarstreetboys.com or fill out our contact form by clicking here.