PSC Graduate Chris Raabe Returns to Campus

Book Description: "Every teenager wants to fit in, and Christian Pearson is no different. He is a phenomenon on the athletic field and in the classroom, but a terrifying accident on a fishing trip with his grandfather changes Christian's life forever. As he enters his freshman year of high school, Christian hides a secret that he plans to take to his grave. When the Pearson family moved from the city to the sleepy town of Red Oak, Iowa, before his freshman year of high school, Christian hoped for a smooth transition to small town life. Being the new kid in school has been a blessing and a curse. Most of the boys in Christian's class view him as a threat, so Christian struggles to fit it, but as an outcast, his secret is safe. When three freshmen, all from the same family, start school a week late, Christian senses something different about these new students. He reaches out to "The Three" seeking some semblance of friendship in his new hometown. When "The Three" confront Christian about the secret he hides, Christian is faced with a huge problem. Will this secret cost Christian his friends, his family, his freedom, and even his life? "

On Monday, 13 February, PSC graduate and author of The New Phenomenon, Chris Raabe visited Peru State College and to talk about and read from his young-adult novel published this past October.

Chris's blog includes a good deal of information about this book, from its genesis to the eventual publication of The New Phenomenon ; you can purchase the book on line.

Chris graduated from PSC with a teaching certificate in English in December of 1997. While a student at PSC, he worked on the student newspaper as a columnist and assistant editor and enjoyed considerable success on the PSC Baseball Team.

Chris Raabe presently teaches 7th grade English at Anderson middle school in Omaha; he also coaches Girls' Softball at Millard South High School--the team won the State Championship in Fall 2011.

He also serves as an editor for Fine Lines, a wonderful creative writing journal maintained by a good friend, Dave Martin, author of Facing the Blank Page--if you have poetry or prose you would love to see published, give Dave's journal a look.


You can watch a You Tube video of Chris's reading in the CATS Conference Room.


After lunch at Peru and a tour of Wheeler Sports Center with Ted Harshbarger, Chris went to Auburn Middle School. Thanks to Heidi Welsh and the good folks at the school, over one-hundred and fifty 5th, 6th, and 7th graders greeted Chris.

Watch on You Tube a few minutes of Raabe's enthusiastic interactions with the students.




Chris concluded his return trip to the area with a book signing arranged by the Auburn Chamber of Commerce at the Hickory Road BBQ in Auburn, where many of the Middle School students brought their parents to purchase a copy of the novel.

As I heard one parent say, "When your son wants you to buy a book, that's a good day."



You can watch a slide show of or download photographs from Chris Rabbe's exciting return to Peru State College.