Peter Nelson


Click image to see trailer.


Other books by Pete Nelson


Rutledge Hill, 2004

Randomhouse, 2000

Time-Warner, 2007

Time-Warner, 2006

Time Warner, 2006

Time-Warner, 2005

My Works

From Algonquin Books


I Thought You Were Dead
In pre-Y2K America, the world is changing for Paul Gustavson, who does not like change, not even a little. Dot-coms come and go. The Internet appears to be here to stay. The stock market soars and crashes. Everybody's getting cell-phones, but nobody answers their phone. On a personal note, Paul's life is in the toilet. His ex-wife is remarried and pregnant. His new "girlfriend" is also dating a doctor. His father is ailing. Paul knows only to keep plugging, stick to his guns, maintain his routines, except that his routines are getting him nowhere. He has no one to talk to but his dog Stella, who thinks he's a putz. He suspects he's right.

What do to, what to do, what to do?

The dog won't say.

The heartbreaking funny story of learning to love again, learning to say goodbye, and learning to stand on your own four feet, or two.


From Basic/Civitas Books

A More Unbending Battle
The true and untold story of a regiment of African-American soldiers from Harlem who became part of the French army during World War I. They never gave an inch, never lost a prisoner and spent more days in the trenches than any other American troops. In the age of Jim Crow, at a time when African-Americans were subject to lynchings and all forms of violence and prejudice, they fought for full citizenship in a country they believed possible.

“A thrilling story of the heroes and horrors of war, A More Unbending Battle restores the overlooked Harlem Hellfighters to their rightful glory. Peter Nelson has brought to life an extraordinarily pivotal moment in the history not only of World War I, but of race in the American consciousness.”—Henry Louis Gates, Jr, Alphonse Fletcher University Professor at Harvard University

"Having watched the Tuskegee Airmen receive their due respect some 60 years after they served, I congratulate Peter Nelson's A More Unbending Battle for the respect it gives to an earlier and equally deserving group of American patriots. This book, long overdue, makes an invaluable contribution to American and African-American military history." —Marilyn Nelson, Corretta Scott King and three-time National Book Award honoree and author of Carver: A Life in Poems and A Wreath for Emmett Till.

“Nelson seamlessly interweaves the military narrative with vivid firsthand accounts… The Hellfighters fought a war on two fronts and displayed incredible fortitude in the face of prejudice, racial violence and the ever-present gas and machine-gun fire. Nelson offers a nuanced, in-depth portrait of this group of ordinary men who fought with inspiring courage and dignity. A valuable addition to World War I and civil-rights scholarship on a subject too frequently overlooked.” —Kirkus Reviews, April 1, 2009


Left For Dead; A Young Man's Search for Justice for the USS Indianapolis, Delacorte, 2002

Left For Dead
The story of the sinking of the USS Indianapolis at the end of WWII. The Navy ignored the ship's SOS signals and did not report it overdue for five days. 880 men went into the water. 317 survived. The rest drowned or were eaten by sharks. The Navy court-martialed the captain, a scape-goating that lasted until an 11 year-old boy named Hunter Scott began a middle school history project.

Complete works
LONG FICTION

Sylvia Smith-Smith, Harlequin (New York) 1987
Night of Fire, Simon and Schuster (New York) 1991
The Fastlane West, Simon and Schuster 1991
Scarface, Simon and Schuster 1992
Deadly Lessons, Simon and Schuster 1992
Dangerous Waters, Simon and Schuster 1992
Sylvia Smith-Smith, Simon and Schuster 1993
First to Die, Harper Collins (New York) 1992
Double Dose, Harper Collins 1992
Third Degree, Harper Collins 1992
Fourth Quarter Fix, Harper Collins 1993
Death Threat, Harper Collins 1993
Six Deadly Lies, Harper Collins 1993
The Christmas List, Rutledge Hill (Nashville) 2004
CI: Team Red, Time Warner (New York) 2005
CI: Dark Target, Time Warner (New York) 2006
CI: Mission Liberty, Time Warner (New York) 2006
CI: Homeland Threat, Time Warner (New York) 2007
I Thought You Were Dead, Algonquin (Chapel Hill) 2010


SHORT FICTION

ESQUIRE The Literary Life, Dec., 1981; Letters to the Real World, Oct., 1982; First Will and Testament, Oct. 1989;
HARPERS Autumn of the Participle, Sept., 1986
IOWA REVIEW Cooley and Kedney, vol. 14, #1 1984; Crazy, fall, 1986 Song of Stanley, fall 1994;
NORTH AMERICAN REVIEW Fishin’ With Al, winter, 1994
NORTHWEST ORIENT Deception, July, 1988; Saunders, June, 1989
PLAYBOY Getting the Message, Nov., 1985; G.I. Playhouse, killed in inventory; How to Survive the Nineties, May 1992
REDBOOK The Newest Blessing, Dec., 1985; Portrait of Sylvia in Winter, Mar. 1990
SEVENTEEN Sylvia Smith-Smith, May, 1983; JTK Loves ALA, July, 1983; Sylvia Smith-Smith Strikes Back, May, 1984; Sylvia and the Visitor, Nov., 1985; Sylvia Smith-Smith’s Practically Perfect, Highly Irregular Prom Date, March, 1986; Sylvia in the Wilderness, July, Aug. 1987; Sylvia’s Masquerade, fall, 1987; Sylvia’s Christmas Present, Dec. 1988
TELESCOPE Portrait of a Sad Man at the Dentist, vol. V-VI; Still Life, vol. VIII
TWILIGHT ZONE The Secret of Love, (magazine folded)

NON-FICTION BOOKS

Real Man Tells All, Viking Publishing (New York) 1988
Marry Like a Man, Plume (New York) 1992
That Others May Live, Crown (New York) 2000
Left For Dead, Randomhouse (New York) 2002
Kidshape, Rutledge Hill (Nashville) 2004
A More Unbending Battle, Basic Civitas (New York) 2009

SHORT NON-FICTION

AMBASSADOR Photo Opportunities on the Campaign Trail, June 1984
BRIDES Paradise for Rent, April/May 1991
CHICAGO TRIBUNE MAGAZINE Men and Dogs, Oct. 1985
DISNEY MAGAZINE, Travel Photography, Spring, 1999
DIVERSION Where Do Doctors Come From? May, 1983; Big Ten Memories, July, 1983; Brazil’s Beaches, Dec. 1983
ELLE Down and Out in Gamla Stan, April, 1988; Oxford Days May, 1988; Inland Waters, June, 1988
ESQUIRE Nine to Five Poker, Jan., 1983; Taming Moose River, Apr., 1985; Aquavit, March, 1989; New Orleans Jazz Festival, April, 1989; Why I Love Roseanne Barr, July 1989; Life With and Without a Wife, July, 1990
FAMILYFUN The Skating Rink, Dec. 1993
FIT PREGNANCY Birth of a Father: The Way of the Wheel, Dec., 2003; Birth of a Father: Compulsive Jocularity (unscheduled); Family Ties: Dads Count, Aug/Sept. 2003
GLAMOUR Wedding Daze, Feb., 1992; What He Learns from Going Without Sex, August, 1992; Living Together, Nov. 1993 How Sex Changes When You Marry, April 1994; How to Really Talk to a Man About Sex, Sept. 1995
HARPER’S BAZAAR Why Gentlemen Still Prefer Blondes, Apr. 1987
IOWA REVIEW The Castle of St. George at Elmina and the Problem With Heritage, fall 1998
LIVE The Oregon Brewers’ Festival, Feb., 1996; The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, Mar., 1996; A Trip To Die For, Apr., 1996; Fab Faux, May. 1996; Analog Weekends, June, 1996; The Races at Saratoga, Aug., 1996; Well Armed, Sept., 1996; The Dead Language of Power Horses, Oct., 1996; Ritmo Tejano, Nov. 1996; Merry Christmas, Mrs. Landow, Dec.,1996; ‘Til Dessert Do Us Part, Jan. ,1997; Interview With a Lamb, Feb. 1997; Phat City, Mar., 1997; Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Cowboy, Apr., 1997; Little Deuce Coupes, May, 1997; Happy Birthday, Gettysburg!, June, Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp, July 1997; Interview With a Fish, Aug., 1997; Bound For Glory, Sept. 1997; The Ghosts of New Orleans, Oct., 1997; Nantucket High School Football, Nov., 1997; Norman Rockwell’s Stockbridge Christmas, Dec., 1997; The St. Paul Winter Carnival, Jan. 1999; Carousels, May, 1998; CART, June, 1998; Puppetry in America, Aug, 1998; Monster Trucks, Oct, 1998; The Fringe Festival, Nov, 1998; Phish, Jan. 1999; The Circus, Feb 1999
MADEMOISELLE Do Guys Like Shopping With Girls? July, 1984; This is How a Man’s Heart Breaks, Sept., 1984; Growing Up the Hard Way, Oct., 1984; An Unmarried Man, Nov., 1985; Come Blow My Horn, July, 1986; Sisters, Dec. 1986; Fear of Commitment, Feb., 1988; Living Together, June, 1988; How Often Do I Think About Sex, June, 1988; The “His” column, monthly, from March, 1985, through Sept., 1986
MEN’S FITNESS Gender Blender --- Coed Softball in P.C.Town, April 1999; Men’s Life: Vanity, 2000; Men’s Life: The Toughest Guy I Know, 1999
MEN’S HEALTH A Pony Tale, June 1993; Street Wars --- How to Survive a Mugging, Nov., 1992;
MEN’S JOURNAL Winter Camping, Dec., 1993; Trail Cuisine, Sept. 1994
MEN’S LIFE Home Equity Loans, Dec., 1990
MOTHER JONES A Traveler’s Guide to the Midwest, June, 1989
MS On Differences --- One Man’s View of Men and their Bodies, Sept., 1985
MUSIC MATTERS A Song in the Life, spring, 1997
NATIONAL WILDLIFE Night at Mata de Platanos, Nov. 1993; Animal Threat Display Behavior, June/July 1994; White Tailed Deer, Feb. 1994
NEW COUNTRY Buddy Mondlock, May 1994; Bill Morrissey, June 1994; Friendly Fires: Community, Creativity and Country at the Kerrville Music Festival, August 1994; Chris Smither, Sept. 1994 Cheryl Wheeler, Dec. 1994
NEW ENGLAND MONTHLY Sex by the Seashore, Nov., 1984; Laff Riots on Parade, Feb., 1985; Blue Monster, July, 1986; Newport Folk Festival, Aug., 1986; Breadloaf Diary, Sept., 1987; Profile --- Bill Morrissey, Nov. 1989
NEW WOMAN Sperm Donors --- the Guys Who Give, Oct. 1995
NORTHWEST ORIENT The Computer and the Word, Sept., 1985; Profile --- Dr. An Wang, July, 1986; Profile --- Dan Gable, May, 1988;
OUTSIDE Outfoxing the Radish Patrol, May, 1986; Vacations in the Berkshires, Jan, 1988; How to Go Weekend Camping, July, 1988; New England Culinary Institute, fall 1991; Traveling the Mississippi, June, 1992; Summer Gardening, July 1993; Hiking in Puerto Rico, fall 1993 Camping With Pets, June 1994; Beef Days or Bust, August 1994; Alaska, Sept. 1997
PARENTING Fatherly Duties, Nov. 2004; The Circus (unscheduled); The Family Bed (unscheduled)
PERFORMING SONGWRITER Profile: Cliff Eberhardt, summer 1996
PHYSICIANS’ TRAVEL AND LEISURE Fishing in Montana, fall 1986
ROLLING STONE Profile: Nanci Griffith, Jan., 1987
SEVENTEEN What Boys Talk about When Girls Aren’t Around, Oct., 1986;
SPECIAL REPORT Profile: Christine Lavin, May, 1992; Profile: Maura O’Connell, fall, 1992; Hanging Out, July/Aug., 1992; Profile: Jennifer Smith, spring 1994
V Video Dating, Sept. 1988
WONDERTIME T-Ball, fall 2005; Jeff Bridges profile, summer 2006; How to Nurture a Whiner, summer 2006; Scary Stories, Family Reunions, Kids and Dogs, Paul Rusesabagina profile, Kids and Potty Talk, Kids and Soccer, Sleep Deprivation

Selected Works

Fiction
A tragi-comic romance.
Creative Non-Fiction
Essays and Articles
History
Images, Discussion Questions and Acknowledgements
Young Adult History
The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis, Discussion Questions and Study Guide
Bibliography
Articles, Short Stories, Books etc.