Cat grins under his hat
July 7, 2006

Local writer Lou Christine is enjoying a bit of notoriety in the world of literature. Christine’s contribution to Tim Russert’s latest bestseller, Wisdom of Our Fathers, was one of 115 entries chosen by Russert from among over 60,000 submissions. The nonfiction collection is a follow-up to Russert’s 2003 book about his father titled Big Russ and Me, which also was a best-seller.

Russert, the host of NBC’s Sunday morning news show Meet the Press, concluded that despite having interviewed kings, presidents, prime ministers and other icons of art and industry over the years, none of them had anything over his working-class dad. The book was meant to be a tribute to Big Russ, warmly crediting his father for properly preparing Tim for life.

After Russert penned the “Big Russ” book he received many letters from other sons and daughters, expressing their own affection while chronicling defining moments they shared with their own fathers. Russert decided to put out a worldwide call to hear from other sons and daughters who might have their own stories. 

Novelist, screenwriter and essayist Christine had been working on his own memoir, Inspirations and Humiliations. Christine initially submitted a narrowed-down piece to Atención, which he titled “Dear Ole Dad,” which was published in the newspaper in 2004. The original work is over 4,000 words. During October 2005, Christine sent Russert the unedited version of his story, then titled “Uncle Lou.”

Within days, Christine received word from both Russert and Random House’s editor, Bill Novak. They both wanted to use his story in the forthcoming book. There was just one problem: The publishers had decided no story could be more than a thousand words long. Russert asked Christine if he could cut the story in half. Doing so, the essay still did not meet the apparently ironclad requirements, but Novak and Christine further worked on the story together. It was finally decided to publish the essay at still over 1,300 words, which makes Christine’s submission the longest story in the book.

During a slew of interviews at major media outlets taking place in the States while promoting his latest, Russert mentioned Christine’s story and his name and the fact that he resides in Mexico. Recently, on NPR, Russert said Christine’s story stopped him dead in his tracks, and as soon as he read it he decided the story about Christine’s own father needed to be an intrinsic part of the planned collaboration. 

The majority of the stories are positive, jewels of wit and circumstance, and others are so poignant they immediately bring tears to readers’ eyes. Yet Christine’s is not a feel-good story. He wrote of life without a father, and then, after finally ferreting out his dad, along with a few other chance meetings, Lou Christine, Jr. discovered that Lou Christine, Sr. showed himself to be a major disappointment.

Random House’s Novak said Christine’s story was chosen for its passionate and powerful writing, and Russert’s introduction to Christine’s piece in the book reads, “Sometimes the truth is ugly, and there is no point in pretending otherwise.”

Christine, 59, has been a steady contributor to Atención, mostly as an essayist, since October 1995. His journalistic baptism under fire occurred when, by chance, he discovered a wanted killer who was on the lam from the United States living among us in San Miguel. Christine secretly trailed the murderer for 10 nerve-wracking days before his eventual arrest and extradition back to the States to stand trial for stabbing his wife over 200 times, then threatening to murder his own two children. 

Born and reared in Philadelphia, Christine showed up in San Miguel after spending 16 years on the island of Maui in the Hawaiian Islands. He also received local kudos for writing and producing his original stage play Loose Ends that premiered here in February 2004.

Wisdom of Our Fathers was published on May 23, 2006, and based on opening sales in the nonfiction category it ranked in third place, but it quickly unseated Ann Coulter’s Godless to become the number-one best-seller across the US the week of June 10.