Born and raised in Grand Rapids, Tom Rademacher has been employed part-time as a lifeguard, factory worker, silkscreener, taxicab driver, handyman and swim coach. Those hardscrabble connections to everyday men and women helped launch his career at The Grand
Rapids Press as a teller of extraordinary tales about “the guy next door.” For more than three decades, he endeared himself to readers of The Press as a writer with a nose for news, a keen eye for detail, and a desire to provide a voice for people both struggling and soaring. He retired from The Press in 2009, and now freelances. He and wife Hollie have three sons – Tom, Patrick and Andrew – and live in Rockford. This is his first book.