Science writer publishes U.S. history book

By Jenny Jones
Staff Writer

If President Theodore Roosevelt had abolished college football, as he threatened to do, many people would not have been as interested in college campuses and formal education would never have flourished the way that it does today.

This is just one of the events Steven Tally, Purdue science writer in agricultural communication services, includes in his book, "Almost America."

"Almost America," is a nonfiction history book that gives a detailed background of real American history and then offers an alternative scenario to reflect this revised version of history.

"I wanted people to realize history isn't preordained," said Tally. "These were real decisions people made."

With topics ranging from the effects of Washington crossing the Delaware to Babe Ruth staying with the Boston Red Sox, "Almost America" offers information for a wide range of readers, said Jacob Jones, assistant researcher for "Almost America" and a graduate student in the School of Liberal Arts history department.

"I think his approach worked well; I learned a lot of things I didn't know before," said Jones.

HarperCollins Publishers, the publishers of "Almost America," asked Tally to create a book about American history.

"We were interested in having Steve Tally write a book about history because, while speculative history has long been a staple of novels, you don't often see it as nonfiction," said Sarah Durand, assistant editor of Morrow/Avon, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. "He was a natural choice to write this book because he's a veteran alternative historian."

Tally, who was not interested in history until after college said, "All I was hoping for was it not to be a failure."

Although Tally has dabbled in fiction writing, he has never submitted any for publication. "It's never what I want it to be," said Tally.

Humor has been a big part of Tally's writing, and Durand said she could see this throughout "Almost America."

"Steve did a wonderful job mixing the purely factual with the fictional. He's often very funny, but never off the mark," said Durand.

To make "Almost America" interesting to various types of people, Tally decided to take a mainstream approach to the book, covering a wide variety of historical events.

"I enjoy writing about complex things and making them enjoyable," said Tally.

"Almost America" has sold well according to Durand, and Tally has been engaged in numerous book signings across Indiana to promote this book and his first, "Bland Ambition," a satirical look at the American vice presidency.

"It's like being at a dinner party," Tally said about the signings.

Tally will be holding book signings from 2-4 p.m. on Friday at Barnes and Noble Bookstore in Merrillville, Ind., and from 1-3 p.m. Feb. 10 at Walden Books in the Tippecanoe Mall.

For more information about "Almost America" log onto: http://www.almostamerica.com

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