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Former teacher, student collaborate on two books
SIKESTON - As a history teacher in the Risco School District, Michael Murphy encouraged his students to find an individual or moment in history and dig into it. Their efforts often turned into History Day Projects earning honors at the regional, state and national level.
Now retired from teaching, Murphy, who resides in Dexter, Mo., has his own stories to tell. Assisting him in the telling them is Carissa McDonald of Sikeston.
Together the pair have published two books, authored by Murphy and illustrated by McDonald. In 2018, “Elsie’s Story: This Story Has No Hero” was published. It was followed by “Lucky 13: Mort Cooper and the Jinx that Led to a MVP Season,” which came out this fall.
Both stories date back many years.
Murphy explained, “Elsie’s Story” is from his childhood. While teaching a lesson on anti-bullying in a character education class at Risco, he recalled the incident.
“I kind of pushed the lesson aside and told them that story. When I got home that night I wrote it out and it has been sitting around now for about 25 years,” he said. “I finally decided why not publish it and get it out there so others can read that story and maybe get something out of it.”
While Murphy polished the words, he realized he needed illustrations. It was then he recalled his former student, McDonald, who often used her artistic talents when putting together her History Day projects.
Following graduation from Risco High School in 2011, McDonald attended Southeast Missouri State University at Cape Girardeau and earned her degree in photography. Although she admitted to being surprised by Murphy’s request, she took it on.
“Elsie’s Story” uses pencil drawings to tell of the importance of treating others properly. It also includes a glossary of words and events from the story. At the book’s conclusion, readers are invited to delve even deeper as they answer questions and consider the consequences of the actions of those in the story.
“The teacher in me comes out in both books,” said Murphy with a laugh. “I have tried to put a character lesson in both of them.”
“Lucky 13,” according to Murphy is about perseverance and overcoming obstacles as he writes about the life of Mort Cooper, who was a St. Louis Cardinals pitcher in the 1940s. Murphy said he initially came across the information on Cooper while reading at the library at Southeast Missouri State many years ago.
“I had an idea about doing a book about the “Most Valuable Players” in the American and National leagues . . . But, of course, things got in the way and that kind of fell to the side,” he said. “But (Cooper) was one that I had researched and it is historic. It kind of stuck in my mind.”
The story centers on Cooper’s comeback from injury and his efforts which led to him being named the Most Valuable Player in 1942.
“I don’t want to give anything away but the surprise is that the number 13 played a role,” Murphy said. “That is why the story stuck in my mind.”
He again called on McDonald. The book includes photographs of Cooper and other ballplayers as well as her drawings.
The former teacher and student agreed they have enjoyed their collaboration.
Murphy said McDonald truly captured the characters in her drawing, especially in “Elsie’s Story.” He explained while the story is about a real person, he never revealed her name.
“It was almost uncanny how her representation came to what that person actually looked like 55 years ago,” he said. “She doesn’t realize that but it came very, very close.”
It was at Murphy’s request the drawings are all done in pencil.
“I wanted it to be more stark because of the story’s subject matter. It was a story of a little girl who was mistreated so I wanted it to be more of a stark illustration to tell that story rather than something that was light and in color,” he said.
McDonald said with her work on both books she tried to carefully match her images to the references in the tales. She said she hopes her drawings help the reader experience what the characters are going through.
While the books promote character education with an audience primarily for those in middle school and high school, Murphy said “Lucky 13” also appeals to baseball fans, with its references to players and their records. He pointed out just before the book’s publication, the Cardinals announced Cooper would be installed in their Hall of Fame, prompting him to add a postscript.
Readers’ reactions are favorable. “Elsie’s Story” has received five star reviews on Amazon. One reviewer described it as a “timely story (that) should be read in every elementary classroom in the country.”
According to Murphy, “Elsie’s Story” has also received five star reviews on a Reader’s Favorite website. One reviewer, he said, especially liked how the illustrations suited the story.
Also they have donated a number of the books to character education programs and libraries across the country. Murphy said letters of appreciation have come in from communities from Pennsylvania on the east coast to the state of Washington out west.
The Risco School District even hosted a book signing following the release of “Elsie’s Story.”
McDonald said it is exciting to know people from all over are seeing and appreciating her efforts as an artist. She added Murphy was easy to work with as she crafted her drawings.
Murphy quipped he is probably easier to work with as a writer than as a teacher. “There are not so many essay requirements and things of that nature,” he said with a smile.
But ever the teacher, he is encouraging McDonald to publish her own book of photography, some of which are featured on her website, carissamcd.wixsite.com/photography,
Murphy said he plans to continue writing. In addition to his two books, he has had work published in magazines. He plans to attend a Local Author Fair on March 7, 2020, at the Poplar Bluff Library.
“I’ve got other things that I’m working on,” he said. “I don’t see this as a full-time occupation or something like that, it is just things I want to say and this gives me an opportunity to do that.”
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Published through Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing, the books are available on Amazon in paperback or as e-books.