Bethel’s Byrd’s Books Welcomes Sports Writer Ivan Maisel To Discuss New Memoir of Loss, Grief, and Love on Tuesday, December 7th
On Tuesday, December 7th, 7:00pm to 8:30pm, Bethel’s Byrd's Books welcomes in-person longtime ESPN writer, Ivan Maisel, to discuss his latest book,
I Keep Trying to Catch His Eye, a deeply emotional memoir of loss grief, and love. Alice Hutchinson, owner of Byrd’s Books, says this is “one of the cannot-miss-this titles for the fall season.”
Reservations for this in-person, in-store event are required. Byrd’s Books will also provide viewing by Zoom for those who may prefer to attend from a distance, and will adjust its in-person events as needed. If Byrd’s Books needs to move to a virtual event it will email the registrants and post on the website. To reserve a seat or to receive your Zoom link, go to
https://conta.cc/3nvObDz
Maisel’s memoir reflects on the suicide of his son Max and delves into how their complicated relationship led him to see grief as love. In February 2015, Ivan Maisel received a call that would alter his life forever: his son Max's car had been found abandoned in a parking next to Lake Ontario. Two months later, Max's body would be found in the lake.There’d been no note or obvious indication that Max wanted to harm himself; he’d signed up for a year-long subscription to a dating service; he’d spent the day he disappeared doing photography work for school. And this uncertainty became part of his father’s grief.
I Keep Trying to Catch His Eye explores with grace, depth, and refinement the tragically transformative reality of losing a child. But it also tells the deeply human and deeply empathetic story of a father’s relationship with his son, of its complications, and of Max and Ivan’s struggle—as is the case for so many parents and their children—to connect.
Ivan Maisel is Vice President/Editorial and Senior Writer at
on3.com. He has covered college football for nearly four decades, from 2002-2021 as a senior writer for ESPN, where he wrote for ESPN.com, appeared on television, ESPN Radio and on podcasts. He also served as Editor-at-Large for ESPN College Football 150. Prior to joining ESPN.com, Maisel covered national college football for
Sports Illustrated,
Newsday, and
The Dallas Morning News. He has been honored eight times for Best Story by the Football Writers Association of America, and twice by The Associated Press Sports Editors, which in 2019 named him one of the 10 best sports columnists. Maisel earned a bachelor's degree in American Studies from Stanford University.
Byrd’s Books is located at 178 Greenwood Avenue, Bethel, CT, across from the Bethel Public Library. Author discussions and Book Group gatherings are regularly added to Byrd’s Books’ calendar of events at Byrd’s Books. HOLIDAY HOURS beginning Thanksgiving: Mon. To Sat., 10:00am to 6:00pm; Thurs., 10:00am to 8:00pm; Sun., 12 noon to 4:00pm. Byrd’s Books requires masks and provides a hand sanitizer for everyone’s safety. For directions to the store or more information, call Byrd’s Books at 203-730-2973. To review the shop’s expanded catalog of new titles, go to ByrdsBooks.com
