Non-Fiction Books

A powerful memoir “about a difficult childhood . . . tough stuff, honest and real”— The Oregonian Peter Hoffmeister was a nervous child who ran away repeatedly and bit his fingernails until they bled. Home-schooled until the age of fourteen, he had only to deal with his parents and siblings on a daily basis, yet even that sometimes proved too much for him. Over the years, he watched his mother disintegrate into her own form of mania, while his father—a scholar and doctor who had once played semi-pro baseball—was strict and pushed Peter particularly hard. He wanted only the best from his son, but in the process taught Peter to expect only the worst from himself. In the midst of his chaotic home life, Peter began to hear a voice—an insistent, monotone that would periodically dictate his actions. When Peter finally entered public school he started to break free from his father’s control—only to fall sway to the voice more and more. His obsessive-compulsive behavior morphed into ruthless competition in sports and, ultimately, into lies, violence, and drugs. The End of Boys follows Hoffmeister to the very brink of sanity and back, in a harrowing and heartbreaking account of the trauma of adolescence and the redemption available to us all, if only we choose to find it. “Peter Brown Hoffmeister calls every sense into play, providing rich imagery, grounded reflection, and the tension inherent in a coming-of-age tale in which drugs, violence, and a genetic tendency toward OCD conspire.” — Los Angeles Review “The End of Boys takes no prisoners with its gritty, entrancing realism . . . a chilling and captivating read . . . a voice that is refreshingly new.” — Eugene Weekly

Based on the author's acclaimed Integrated Outdoor Program, LET THEM BE EATEN BY BEARS is Peter Hoffmeister's inspiring guide to getting kids to enjoy and appreciate nature. Drawing from his personal and professional background as an educator, guide, writer, and father, Peter reminds his readers of the adventurous pleasure of the great outdoors. This book teaches why children need nature in their lives, how to begin and continue going on adventures with them, and how to enjoy the process along the way. Combining proof of the need for returning to nature in a country increasingly alarmed by its health with an approachable, fun reintroduction to hiking, camping, and exploring, LET THEM BE EATEN BY BEARS marries the manifesto to the handbook. Founded on the ethics, mantras, and survival prompts of the author's outdoor programme, LET THEM BE EATEN BY BEARS is a natural extension of Richard Louv's LAST CHILD IN THE WOODS. Louv details the problem. Peter explains where and how to go from here. And with rising childhood obesity, ADHD, and technological addiction, this book has never been more timely. Peter has ten years of experience guiding hundred of young people - ages one to nineteen - on rock climbing trips, rafting trips, map and compass courses, in caves, and on backpacking trips, and this book will teach others to do the same. It will help adults - from stay-at-home parents to secondary school teachers to survival course instructors - feel empowered and capable. This is a book about fun versus fear in the natural world, leaving the mobile phone behind, getting dirty, and reading and integrating literature that will inspire readers to go out even more.

Pete Hoffmeister has eaten out of garbage cans, hates children’s birthday parties, and has never owned a cell phone in his life. He enjoys watching crows eat roadkill, writing down what other people say, and long walks on the beach. Or long walks in the desert. Or maybe not walking anywhere at all. In this unimportant collection of essays, Hoffmeister rants about pop culture, admits his obsession with carrots, and speaks dramatically in very ordinary moments.