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News Stories

Author of Cancel Christmas to Sign Books December 1

Rocco Martino, author of 18 books and longtime friend of Neumann University, will speak to a philosophy class and sign his new novel on campus on Tuesday, December 1.

 

From 2 to 2:30 p.m. in Bachmann 228, Martino will speak to John Mizzoni’s Introduction to Philosophy class about ethics. At 2:30, he will sign copies of Cancel Christmas (Infinity Publishing, 2009), his new work, in the university store.

 

Cancel Christmas is the story of a plot hatched by an industrialist and a politician to rid America of its beloved Christmas holiday. Both men are motivated solely by greed. One covets money, the other power.

 

Industrialist Oliphant Timber Bleakheart is a ruthless miser whose goal is to become the richest man in the world.  For him, Christmas vacation pay is an unnecessary expense that drains his checkbook.  His command to his staff to “Cancel Christmas!” launches the plot of Martino’s novel.  To achieve his mission of eliminating Christmas, Bleakheart enlists the aid of Senator Clairemont Christian, a U.S. senator from the south.  Christian, whose only aim in life is re-election, is pressured by Bleakheart to support his efforts in the Senate.
 
“Greed, ambition, and the misuse of taxpayer money are nothing new,” Martino explains in his preface.  “What makes this book interesting for the reader is the intertwining of these elements to attack a cherished tradition.  The technique of the ‘big lie’ is shown at work.  Can the media be bought?  Can lawmakers be influenced to vote a position because of personal gain?  … This book depicts the classic struggle between might and right; and between raw power and thoughtful evaluation.  Cancel Christmas is about character, and the conflicting emotions and forces that permeate human life – greed, fear, love, tradition, duty, and conscience.”

 

Martino is an internationally known scientist, educator, author and entrepreneur. He is founder and chair of the board of CyberFone Technologies, Inc. and XRT, Inc. Pope John Paul II named him a Knight of the Order of St. Gregory the Great in 1991. He and his wife Barbara received honorary degrees from Neumann University in 1993.

 

The book signing is open to the public. For more information, call 610-558-5549.

 

11/24/09