Winchendon author Todd Civin publishes book ‘Pulling Each Other Along’

WINCHENDON – Local author Todd Civin has released a compilation book that features 31 chapter writers who shared their inspiring stories of struggles, triumphs and helped them along the way.

The book, “Pulling Each Other Along,” has been in the works for more than two years and includes forewords from NFL Hall of Famer and broadcaster Terry Bradshaw and Super Bowl champion Rocky Bleier.

“Over the past 10 years, I’ve been blessed to connect with so many amazing people, each with an equally amazing story to share,” Civin said. “From my own quiet little corner in Winchendon, I was blessed to meet a who’s who of inspiring people. I kept in mind that one day I would compile their stories into a single book in hopes of sharing those stories with the world.

Asked about the process of compiling the book, Civin said his initial approach could be likened to “trying to build a house without a plan” and that he was doomed to fail.

However, Civin found help through his connection with Doug Cornfield, who later became the co-writer of “Pulling Each Other Along”. Cornfield is the executive director of Disability, Dream & Do, an organization that creates sports camps for children with different abilities.

This connection led Civin to its first chapter author, Dave Clark, whose chapter, titled “Why We Pull”, is the inspiration for the book. Clark, who contracted polio when he was 10 months old, is the only professional baseball player to play on crutches.

According to Civin, Cornfield was not only intrigued by his idea, but also introduced him to the concept of “training each other”.

“We formed (‘Pulling Each Other Along’) and started reaching out to potential writers that we were both connected to. From there, we selected 31 stories that represented diversity among our diversity. This means that not all authors are disabled, that not all stories are written by men, women, blacks, whites, etc. It was important for us to present a wide range of stories so that there was inclusion among our inclusion,” Civin said.

Civin’s biggest hurdle wasn’t writing or compiling the book. It was more about raising capital.

“In this age of self-publishing, you pay to publish,” Civin said. “There are opportunities to sign with a traditional publisher, but those opportunities aren’t as readily available to the little guy. We hope that (‘Pulling Each Other Along’) will become one of the big names and be reissued by a big house. editing.

The promotion for the book was launched in early November as part of a Kickstarter campaign and raised $16,000 to help cover printing costs. Fans were able to pre-order the book and choose from a wide variety of rewards, including signed copies from the authors on the star list.

In his 12 years as an author, Civin has published over 60 books, most of them dealing with people with disabilities. Asked about his passion for the genre, Civin said his passion for sports writing has led him to write about people who go against each other through thick and thin, instead of mediocre stories about steroids and salaries.

Civin’s second story in the genre was about Dick and Rick Hoyt, a father and son marathon duo who ran the Boston Marathon more than 30 times.

“Dick, the father who died last March, has pushed Rick, who was born a spastic quadriplegic with cerebral palsy, over 1,100 races. Upon meeting Rick, who is non-verbal, he asked me to write his book. Together, over the next three years, we wrote “One Letter at a Time”. It was through this introduction that I immersed myself in the disability community,” Civin said.

“(‘Shooting Each Other’) has been a lifelong dream of mine, and watching the incredible cast of writers who signed on exceeded my expectations,” Civin said in a Jan. 9 press release. Assembling a cast, which includes former NFL star Rocky Bleier, first Ironman with Down syndrome Chris Nikic, and Paralympic surfing gold medalist Liv Stone, talk about the power of the concept (“Pulling Each Other Along”).

‘Pulling Each Other Along’ is more than just a book, but a movement of kindness that allows us all to recognize the people who have helped pull us through our toughest times,” Civin told “The World needs to ‘pull each other’ more than ever, and the initial response from those who have read the book is proof of that.”

The chapter writers for “Pulling Each Other Along” also include Baxter Humby, the first professional fighter to become a one-handed world champion; Laura Chagnon, a quadriplegic, legally blind, and traumatic brain injury survivor who became a published poet and motivational speaker; and Auti Angel, the wheelchair hip-hop pioneer.