East Tennessee resident and Chattanooga raised author Fred Cole announces the upcoming release of his book, Not So Normal People: Great American Stories Preserved.
The culturally-grounded, narrative non-fiction book has numerous characters from the Chattanooga area, to include:
- State Representative and Morning Pointe President Greg A. Vital;
- Life Care Centers of America founder and billionaire Forrest Preston, and his CEO son, philanthropist Aubrey Preston;
- Long-time Chattanooga Fire and Police Commissioner James “Bookie” Turner;
- The very able former Hamilton County Mayor Claude Ramsey;
- Former U.S. Congressman Zach Wamp;
- Long-time Hamilton County politico Harold Coker;
- O.D. McKee, and the Little Debbie empire he created;
- The consequential state Senator Ray C. Albright;
- The world-renowned atomic scientist from Collegedale, Dr. Ray Hefferlin;
...and more, including Tennesseans like Senator Howard H. Baker Jr.; four-star General Carl W. Stiner; his brother, Colonel Tommy C. Stiner, a fearless helicopter pilot during the Vietnam War. The book is heavy in American military history. It’s also heavy in the history of black civil rights in Chattanooga, and the history of Chattanooga itself.
In a year when the nation is celebrating its 250th birthday, the author has crafted a mosaic of sometimes raw but resonant true stories recounting the military, political, social, cultural, and religious history of our nation.
Cole’s subjects are both average Joe’s and icons of Americana, and his stories are set in the historical eras when they took place. He balances the intimate scale of a personal memoir with an epic retrospective of American development from colonial times to the present.
“The heartbeat of the book is national and community service, and how each of my characters envisioned and embraced the fabled American dream in ways that improved the lives of all Americans, and the country, too." Fred Cole says.
"My characters did not begin their lives of service with the important titles, fortunes, or four-stars on their shoulders they eventually achieved as their legacies, so the book is really about how average Americans become people who make a difference. And, it’s a roadmap for anybody wanting to devote their lives to public service, or volunteer their time and effort to improving the community where they live.”
Not So Normal People: Great American Stories Preserved publishes on September 17, 2026 (Constitution Day), and will be available where books are sold and at www.fredcoleauthor.com.