Need Blind Ambition - Paperback

by Kevin Myers (Author)

The road to higher ed is paved with good intentions.

The desire for relevance--and to save his marriage--is ultimately what pushed Peter Cook to leave his beloved Alaska for the prestigious Parker College. Lured by the chance to work with his childhood political idol turned college president, Peter moves his family to Portland, Oregon to help promote his hero's fundraising initiative that would eliminate financial status from the college's admissions process.

Peter arrives on campus as the Great Recession looms, the stock market is trending toward disaster, and the opioid crisis has breached the walls of the privileged college. He quickly learns the reality of Parker College strays far from its professed idealistic mission after discovering a plot to cover-up felonious drug activity in return for a seven-figure payday to the Need Blind Campaign.

While plumbing the depths of his conscience for the conviction to do the right thing, Peter's untreated childhood trauma resurfaces, threatening to cloud his perception when it needs to be at its sharpest. Peter must stabilize his mental health while also trying to parse competing versions of "the truth" as law enforcement investigates the criminal conspiracy.

Need Blind Ambition asks: how far will a college stray to protect its reputation?

Author Biography

Kevin T. Myers is a former stand-up comedian and comedy writer. He has appeared on the Comedy Channel and was featured on 20/20. His jokes have been told at colleges, clubs, on the Tonight Show, and on Broadway. His essay "The Power of Compassion" aired nationally on NPR's This I Believe series. He has worked as a journalist and editor in newsrooms from New Hampshire to Alaska, where he ran the Capital City Weekly. He has worked in higher education as a speechwriter, a spokesperson, and a media, government, and public relations liaison. He lives in Portland, Oregon.