Hometown Hero Publishes Book To Save Local City and Family

A college sophomore is gaining attention for writing a book that uncovered what is holding his hometown back from escaping poverty.

New York, NY, April 7, 2021 - Thursday night fraternity parties and city trips that extend well past midnight cause Friday mornings to be unusually quiet on campus. When Matthew Stridiron makes his way to his college’s dining hall on the first Friday of his second semester at college, there is no line. The smell of omelettes, bacon, and coffee fills the air, and the music is cranked up to the level that it usually is around the early afternoon. He grabs a bowl of strawberry yogurt and bananas, like he does every day, near the yogurt station and quickly finds a place to eat before returning to his dorm room.

Matthew heard a deeply troubling story earlier in the week about someone who used to live in the City of Newburgh, his hometown. He was interested and wanted to learn more about it by talking to the individual over the phone. After unpacking his bag, he dials up her number. She immediately responds once he introduces himself, and for the next half hour, they exchange stories about their time in Newburgh. Even though the two people are three generations apart, they talk about the exact same issues. While the woman discusses the struggles that her blind daughter faced in the school district and how her daughter was neglected since she was five years old, Matthew addresses similar concerns about what his four-year-old brother and the rest of his family inside the city will have to confront. Matthew recalls that it was the saddest phone call he’s ever had.

“I was starting to mutter and mess up my words because of how crazy this all was. My brain felt like scrambled eggs. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.”

Scheming In the Dark

Moved by this conversation, Matthew immediately began writing about the problems they discussed once the coronavirus shut down his college. As of now, Matthew expects to release the book, Scheming In the Dark, later this year. His team has already put a trailer and book description together to raise awareness.

Downtown Newburgh, New York. Photo Credit: Lize Cooke

Source: Resurrecting Newburgh, the once-grand American city that had its heart torn out | Cities | The Guardian

Taking the words of the person who Matthew talked to:

“If you don’t bring light to this situation, you’re going to have bigger problems down the line. Why do you have so many people on the street? It’s because they’re not educated. If you don’t educate people, where are they going?”

Those who live outside Newburgh and have already read Scheming In the Dark say it is “supplemented by a sea of evidence from courts, written correspondence, and personal accounts.” Matthew wrote Scheming In the Dark in a way where other communities across the country will be able to relate to Newburgh’s struggles. Being located sixty miles away from New York City, it is easy for the residents in a town like Newburgh to be neglected. Once this book is officially published, these marginalized communities will finally get the attention they deserve.

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Sincerely,

The Scheming In the Dark Team

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Click Here: Hudson Valley City One of '50 Worst Cities to Live In' in U.S. (hudsonvalleypost.com)