Join us in the bookstore at 6pm for the Dallas launch of Alison Lyn Miller’s Rough House: A Father, a Son, and the Pursuit of Pro Wrestling Glory. Miller will be in conversation with Michael J. Mooney of D Magazine.

Professional wrestling is both a cultural phenomenon and a multibillion-dollar industry that has launched some of the biggest names in entertainment. But what does it take for a wrestler to break through? In Rough House: A Father, a Son, and the Pursuit of Pro Wrestling Glory, journalist Alison Lyn Miller introduces Hunter James, an aspiring star born into a family of wrestlers in Georgia. Hunter lifts, runs, and pounds protein, sculpting himself into a human action figure with the goal of being signed by a major promotion and finishing what his father started. Miller’s immersive, unforgettable account shows us what happens when Hunter enters the bruising world of indie wrestling—where gymnasiums become arenas, trampolines serve as training grounds, and young men fight for glory.

Rich with drama, humor, and heart, Rough House is a ringside seat to a coming-of-age story that reveals the escapism, self-actualization, performance, and violence inherent in one of America’s most dismissed pastimes. Whether you’re a die-hard fan or new to the spectacle, this true story will leave you cheering for more.

About the Author: Alison Lyn Miller has reported and written about independent professional wrestlers around her home state of Georgia and published related pieces in Sports Illustrated and Gravy. She has also written for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Washington Post, and Garden & Gun, among other publications. She lives in Athens, Georgia.

Michael J. Mooney, Miller’s conversation partner, is a New York Times best-selling author. In addition to D Magazine, he writes for The Atlantic, GQ, Garden & Gun, Texas Monthly, and Popular Mechanics. His stories have appeared in multiple editions of The Best American Sports Writing and The Best American Crime Reporting. From 2015-2020 he was the co-director of the annual Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Conference.