FOR INTERVIEWERS, REVIEWERS & BOOK CLUBS
A lifetime of stories.
A conversation worth having.
Richard Shumaker writes about family, business, love, loss, and the determination to begin again.
Meet Richard
Richard Shumaker, also known as Dick Clark Shumaker, grew up in Wilmerding, Pennsylvania, and lives in Lake County, Florida. His books draw on family, business ventures, setbacks, and the determination to keep creating. His ten-book catalog ranges from personal memoir and remembrance to questions about money, faith, and society.
Among the featured titles are Thank God for the Mob: The Holiday House Story, Mom Called Me Dickie Bird, and My Wife Lil.
Possible conversations
- Creating later in life. Continuing to write, publish, and begin new work after more than eight decades of living.
- From Wilmerding to Florida. Childhood, family memories, and the people who stay with us.
- Business and an unconventional life. The experiences behind The Holiday House Story and the choices involved in turning memories into a book.
- Remembering someone you love. Marriage, loss, and the personal remembrance at the heart of My Wife Lil.
Ask about a written interviewRichard prefers correspondence by email.
Ten books to explore
Each title links to a summary and its Amazon listing. Amazon provides current prices, available editions, and reading previews where offered.
Memoirs, family & life
Mom Called Me Dickie Bird
A personal memoir of family, childhood, business ventures, loss, and beginning again. Dick Clark Shumaker remembers the people and experiences that shaped more than eight decades of his life, from Wilmerding, Pennsylvania, to Florida.
Memoirs, family & life
JC: I’m Back!
A provocative, imaginative conversation that brings Richard Shumaker’s life and questions into focus. For readers drawn to unconventional reflections on faith, money, hardship, and the answers people take for granted.
Memoirs, family & life
Fuck You! I’m Still Here!
A defiant statement from a writer who continues to create after hardship. This personal book places survival and the determination to keep going at its center.
Memoirs, family & life
Scapegoated
Richard Shumaker’s account of his American Express dispute, prosecution, and imprisonment. The book presents his perspective on the events and their lasting effect on his life.
Society & ideas
How Much Is Too Black?
A provocative question about race in America. Richard Shumaker invites readers to consider his viewpoint and examine their own response to the question in the title.
Money & banking
Kick Banks to the Curb
A different look at money and banking from Richard Shumaker. For readers interested in questioning familiar financial arrangements and considering another perspective.
Memoirs, family & life
Thank God for the Mob
What happens when running a business brings you into contact with people and pressures beyond the ordinary? In Thank God for the Mob: The Holiday House Story, Richard Shumaker recounts his experience of a place where entertainment, business dealings, and underworld connections met. This personal account explores the choices, risks, and relationships involved in finding a way through unusual circumstances. For readers drawn to firsthand recollections and the human stories behind business.
Society & ideas
The Illusion of Progress
A reflection on the meaning of progress. Richard Shumaker asks readers to look beyond the word itself and consider what change means in human lives.
Memoirs, family & life
My Wife Lil
A remembrance of Lil, written by her husband. A personal book for readers interested in love, marriage, memory, and the enduring place of someone who has been lost.
Memoirs, family & life
Po Richard
Thoughts and observations from an uncommon life. Richard Shumaker brings his personal perspective to the experiences and questions that continue to occupy him.
Questions for a reading group
Which memory or question stayed with you? How does a personal account differ from your own experience? What would you ask the author? Choose one title as a starting point, then explore the others through the catalog.