Lt. Col. Tim Maxwell prided himself on being a hard-core Marinea patriotic Devil Dog on his third tour of Iraq. Then his brain was shredded with mortar shrapnel.
Today, Maxwell has a large angry scar on the left side of his head. He forgets words, his wife has to read to him, and he drags one foot when he walks. Yet he works twelve-hour days as commander of the Wounded Warrior Barracks at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. For these warriors, Iraq and Afghanistan will never quite be in the past. And the struggle never ends.
Other stories in Wounded Warriors depict life inside an L.A. crack gang, ex-pat Vietnam War veterans in Thailand, and five days in Las Vegas with basketball anti-hero Kobe Bryantall of it captured stylishly by the writer who has been called the beat poet of American journalism.”

Wounded Warriors: Those for Whom the War Never Ends

Politics & Social Sciences

Sager, Mike

Social Sciences

Da Capo Press

Jonathan Seede is the picture of Washington, DC, respectability, an urban pioneer with a pretty wife, a new baby, and a job at the town’s most esteemed newspaper. But ten blocks from the White House, on the notorious Fourteenth Street strip, a war is raging over deviant behavior. And Seede is on the front lines, deep into a secret freelance project that’s taking him to places where most people would never dare to go. As he descends into an inferno of repressed urges and human frailties, Seede’s journey plays out against a brilliantly realized portrait of the nation’s capital, featuring pimps and hustlers, an accidental hooker, an honest cop, a storefront prophet/marijuana dealer, a beautiful teenage runaway, a crack-addicted music legend, an A-list gay activist, and a diminutive billionaire who is searching for the answers to life’s greatest questions in a crystal skull. The first novel from best-selling journalist Mike Sager, Deviant Behavior is a mad, vivid, and daring romp through a society in crisis, and the story of what happens when one frustrated father decides to Just Say Yes.

Deviant Behavior: A Novel of Sex, Drugs, Fatherhood, and Crystal Skulls

Literature & Fiction

Contemporary

Grove Press/ Black Cat

“John Holmes was every man’s gigolo, a polyester smoothie with a sparse mustache, a flying collar and lots of buttons undone. He wasn’t threatening. He chewed gum and overacted. He took a lounge singer’s approach to sex, deliberately gentle, ostentatiously artful, a homely guy with a pinkie ring and a big dick who was convinced he was every woman’s dream.” 
John Curtis Holmes had the longest, most prolific career in the history of pornography. He had sex on-screen with two generations of leading ladies, from Seka and Marilyn Chambers to Traci Lords, Ginger Lynn, and Italian Member of Parliament Ciccolina. The first man to win the X-Rated Critics Organization Best Actor Award, Holmes was an idol and an icon, the most visible male porn star of his time.
Holmes started in the business around 1968 and made more than two thousand movies. But after descending into a world of drugs and crime, he became the central figure in one of the most publicized mass murders in L.A. history, the 1981 Wonderland Avenue killings in Laurel Canyon, in which four people were brutally bludgeoned to death. Holmes was tried and acquitted of the crimes in 1982. He died from from complications of AIDS on March 13, 1988. 
"The Devil and John Holmes” is one of the most terrific sagas we have ever published.”— Jann Wenner, editor and publisher, Rolling Stone
“I can recognize the truth in these stories—tales about the darkest possible side of wretched humanity. Sager has obviously spent too much time in flop houses in Laurel Canyon.”— Hunter S. Thompson, author of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Hells Angels.

The Devil and John Holmes-25th Anniversary Author's Edition: And Other True Stories of Drugs, Porn and Murder

Biographies & Memoirs

True Crime

Sager Group, The

Best-selling author Mike Sager has been called “the Beat poet of American journalism, that rare reporter who can make literature out of shabby reality.” The Lonely Hedonist: True Stories of Sex, Drugs, Dinosaurs and Peter Dinklage is Sager’s sixth collection of true stories—sixteen intimate profiles of larger-than-life Americans, both famous and obscure: The founder of a Beverly Hills sex club who has everything he ever wanted but misses his old life. The most amazing dinosaur fossil ever found—and never seen by the public. The forgotten sixth founding member of the seminal rap group N.W.A. The whirlwind lifestyle of California’s busiest marijuana physician. The Most Interesting Man in the World, in retirement. The former marketing man who is living off the grid on a small plot in suburbia. The secret life of a clown—what happens when the people you’re trying to please begin hating you?
Plus, Game of Thrones' Peter Dinklage, Hollywood genius J.J. Abrams, TV pitchman Ron Popeil (Operators are standing by!), the male supermodel who spent twenty years as a member of a cult, the tiny island in the Pacific where dominating football players are made and exported in astounding numbers, and the secret community of underground hash oil makers known as Wooks. “Mike Sager writes about places and events we seldom get a look at,” said Pulitzer Prize–winning author Richard Ben Cramer. “But with Sager in command of all the telling details, he shows us history, humanity, humor, sometimes even honor. He makes us glad to live with our eyes wide open.”
“For four decades, Mike Sager has been one of our finest practitioners of feature magazine writing, picking up where the New Journalism Gods—Wolfe, Talese,Thompson, et al—left off. This latest trove of Sager’s irresistible brand of social anthropology shows him in peak form, whether writing about celebrities, like J.J. Abrams and Peter Dinklage, or the usual gathering of bonafide American originals that find their way into his stories–a family-owned sex toys factory, a family farm, a weed doctor, a clown, a man who started a sex club in Beverly Hills, and more.”
–Alex Belth, Editor, EsquireClassic.com
“Filled with unforgettable personalities and muscular sentences that mean business, Sager’s incredible stories of celebrities, dreamers and capitalists take readers through the warped frontier of new American excess and commerce, and they locate the pain and beauty in the dark circles under America’s eyes. Thankfully, Sager has a great sense of humor.”
–Aaron Gilbreath, editor, Longreads.com, author, Everything We Don’t Know
“I have been a fan of Sager’s work roughly since I learned to read. Whether he’s profiling the actor Peter Dinklage, a professional clown, or almond farmers in California’s Central Valley, Sager gives you a peek into his subject’s soul. How he does it remains a mystery.”
–Elon Green, contributor, Harvard University’s Neiman Storyboard, The New Yorker

The Lonely Hedonist: True Stories of Sex, Drugs, Dinosaurs and Peter Dinklage

Humor & Entertainment

Humor

From ground zero of the deadliest wildfire in California history to the cozy living room of super-spokesmodel Brooke Burke; from the recording studio with gangsta-rap pioneer Ice Cube to the tour bus with the Satanic metal band Slayer; this tough but lyrical collection of seventeen stories, by award-winning Esquire and Rolling Stone writer Mike Sager, brings into sharp focus the rich but confusing state of American life– its values, virtues, obsessions, and hypocrisies--in this second edition of his bestselling collection.
Domestic Goddess Roseanne Barr battles Multiple Personality Disorder… Swingers attend a “fantasy weekend” in Pensacola… Twelve-year-olds joyride in stolen cars through the ruins of the Newark ghetto… Desmond the butler services the hoi polloi on Park Avenue… Football Hall-of-Famer Mike Ditka enjoys his summer vacation of golf, cigars, and private jets… Newly minted dot.com billionaire Mark Cuban buys himself an NBA basketball team…
Deeply focused long-form narrative journalism from the writer who has been called “the Beat poet of American journalism– that rare reporter who can make literature out of shabby reality.” A Second Edition, with updated material and author's note.

Revenge of the Donut Boys: True Stories of Lust, Fame, Survival and Multiple Personality

Essays & Correspondence

Bestselling author Mike Sager’s fourth collection showcases his deftly-written journalism at its best and most mature, a riveting marriage of crime reportage and you-are-there literary anthropology.
The book’s centerpiece examines the rise and fall of football RoboQuarterback Todd Marinovich—a previously unpublished, thirty-plus thousand word “nonvella” version of his ASME-award winning Esquire story, the inspiration for ESPN’s acclaimed documentary, The Marinovich Project. Other true stories include up-close visits with super-celebrity Paris Hilton, South Asian Republican hopeful Gov. Piyush “Bobby” Jindal, Ultimate Fighting Championship impresario Dana White, and coaching phenom Pete Carroll.
Plus: A man who spent twenty-nine years in prison for a crime he did not commit. A Muslim immigrant who worked to save the life of the white supremacist who tried to kill him. The best-dressed man in America. An ugly guy in a town that worships beauty. A farm in the mountains where wounded marine veterans are taking care of their own. And “The Porn Identity,” where a divorced dad takes to the road to find former starlets and to rediscover his mojo.
“Mike Sager writes with uncommon grace and, always, with respect for those who give him their time. His stories cut to the bone of our common humanity.” –Paul Hendrickson, author of Seminary and Hemingway’s Boat, on The Someone You’re Not

The Someone You're Not: True Stories of Sports, Celebrity, Politics & Pornography

Literary

CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Next Wave collects the work of today’s finest young writers—nineteen creative reporters whose work builds upon foundations laid by previous generations. Although naysayers predicted the decline of quality long-form journalism with the rise of the Internet, Next Wave is evidence that the genre is thriving—aided by the very medium that was initially portrayed as the executioner.
*Selected as one of Amazon’s Hot New Releases in True Crime!
*For Table of Contents, Introduction and more please see: http://www.mikesager.com/next-wave-americas-new-generation-great-literary-journalists
Featured Writers: Pamela Colloff, Luke Dittrich, Todd C. Frankel, Vanessa Grigoriadis, Justin Heckert, Wil S. Hylton, Chris Jones, Michael Kruse, Thomas Lake, Dan P. Lee, Ariel Levy, Brian Mockenhaupt, Maximillian Potter, Tony Rehagen, Robert Sanchez, Eli Saslow, Wright Thompson, Seth Wickersham, Jason Zengerle.
“Some mighty great journalism here. I just wish I had assigned more of it.” —Graydon Carter, Editor, Vanity Fair
“And literary journalism was supposed to be dying? This collection is proof positive that ambitious, inspired non-fiction storytelling has life in it yet.” —Adam Moss, Editor, New York
“The kinds of gems that make us stop what we are doing for the sake of a good read.” —Chad Millman, Editor-in-Chief, ESPN The Magazine
“Next Wave is a blueprint for the generation that will follow these writers.” —David Granger, Editor-in-Chief, Esquire
Next Wave is fascinating and beautiful reading for enthusiasts and students of vibrant, you-are-there, literary non-fiction. Each chapter includes a photo, a bio, a personal essay, and an outstanding magazine or newspaper story from a different up-and-coming writer. Compiled by two award-winning literary journalists/educators from the last generation, Next Wave is a celebration of today’s greatest writing and a roadmap for aspiring practitioners of tomorrow, a joyful reminder that literary journalism alive and well, and that artful craftsmanship will never go out of fashion.

Next Wave: America's New Generation of Great Literary Journalists

Mike Sager is to drugs, porn, and crimes of desperate delusion what Dominic Dunne is to the society murder. In addition to his long-classic Rolling Stone story "The Devil and John Holmes" (which helped inspire the upcoming Val Kilmer film, Wonderland) and his groundbreaking GQ piece about murdered Irish investigative reporter Veronica Guerin (also the subject of a major film starring Cate Blanchett), Scary Monsters and Super Freaks is a wonderful rogue's gallery of up-close pieces about the most public failures of the American dream. From Rick James and his drug-fueled detour into white slavery to the life and suicide of porn starlet Savannah, from deep inside the beating of Rodney King and the Heaven's Gate cult suicides to Chuck Berry's sexual predilections, this book brings to high-profile true crime a highly identifiable voice and style. Currently Esquire's Writer-at-Large, Sager takes us along for the ride with a raft of other figures including the late NWA Rapper Easy E. Winner, the FBI agent who fell in love with his informant, and the highest ranking DEA agent to be busted for drug trafficking. This is a brilliant debut collection by one of America's most respected and stylish crime writers.

Scary Monsters and Super Freaks: Stories of Sex, Drugs, Rock 'N' Roll and Murder

From ground zero of the deadliest wildfire in California history to the cozy living room of super-spokesmodel Brooke Burke; from the recording studio with gangsta-rap pioneer Ice Cube to the tour bus with the Satanic metal band Slayer; this tough but lyrical collection of seventeen stories, by award-winning Esquire and Rolling Stone writer Mike Sager, brings into sharp focus the rich but confusing state of American life– its values, virtues, obsessions, and hypocrisies--in this second edition of his bestselling collection. Domestic Goddess Roseanne Barr battles Multiple Personality Disorder… Swingers attend a “fantasy weekend” in Pensacola… Twelve-year-olds joyride in stolen cars through the ruins of the Newark ghetto… Desmond the butler services the hoi polloi on Park Avenue… Football Hall-of-Famer Mike Ditka enjoys his summer vacation of golf, cigars, and private jets… Newly minted dot.com billionaire Mark Cuban buys himself an NBA basketball team… Deeply focused long-form narrative journalism from the writer who has been called “the Beat poet of American journalism– that rare reporter who can make literature out of shabby reality.” A Second Edition, with updated material and author's note.

Mike Sager has been called "the Beat poet of American Journalism." Vetville collects the best his stories about the Marine Corps. Together this tetralogy of long form pieces charts a life story arc of the modern Devil Dog. It begins at Camp Pendleton, CA, on field exercises with Lieutenant Colonel Bob Sinclair and his BN One-Four--the 1st Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment--as they prepare to invade Afghanistan, the first wave of American combatants sent to war after the deadly terrorist attacks of 9/11. "You realize that your country has been attacked," he says. "You wanna strike back."From there, we head to the Wounded Warriors Barracks at Camp Lejeune where we meet Ringo, Cebula, Wildman, Lieutenant Colonel Maxwell, and the rest of the men recuperating together at a unique barracks where wounded Marines harness their esprit de corps to help one another through emotional and physical recovery. We hear their battlefield stories of war and heroism. And their stories of injury and despair. And we discover the soft center that lives beneath the tough exterior shell of the Marine Corps mystique--a deep love of comrades and country. "Wounded Warriors" was awarded a number of awards, including The Military Writers Society of America Founder's Award.In "Vetville" we visit a small farm in the mountains of Tennessee, where a Marine sergeant, in an effort to save himself and others, has opened his doors to veterans whose deep wounds don't necessarily show. And, we catch up with John Cebula, one of the men encountered aboard the Wounded Warriors barracks. Without a supportive network around him, he has turned to drugs. Finally, in "Fifty Grand in San Diego," we focus on the return to civilian life after the corps, with a look at a modern version of the American Dream--an ex-Marine playing Mr. Mom and finding his silver cloud in a dirty diaper.Wounded Warriors was awarded: *The American Author's Association Golden Quill Award*The Military Writers Society of America Founder's Award"Entertaining and fascinating. At the end of the book, you will find yourself changed in some way. Call it empathy, or just a compassionate response to have seen and become aware of another man's pain and suffering; but you will remember these men that you read about long after putting this book to rest." --Military Writers Society of AmericaSager has written a gripping account of how these Marines are coping with their combat-altered lives. An experienced interviewer, he lets the Marines' stories speak for themselves...Powerful stuff." --Leatherneck, Magazine of the Marines

Vetville: True Stories of the U.S. Marines at War and at Home

Leaders & Notable People

The Sager Group LLC

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Sager, Mike. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Sager, Mike

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Sager, Mike. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Wounded Warriors: Those for Whom the War Never Ends

Deviant Behavior: A Novel of Sex, Drugs, Fatherhood, and Crystal Skulls

The Devil and John Holmes-25th Anniversary Author's Edition: And Other True Stories of Drugs, Porn and Murder

The Lonely Hedonist: True Stories of Sex, Drugs, Dinosaurs and Peter Dinklage

Revenge of the Donut Boys: True Stories of Lust, Fame, Survival and Multiple Personality

The Someone You're Not: True Stories of Sports, Celebrity, Politics & Pornography

Next Wave: America's New Generation of Great Literary Journalists

Scary Monsters and Super Freaks: Stories of Sex, Drugs, Rock 'N' Roll and Murder

Revenge of the Donut Boys: True Stories of Lust, Fame, Survival and Multiple Personality

Vetville: True Stories of the U.S. Marines at War and at Home