Raabe, now teaching 7^th grade English at the Anderson Middle School in Omaha, was a standout baseball player while at Peru State.   Besides teaching, Raabe is the junior varsity softball coach and helps with the varsity at Millard South.  The Patriots captured the Class A Championship this past fall and finished 29-3 – a school record.

In February, Raabe was invited to visit Peru State College by Dr. Bill Clemente, Professor of English, and a former instructor of Raabe's.  Dr. Clemente asked Raabe to come and talk about and read from his young-adult novel that was published last October. 

During his presentation, Raabe talked about his time while at Peru State, which included working on the Peru State Times student newspaper and playing baseball.   For the paper, Raabe initially served as a columnist with a column entitled, “My Two Cents.”  Later Raabe was the assistant editor, before eventually serving as the editor. 

The New Phenomenon was written for “reluctant boy readers,” a group Raabe knows a considerable amount about in his role as a middle school teacher.  Raabe told those in attendance at PSC that he always remembered one of Dr. Clemente's comments, that being, “write what you know about.”  Raabe considers the work to be realistic fiction.  He was extremely proud that the book was approved by the Millard school district for use in the middle school classroom.

In talking about how he wrote the book, he noted his mother thought it was a memoir as Raabe had used the towns and cities in which he grew up, including the house in Red Oak, Iowa, the setting of the book.  In addition, Raabe used family members and friends, including one of his Bobcat baseball teammates, to provide inspiration for the characters.

Raabe commented it took him some time to complete the book as it was initially written in first person and later changed to third person.  The entire process saw nine revisions.

Following his visit on Peru State's campus, Raabe visited with over 150 middle schoolers in Auburn.  Later, Raabe had a book signing at Hickory Road BBQ.  Many of the Auburn middle school students came and purchased books which Raabe personally signed.

Raabe noted the book was written so it has a possibility of a sequel that he is presently working on at this time. 
 
According to the sports information office at Peru State, Raabe is still listed among the Top Ten Leaders in at least six different single season and career categories.   Raabe is particularly proud of his six-game home run hitting streak that occurred in 1999.

For more on Raabe, you can read his blog at http://chrisraabe.net.  Information can be found there on how to purchase the book, which is a very good and easy read.

The rest of the initial book description finishes with “As he enters his freshman year of high school, Christian hides a secret that he plans to take to his grave. When the Pearson family moved from the city to the sleepy town of Red Oak, Iowa, before his freshman year of high school, Christian hoped for a smooth transition to small town life. Being the new kid in school has been a blessing and a curse. Most of the boys in Christian's class view him as a threat, so Christian struggles to fit it, but as an outcast, his secret is safe. When three freshmen, all from the same family, start school a week late, Christian senses something different about these new students. He reaches out to "The Three" seeking some semblance of friendship in his new hometown. When "The Three" confront Christian about the secret he hides, Christian is faced with a huge problem. Will this secret cost Christian his friends, his family, his freedom, and even his life?”  

For more on Raabe's visit, go to Dr. Clemente's blog at http://aroundperu.blogspot.com/2012/02/chris-raabe-and-psc-president-dan.html