Compliments of Pet Milk: A Boomer's Odyssey Across the Millennium Divide

In Compliments of Pet Milk: A Boomer's Odyssey Across the Millennium Divide, the author reflects on a life lived straddling two eras-one grounded in the simplicity of the 20th century, the other dominated by rapid technological and societal shifts. With sharp wit and poignant insight, the memoir delves into love, family, culture, and the seismic changes that reshaped the American experience. Through personal anecdotes and incisive commentary, he examines how advances in science and technology, coupled with social and environmental challenges, have altered what it means to grow up, connect, and thrive. As a generation witnesses the world it once knew vanish, the memoir poses a critical question: how can lessons from a simpler past guide a future marred by instability and disconnection? With humor and a touch of urgency, this book invites readers to confront the stakes of a rapidly evolving world-and wonder if we've lost too much to ever fully recover.

About the Author :
Steve Long was born Steven Joseph Longo on September 18, 1955, making him a Baby Boomer. The grandson of Sicilian immigrants, he grew up in a lively and devout Catholic extended family in Buffalo, New York. After struggling at school and with neighborhood bullies, he eventually overcame those challenges and found his identity and purpose in high school and college-a passion for history and becoming an educator. Though he chose to marry and raise a child at the age of 20, he eventually pursued and obtained a bachelor's degree in history with honors and embarked on a 32-year career as a secondary school history and social studies teacher. He taught in poor, middle-class, and affluent, rural, urban, and suburban communities in South Carolina, New York, and Texas. A lifelong learner with a fervent desire to inspire others toward becoming the same, he has tried to impart that enthusiasm to his students, family members, and friends with a flair for acting and theater. Steve combines his love of teaching with a flair for theater and storytelling. An avid traveler, his most meaningful journey was to Sicily, where he became the first descendant of his immigrant ancestors to return to their homeland. A drummer since age five, he played in a classic rock and blues band, The Longshots, with his son, Stephen. His hobbies include building scale models and cheering for the Buffalo Bills. Adventurous by nature, he has skydived, water-skied, and ridden horses, and still hopes to learn the Jitterbug. Steve's life reflects his dedication to family, history, creativity, and lifelong exploration.