Press Kit
John Altamura is a Pittsburgh-area author and the author of Seven Years in Chicago: Part I: Survival, a character-driven novel about grief, addiction, love, and the long shadow of loss in the years after September 11th. The book was selected for inclusion in the IngramSpark Author Exhibit at the 2026 American Library Association Annual Conference & Exhibition in Chicago.
Book Details
Seven Years in Chicago: Part I: Survival is a literary/contemporary fiction novel about grief, addiction, love, trauma, resilience, and post-9/11 America.
Publisher: Independently published
Original Publication Date: June 2024
Formats: Paperback and Kindle
Paperback: 409 pages
Paperback ISBN: 979-8328951777
Kindle: 411 pages
Kindle ASIN: B0D7QX5CTN
Recognition
Selected for inclusion in the IngramSpark Author Exhibit at the 2026 American Library Association Annual Conference & Exhibition in Chicago.
IndieReader Approved: “An emotionally compelling exploration of love, regret, betrayals, grief, and human resilience.”
Reedsy Discovery, 4 stars: “Lived-in, raw, and painfully human.”
About the Book
On the morning of September 11, 2001, Jack Almanti was planning to propose. By the end of the morning, the woman he loved was gone. In the years that follow, Jack spirals into alcoholism, fractured relationships, and a life he no longer recognizes.
But Sarah is not entirely gone.
Her identical twin sister, Emily, is still here, and she understands him in ways no one else can. As their connection deepens, Jack is forced to confront the past he cannot escape and the future he no longer believes in.
Why This Story Matters Now
As the 25th anniversary of September 11th approaches, Seven Years in Chicago: Part I: Survival speaks to the lingering emotional aftermath of that day. For many people, 9/11 is not simply a historical event. It remains personal, unresolved, and difficult to revisit.
The novel approaches the subject through one fictional life, focusing not on the attacks themselves, but on the years that follow: grief, addiction, displacement, love, memory, and the struggle to keep living after profound loss.
Altamura’s time living in New Jersey before and shortly after 9/11 had a lasting impact on him. His visit to the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, also reinforced how solemn and personal the memory of that day remains.
Fiction Note
Seven Years in Chicago: Part I: Survival is a work of fiction. While John Altamura’s experiences living in New Jersey, Upstate New York, and Chicago helped shape the emotional and geographic foundation of the series, the characters and story are fictional.
Series
Seven Years in Chicago: Part I: Survival is the first book in a larger planned series following Jack Almanti through the years after 9/11. Altamura is currently revising Part II: Resilience, with a planned release in 2027.
Media Inquiries
For media inquiries, interviews, or additional materials, please use the contact form or email: JohnAltamura426@gmail.com
Website: https://syicbook.com