Matthew Cooper

I'm a former teacher and USA Weightlifting National coach, turned firefighter. At my department, I am a member of our Dive Rescue and Peer Support teams, the head of our Peer Fitness program, and our Union President. More importantly, around the same time I made this career change, I became a father. The fulfillment and purpose I've found in these two jobs have been the catalyst for much self-reflection and analysis.

From this, my long-dormant creative side has been awakened. This outlet has optimized my ability to process the things we see on this job and manage my mental health. Resulting in one of my proudest personal achievements: A published book written for my son titled: In Case I Don’t Come Home: Letters to My Son.

The book is a series of letters, each a lesson I want him to learn. Here is the summary from the back cover of this book:

If I were to die tomorrow, what would I want my son to know?

This is the question author Matt Cooper asked himself when he began this project. This profoundly personal, philosophical, and practical book is written as a series of letters from a father (a firefighter) to his young son and weaves together personal stories, Stoic philosophy, Christian references, and modern psychology.
Deeply vulnerable and irreverently direct, In Case I Don’t Come Home is more than a father’s paternal gift to his son. It’s a field manual for any man who wants to become the kind of husband, father, and leader others can rely on—calm in crisis, humble in success, steadfast in suffering, grounded in virtue, and fully alive to the brief, beautiful gift of the present moment.

Let me know if you would like me to send you a copy. I could send one electronically or a hard copy. You can find the links to Amazon and Barnes & Noble on my website: www.mattcooperbooks.com