BOOKS
Forged In Fire:
12 Stories of Fantastic Transformation
When the fire comes, it can consume you — or it can remake you.
Twelve true stories of people who refused to be defined by their worst day.
Drawing on the ancient legend of the Phoenix and the Stoic philosophy of Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, and Epictetus, college professor and former tech CEO Chris Allison takes you inside the hardest moments of twelve remarkable lives:
Saul of Tarsus — struck blind on the road and remade as the Apostle Paul.
Rocky Bleier — told he’d never walk again, then winning four Super Bowls.
Tammy Duckworth — losing both legs in Iraq and rising to the U.S. Senate.
Sylvester Stallone — broke and unknown, refusing to sell the Rocky script.
Arnold Schwarzenegger — immigrant outsider becoming an American icon.
Christopher Reeve — paralyzed Superman, redefining what strength means.
Plus George Strait, Maud Lewis, Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, Ronnie Coleman, Ron Morris, and the author’s own father, R. Craig Allison.
Each chapter is short, vivid, and built like a Harvard Business School case study — the kind Allison teaches at Allegheny College. You don’t just read what these people endured. You see how they thought, decided, and acted when there was no easy way out.
This is not a book about avoiding the fire. It is a book about walking through it.
In Forged in Fire, Chris Allison explores the moments that break us—and the choices that make us whole. Drawing on history, faith, philosophy, and personal experience, he shows how adversity becomes a forge for character and purpose. At once inspiring and grounded, this book is a testament to the human capacity to rise, rebuild, and live with courage, clarity, and resolve.
Mark Halperin
Editor, Wide World of News; Host, Next Up With Mark Halperin
Co-Founder and Editor-in-chief, 2Way; Co-Author, Game Change
An exhilarating book about how to turn adversity into prosperity, written by an entrepreneur-turned-professor who successfully navigated uncommon adversity with grace and candor. Allison demonstrates, in this captivating book, that adversity can indeed have an instrumental value! It is a must-read for anyone wishing to comprehend how successful entrepreneurs emerge from the crucibles of life-changing events.
Steve Onyeiwu
Professor of Business & Economics, Andrew Wells Roberston Endowed Chair Allegheny College, Meadville, Pennsylvania
A Tech Startup Story & 7 Rules for Entrepreneurs
HIT IT!
In Hit IT! entrepreneur and former CEO of Tollgrade Communications, Chris Allison offers the ways in which you can both grow your company and improve your life. The book reveals what it takes to build both a winning culture and a profitable company. Ready? Let’s Hit IT!
Available for purchase on Amazon in paperback and kindle.
Come for the crafty, well-curated insights into building a new company in the digital age; stay for the great family storytelling and the Mick Jagger cameo. Chris Allison is a truly engaging narrator — part business wizard, part pop culture historian, and part Frank McCourt (with more than a touch of Jerry Seinfeld thrown in). Hit It! is a true gift offering the reader a chance to both learn and laugh in equal measures on every page.
Mark Halperin
Editor and Publisher, Mark Halperin’s Wide World of News and Co-Author, Game Change
Told with wit, wisdom and a lot of heart, Hit It takes you on a rollercoaster ride through the highs and lows of entrepreneurship. Packed with personal anecdotes and hands-on tips, this book is a critical guide for aspiring entrepreneurs looking to learn from a veteran entrepreneur/investor who’s been in the trenches and worked with hundreds of start-ups.
Rich Lunak
Former CEO of Innovation Works & Managing Director, Riverfront Ventures
Lessons Learned from a Former CEO
You’ll Manage
You’ll Manage is a gritty collection of essays about the life and business wisdom Chris Allison gathered as entrepreneur and CEO of a start-up that became a publicly-traded company. His entertaining prose makes it easy to get wrapped up in the stories and forget you’re getting an education in finance and management.
Allison’s book has the feel of sitting down for a beer with a business mentor. In “Five Moments,” a reflection on the events that shaped his career, Allison reminds us that business and life are intertwined, and encourages readers not so much to learn about his life, as to examine their own.
“Say What? The Crazy Language of Start-up Capital” is a must-read for any entrepreneur thinking about finding an “angel investor.” For an understanding of the crushing demands of keeping a start-up alive and taking it public successfully, read “Confessions of a Job Junkie.”
Unlike many entrepreneurs who offer business advice, Allison doesn’t take himself too seriously. In titles like “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Entrepreneur” and “Big Daddy,” he uses humor to speak with the candor of someone who’s not afraid to admit he’s made mistakes along the way, and learned from them.
You’ll find yourself on the last page of You’ll Manage before you know it, wishing for more.
Available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle.
and Other Stories
Snowflakes
In Snowflakes, Allison’s first work of fiction, he explores the timeless themes of love, forgiveness and tragedy with deftly drawn characters and a healthy dose of humor. Available in Bookstores and Amazon in paperback and Kindle.
Chris Allison writes enjoyable fiction that will touch your heart, challenge your mind, and nurture your soul.
William F. Kraft Ph.D.
Author of Coming To God
Powerful, heartfelt, and accented with wry and earthy humor.
Ross Howell Jr.
Author of Forsaken: A Novel