In her first book three years ago, Lisa Kelly shared the thoughts and memories of Notre Dame football alums and and how the Notre Dame experience helped guide them through the shoals of life to satisfaction and success. Now she goes further in her new installment, The Men We Became: More Echoes from the End Zone, to share more memories and the success of the Notre Dame Value Stream in crafting top-notch players and people.

Lisa samples the spectrum of alumni careers, from the perhaps typical (medical, legal, financial) to the certainly unusual (clothing, mentoring, writing), finding the common thread of the positives Notre Dame brought into the lives of these men. She digs into the details of what it took to be a Notre Dame football player, operating in the fishbowl of high expectations while representing the school both on the gridiron and off, and how those learned traits paid dividends in their non-athletic lives after the diploma was earned.

If you’re struggling for the perfect Christmas gift for the ND fan on your list, look no further than Lisa’s site and pick up a copy. They’ll see a side of Notre Dame players you don’t hear about a lot, and will benefit from the learning.