Meyer recently spoke to BTW about his research process and the experiences he lived in order to write what Scott Kinberger of Books Inc. called “the best kind of historical fiction.” The Son, by Philipp Meyer – review on The Spectator | Colonel Eli McCullough, formerly known as Tiehteti, is a living legend. Meyer grew up in a working class neighborhood in Baltimore, the son of an artist and an electrician turned college science instructor. Unfolding at a relentless pace, Meyer's dark vision of an environment in flux is propelled by characters drawn with keen insight into human pathos. "Philipp Meyer: 'We don't have a good context for where we come from as Americans'" by Gemma Kappala-Ramsamy, www.theguardian.com. I work in the book biz, so I saw dozens of reviews for this book when it came out. Philipp Meyer grew up in Baltimore, dropped out of high school, and got his GED when he was sixteen. 1 Copy quote At 16, I dropped out of school and spent five years working as a bicycle mechanic and volunteering in a Trauma Centre before ultimately deciding to go to university. After spending several years volunteering at a trauma center in downtown Baltimore, he attended Cornell University, where he studied English. July 21, 2013. Author Philipp Meyer presents his dramatic debut novel, American Rust-a moving tale of friends in a fading Pennsylvania steel town and the murder that forces them to question their assumptions about each other and those around them. Philipp Meyer has earned the number one spot on June’s Indie Next List with his bold and compelling novel The Son. Philipp Meyer (born 1974) is an American fiction writer, and is the author of the novels American Rust and The Son. The first male child born in… If I can help it I won't read a review before I read the book, so I basically ignored The Son until a few weeks ago, when I met Philipp Meyer and had a beer with him.