I Think I'm Goin' Back

A Memoir of Wausau

9781967311903

324 pages

Little Creek Press

Paperback / softback $19.95

Overview

You can leave your hometown—but some places never leave you.

In I Think I'm Goin' Back, Michael O. Sajbel returns to Wausau, Wisconsin—not just to write about the expansion of its hospital, but to reconnect with the people, memories, and spirit that shaped his life. What begins as a writing assignment becomes a moving reflection on small-town America in the early 1970s, a time of quiet revolutions in medicine, community, and culture.

Through interviews with doctors, nurses, volunteers, and local leaders, Sajbel captures a portrait of a city in transition—one where medical miracles and personal revelations unfold side by side. Woven throughout is the author's own journey: the push and pull of home, the tenderness of memory, and the lasting imprint of those who quietly make history.

With warmth, wit, and a deep affection for the people of Wausau, this memoir invites readers to consider what it really means to go back—and what we find when we do.

Author Bio

Michael O. Sajbel is a Wisconsin-born writer and filmmaker whose work spans both memoir and motion picture. A native of Wausau, he launched his creative journey in Hollywood, directing and writing films such as One Night With the King and The Ultimate Gift, and later the supernatural thriller. In this memoir, Sajbel returns to the place that shaped him, weaving his cinematic eye and small‑town roots into a heartfelt exploration of community, memory, and home.