The Utilitarian is the story of a young boy, Bobby, growing up in middle-class America without his father. His mother is a very caring and loving person, but cannot fill the void Bobby has inside of him. The worth of his father’s sacrifice to save his fellow Marines is a central problem Bobby must confront nearly everyday. He is haunted by the memory of the father he never knew by his dad’s old Mustang. The car seems to speak to him, and comfort him in times of despair. Confronting the emptiness inside of him when his grandmother falls ill and is hospitalized, Bobby falls even further into despair and anguish. He is teased and beat up at school, prompting his harsh and vindictive uncle to encourage him to strike back.

The Utilitarian addresses problematic issues relating to violence among children, and how far a person can be pushed before they snap. In a time when people look for answers to the violence among the youth of America, The Utilitarian pushes the reader to an understanding of the things we fear most.

Edward Schimmel was born in 1977 in Toledo, Ohio. He was raised on his family’s farm just outside of Toledo, and attended school in the Northwood school system. After high school he enrolled at the University of Toledo, and received his degree in Political Science in 1999. At the time of publication Ed was still working on his law degree at the University of Toledo School of Law. Over the years he has traveled to nearly every state in the United States of America, explored the great cities of Europe, and often ventured to his favorite city in the world, Windsor, Canada. Throughout his travels, he carefully studied his surroundings and the people around him to collect small parts of everyday life to merge into a story. The Utilitarian is purely fictional, but if it were broken down into smaller stories, they would be a reflection of the life Ed has witnessed around him.

Tom just looked back at her and smiled deviously. His smile was so disturbing that it was more distressful than comforting. He had the smile of a mad man that was planning something so ruthless that it could never be spoken aloud. No words could describe the things that must have been in his warped mind. Bobby quickly looked away from him when he saw the smile. He looked back down at his food.

The pork chops were so tender that Bobby couldn’t jam his fork into them like he usually did. Instead, he had to scoop them up and balance them on his fork, until they landed into his mouth. He dropped a few pieces before they made it past his lips, but everyone was having the same problems as he was. The pale green tablecloth was littered with stains from the marinate before they had finished eating.

After dinner, Bobby’s grandmother had gone back into the kitchen for a few minutes. When she returned, she carried a large cake with white frosting smeared over its dark chocolate layers in her unsteady arms. She placed it before Bobby and removed his dirty plate from in front of him.

"Bobby, I want you to have first bids on the best piece of this cake," she said jokingly. "I always want my little grandchild to have the best of everything, and cake is nothing different. So you find the best piece and its all yours." She looked very content when she sat back in her seat at the head of the table with a hot cup of coffee. She watched Bobby look over the cake for the most delicious part of its sweet surface. Bobby wasn’t sure if she was serious, or if she was just joking with him about the best part. He wasn’t going to let this opportunity pass him by though. It wasn’t often that a kid got first bids on anything, let alone a cake. After quite a bit of intense surveying, Bobby picked out a piece and Trish cut it for him. It was the sweetest piece of cake that Bobby had ever eaten.

Bobby’s grandmother laughed lightly when he thanked her for letting him pick out the best piece. She was always amused by the innocence of a child. There was nothing that she wouldn’t do or say to make sure that he was content and happy.