Maxwell C. Yao and Shawn A. Keys’s New Book, “The Naughty Mighty and The Mighty Naughty,” Follows a Former Basketball Player Who Embarks on a Philosophical Journey

Dayton, MD, November 04, 2025 --(PR.com)-- Fulton Books authors Maxwell C. Yao and Shawn A. Keys, a grandfather and granddaughter writing duo, have completed their most recent book, “The Naughty Mighty and The Mighty Naughty”: a compelling novel that centers around a former professional basketball player who, after losing everything following a devastating injury, embarks on a journey to learn more about himself and the universe than he ever thought possible.

Author Maxwell C. Yao was born in Mainland China during the Sino-Japanese War, and moved to Taiwan before later immigrating to America for his college education. He earned advanced engineering and management degrees as well as a PhD in Philosophy. Maxwell went on to serve as the President of the Washington, DC, Chinese Writers Association and is now retired as a Nuclear Engineer in his professional career.

Co-author Shawn A. Keys, Maxwell’s granddaughter, was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she still resides. She studied acting and screenwriting at Oakland School for the Arts and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from UC Santa Cruz. After a memorable trip to Taiwan with Maxwell, one of her greatest mentors, she was inspired to embark on this collaborative storytelling journey with him.

“When professional basketball player Eric Barnett’s championship victory is shattered by a random act of violence that costs him his legs, his career, and his family, he finds himself drowning in despair at a psychiatric facility,” write Yao and Keys. “It is there that Amy, a compassionate nurse, begins to pull him back from the brink and introduces him to her uncle, Dr. Hu, a philosopher-scientist whose unconventional wisdom will challenge everything Eric thought he knew about existence.

“Through Dr. Hu’s guidance, Eric embarks on a profound intellectual journey that spans the hierarchical structures of the universe, from subatomic particles to cosmic constants, revealing the intricate design that suggests a Grand Designer. Yet this same exploration uncovers a darker truth: that our world operates on cycles of creation and destruction, governed by the twin forces of Autopoiesis and Entropy, where old things must perish for new ones to emerge.

“Dr. Hu's revolutionary synthesis of Western, Eastern, and Indian philosophies with modern science presents a startling proposition: beyond the well-known Second Law of Thermodynamics lies a Third Law that explains how open systems can temporarily reverse entropy and organize into higher complexity. But this cosmic dance comes at a price—the struggle for survival is not a flaw in the design, but an integral feature of existence itself.”

Published by Fulton Books, Maxwell C. Yao and Shawn A. Keys’s book confronts deeply philosophical questions, such as why mankind must endure the inescapable traps of existence, and what it means to be aware of one’s own awareness while remaining incapable of truly knowing life's meaning.

Through Eric's transformation from despair to understanding, readers will discover that perhaps the profound sadness of human consciousness is itself the most meaningful aspect of existence.

Readers who wish to experience this enlightening work can purchase “The Naughty Mighty and The Mighty Naughty” at bookstores everywhere, or online at the Apple iTunes store, Amazon, Google Play, or Barnes and Noble.

Please direct all media inquiries to Author Support via email at support@fultonbooks.com or via telephone at 877-210-0816.