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Literary Titan Gold Book Award December 2022
The Literary Titan Book Awards are awarded to books that have astounded and amazed us with unique writing styles, vivid worlds, complex characters, and original ideas. These books deserve extraordinary praise and we are proud to acknowledge the hard work, dedication, and writing talent of these brilliant authors.
Gold Award Recipients
Visit the Literary Titan Book Awards page to see award information.
Literary Titan Silver Book Award December 2022
The Literary Titan Book Awards are awarded to books that have astounded and amazed us with unique writing styles, vivid worlds, complex characters, and original ideas. These books deserve extraordinary praise and we are proud to acknowledge the hard work, dedication, and writing talent of these brilliant authors.
Silver Award Recipients
Visit the Literary Titan Book Awards page to see award information.
In Herschel’s Wake
In Herschel’s Wake by Michael Wohl is a memoir that recounts the author’s journey to his father’s burial. He is accompanied by his siblings on this trip. The style is very intimate, and the subjects are delicate as it deals with death, complicated father-son relationships, grief, and forgiveness. The author’s realization of who his father was might remind the reader of The Stranger by Camus, in which the main character only comes to understand his mother when approaching his own death. This memoir belongs to a larger group of works wherein complex parent-child relationships are only understood when it is too late. It also explores dynamics between siblings which can be tough to navigate as well.
The strength of this book is how honest it is and raw. The reader will feel as though they are reading the author’s personal diary, which might be uncomfortable but also makes it even more beautiful and easy to read. It is truly a page-turner. Although the subjects that are tackled may seem heavy, the tone is humorous at times and make it easier to read. This is an emotional and profound memoir; any reader will find elements that will resonate with them and that they might relate to.
In Herschel’s Wake is an eye-opening memoir about family and relationships. It should be noted that it might need a trigger warning for people with a challenging relationship with their own family that they have not resolved. However, it is definitely a book I would recommend to someone who has gone through grief and has come to terms with it.
Pages: 258 | ASIN : B0B8PCKNZG
Shame Is The Word!
Gorilla In The Closet shares your experiences working in EPA and how the agency has gotten to the point they are at, and what needs to be done to correct the path and restore public confidence in the agency. What was the hardest thing for you to write about?
Reconciling my service as a naval officer and Vietnam Combat Veteran and the rejection I faced by my own generation upon my return to San Francisco Bay in 1969; and, fast forward, reconciling my service as a Presidential Appointee in EPA doing groundbreaking work and being again attacked by my own generation and those in congress who didn’t agree with me resulting in being marginalized. Also, even in 1981-83 my Vietnam Service meant nothing to them. After my forced resignation from EPA, I was completely marginalized by society. I couldn’t get a job. Shame is the word! I had to write this book to put both of these experiences in perspective, knowing in my heart, I had served honorably. I no longer feel shame but on a very personal level, heroic.
What is a common misconception you feel people have about the purpose of the EPA?
People don’t think about EPA at all. It is never discussed at the kitchen table. It is just another bloated federal bureaucracy and EPA has earned this non-reputation owing to its political nature, the structure and revolving door of leadership where there is no continuity or strategic thinking and attitudes of many in federal service. Congress was initially responsible for this state of affairs followed by EPA employees in their hierarchical attitude towards governance. Ergo, top down with limited real forward progress on environmental protection; in having all the answers but not knowing what the question is. In the past 52 years, EPA has retreated from a hopeful perch in our society, a social experiment if you will, to a mundane agency whose reach and effectiveness is limited. It is grossly mismanaged. All this can change and the book does more than leave bread crumbs to follow in how to do this! I offer legislation that is comprehensible.
What do you hope is one thing readers take away from your story?
WE LOSE OUR DEMOCRACY IF WE DON’T HOLD OUR GOVERNMENT INSTITUTIONS AND THEIR LEADERS (LIKE ME AT EPA) ACCOUNTABLE. My profile of EPA, it’s anatomy and detached behavior, is a metaphor for almost all federal governmental agencies. Our future as a society in the face of Climate Change, rests with all of us. EPA plays a vital but limited role; but, less so than your city and county governments where there is real accountability and where they annually balance their budgets. Local politicians know the value of a dollar and they feel strictly accountable to their constituents. I hope my book sparks a focused bottom-up attack on climate change by asking the Environmental Elite to set aside their personal ambitions in the Beltway, and turn inward to their members and mobilize them to implement nationally funded local programs that reduce carbon emissions and better prepare for and manage the worst climatological effects using land use and police powers. Ironically, Reagan was on to something when he said, “Government (meaning the federal government) is the problem”. We can do better and by rebooting of EPA as an independent commission driven by engineering, technological and scientific values and goals, it can become the new NASA on which humankind that inhabits planet earth may depend for its very existence.
Author Website: gorillainthecloset.com
GORILLA IN THE CLOSET
An eye-opening memoir for those interested in government service, politics, academia, environmental history, and environmental engineering.
Eric Eidsness, an environmental engineer and former EPA Assistant Administrator for Water appointed by President Ronald Reagan, diagnoses the EPA’s missteps over the decades leading up to today’s crisis of confidence. He proposes a solution that will reconfigure the EPA into the agency it was meant to be.
Arc of the Poet: A Poetic Memoir
Arc of the Poet by Roger Darnell is a wonderfully expressive memoir. This book tells the story of Roger’s upbringing, including various hardships and joyful moments, which become the source of the author’s creative inspiration for writing. The author’s story begins in the 1960s when his mother was a writer and a poet. She becomes one of the main inspirations for Roger’s journey into writing and creativity.
The author takes the reader on a thoughtful and observant journey through his early years, where he faced hardships and extraordinary events. The language is engaging and the writing is sharp which helps convey the importance of art and how it enhances one’s life. All of this in a little over one hundred pages, which goes to show Roger Darnell’s skill as a writer in keeping everything concise yet potent. This is an emotionally resonant memoir as readers will be able to relate to the feeling of not being or doing enough, which I feel is one of the most common struggles with artists.
Throughout the book, the author expresses how he needed to improve his writing, and in doing so, while struggling with life, he felt vulnerable and inadequate at times. I appreciated the candid nature with which Roger told his story. Readers will be able to understand him, if not relate to him. I found Roger’s story highly relatable because I could personally identify with these experiences.
Arc of the Poet is a stirring and engaging memoir that I thoroughly enjoyed. From the deeply personal perspective of a life well lived to the heartfelt reflections, Roger Darnell has written a delightful and evocative memoir. I recommend it to anyone who can relate to the struggles of a creative life, or to anyone who wants to understand the obstacles artists face.
Pages: 118 | ASIN: B0BLG6SVFT
Actively Fighting For My Life
The Apparition is a memoir that charts your journey through the mental health system while providing information and research on various aspects of mental illness, particularly hearing voices. Why was this an important book for you to write?
Tricia: I wanted to lend dignity to people who suffer from extreme mental health challenges. There’s a tremendous amount of shame attached to this kind of suffering, and, as a result, we would rather push it away than admit it to anyone. I wanted to bring the topic down to a very personal, down-to-earth, relatable-to-some level. The educational components of the book are meant to provide at least a primer on the various manifestations of mental illness. Although the reverberations between my own mental health and my daughter’s originally compelled me to write the first part of the book, which took many years, in the end it was the hearing voices population that propelled me to action, the poignancy of their pain that urged me to go public. I wanted to do something for the people who were so distressed by their voices that living a “normal” life was a battle. I wanted to help humanize the phenomenon. I have been aided by the honesty and sincerity of so many writers along the way, and I wanted to contribute, in my small way, to that same body of literature.
Annie: While my mother is the primary author, it was important for me to contribute to this book because the experience of hearing voices is still so misunderstood within the traditional mental health system. I felt compelled to share my journey, both with hearing voices and other mental health challenges, in hopes that others may connect with some pieces and feel less alone in their own struggles. Ultimately, it felt important for my experiences not to have been in vain, but to use them to propel some semblance of change.
I appreciated the candid nature with which you told your story. What was the hardest thing for you to write about?
Tricia: The personal challenges I wrote about were not things I was eager to share, so none of that was easy. I wondered how family members would react to me knowing these things, and I thought it would be strange for people I knew to suddenly know these most intimate details about me. Would I be straining the relationships in my life? Would I offend anyone or put them off? I have always been an extremely private, introverted person, and it goes against the grain for me to be so public. But I am far along in life now and have the long-view perspective of wanting to contribute something to our greater understanding of mental illness, as well as make meaning of my own experiences.
What I worried about most, though, was possibly causing further damage to my daughter. I did not want her to feel bad about herself in any way. Parts of the story, I knew, would be hard for her to review, but she trusted that I was not out to write an account of “gory details” and I tried hard to honor that trust. On the other hand, she was fully onboard throughout the process, and I was grateful for her contributions.
Annie: The hardest portion for me to write was my ending piece, which details where I am in my life now. During this time, I was actively fighting for my life. It was painful to capture these experiences in brutal honesty. But as difficult as it was, the act of writing helped me to hang on and keep fighting.
What is one piece of advice you would give to someone who is hesitant to seek treatment for their mental health issue?
Tricia: I would try to remind that person that there are times when the weight of our problems is simply too much to bear on our own. I understand the shame one can feel about reaching out for help. I wish that I had not felt that so acutely in my own life, but I did. I think I would have suffered far less if I had allowed myself to be more human and admit I had problems. Not only is there no shame in seeking treatment, but it is equivalent to accessing medical treatment for any debilitating physical condition. Treatment can enable us to look at the problem and set things right, or at least on a better course. Simply put, reaching out for help has the potential to be lifesaving.
Annie: To someone who is hesitant to seek treatment for a mental health issue I would say that you should not have to suffer alone – you deserve support. While it may take time to find treatment that is the right fit for you, do not give up. It takes immense courage to reach out for help, but what lies on the other side could be transformational.
What do you hope is one thing readers take away from your book?
Tricia: I hope that readers learn something about the different ways the mind can respond to chronic stress. I also hope they develop an appreciation for the complexity of their inner lives and see the detriment of sweeping difficult emotions under the rug. For example, if they feel particularly troubled by a problem which causes them to repeatedly stumble, perhaps they can do something about it. As mentioned in the book, in my own life social anxiety was a particular scourge. Although I was a pretty good student, I dreaded the classroom environment because of the stress it caused me. I wished I could have spoken up when I was a young person, but I did not know how, nor did I have the strength or courage to do that. Perhaps in the future, knowing how hard it is for people to admit they suffer from social anxiety, students could be screened for it and offered a more comfortable learning environment. We have made great strides in the school system with other learning differences, and perhaps this could be another one we learn to accommodate. I also hope readers take away the knowledge that listening deeply and with compassion to someone who is struggling goes a long way toward easing their pain and discomfort.
Annie: What I hope readers take away from the book is the power of unconditional love. My mother’s love made more of a difference in my healing than any service or medication ever could. When I lost hope, she held that hope for me. Unwavering, consistent love is one of the few forces that can transcend even the most difficult of mental health conditions. I wish this kind of love for everyone.
Author Links: Amazon | GoodReads
While Annie battled OCD and depression, Tricia’s own history of anxiety re-emerged and led to an emotional breakdown. At age twelve, Annie also began hearing voices, but in 2012 they met Ron Coleman, an activist in the Hearing Voices Movement, who offered them a new kind of hope.
This deeply personal account charts their long journey through the mental health system, while weaving in relevant information and research on various aspects of mental illness, particularly, hearing voices. In sharing her story, Stafford shines a light on our country’s mental health crisis and challenges us all to seek a better understanding of, and more compassionate treatment for, those suffering from any form of mental illness.
The Unbelievable Truth
The Unbelievable Truth: My Personal Walk With God, by Elder Emerson D. Broadnax, is the encounter of a man that went from being a drug-addicted alcoholic to a member of the Church, thanks to a sudden and lucky encounter. It follows his path as he starts hearing God’s voice, anticipating seeing God in his life events, and guiding him through his faith.
Broadnax writes straightforwardly, not spending much time on each episode but clearly narrating all of them, helping the reader understand the miracle the Lord had realized for him. I appreciated the multiple quotes from the Bible, which gave more depth to the different stories and might inspire readers. The choice of verses underlines the attention to detail as the quotes all refer to the chapter in question or at least to one of the episodes narrated.
The Unbelievable Truth: My Personal Walk With God, by Elder Emerson D. Broadnax, is an inspiring story. It will guide people who might be looking for their own way or who might need a new perspective on life, just like the author did. I recommend this novel to any reader keen on religious and spiritual themes. Lastly, I would like to end this review with a quote from the author: “This book is about how God delivered me out of a twenty-three-year drug habit and how I have been free for twenty-four years.”
Pages: 52 | ASIN : B0BKNS5Z5L
I Loved Them For That
Once There Was a Child is a fun and touching account of your time as a special education teacher. Why was this an important book for you to write?
I wanted readers to realize how difficult my kids’ lives were and that they worked hard to do things that most people take for granted. They blossomed in the school environment because the staff, and especially the principal, stressed a “go for it” attitude. Sometimes my kids succeeded, and sometimes they didn’t, but they never stopped trying. They attempted things that no one had ever given them the opportunity to try—joining clubs, going on Outdoor Education, climbing a tree, rolling down a steep grassy hill, joining a lunch table with “regular kids” or going to a school dance when they couldn’t hear the music. I want my readers to give people who are “different”, disabled, handicapped, or whatever you want to call them, a chance, to accept them and respect them. They will be thankful for what THEY have learned.
What is one piece of advice you would give to someone who wants to work with special needs children?
Have a great sense of humor. It will get you through the times when you wonder if McDonald’s hires burned out teachers. (They do). But then one of my kids would look at me and ask, “Teacher OK? Teacher sad?” and would give me a hug. I realized that they had shown concern, and an awareness of someone’s feelings. Maybe they couldn’t multiply or divide or understand a story they were reading, but they had shown that they understood and demonstrated kindness and compassion, and I loved them for that.
What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?
It is important to first think of handicapped and disabled people as PEOPLE who need to feel friendship, acceptance, and tolerance. Regular education teachers, family members, community organizations, etc. are grateful to learn how to interact with special needs people. My kids wanted to feel that it was THEIR school too, and were grateful and happy when they were given that chance.
What do you hope is one thing readers take away from your book?
What special kids and adults have to offer a “regular” person. Give them a chance to do so. You might just make yourself a good friend.
Author Links: Amazon | GoodReads
“Great! How many other teachers applied for that position?”
“Just me! I guess no one else was up for the challenge of a multi-handicapped class of junior high kids, but I am.”
“Uh, Congratulations, I think.”
“Thanks, I’m going to love it!”
And she did.
As a child, Darlene always felt like an outsider and was drawn to others like herself. She learned sign language from her deaf neighbor, Joe, and was the only person in the neighborhood who could communicate with him. The Helen Keller story inspired Darlene. So did the movie Teacher Teacher, which is about a teacher with many demons who works with a severely autistic, lonely young boy. Those teachers brought both of these children into a world they might never have known or become a part of. That’s what Darlene wanted to do. In her first book, ONCE THERE WAS A CHILD, Darlene Kwarta chronicles her journey with children who were often forgotten.
LITERARY TITAN 