Lessons in Gratitude: A Memoir on Race, the Arts, and Mental Health (Campus Voices: Stories of Excellence from the University of Michigan)

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Synopsis
Lessons in Gratitude tells the story of Aaron Dworkin, a MacArthur Fellow, social entrepreneur, and spoken word artist who has dedicated his life’s work to changing the face of classical arts in the world. The themes of persistence, passion, and loyalty shine through stories of an unhappy childhood, a lifelong search for identity, and the obstacles of race, culture, and class. Readers will learn how the author greets these challenges and how they drove him to make a difference for people who are shut out of opportunity. Persistence in the face of multiple failures and false starts ultimately led Dworkin to create the Sphinx Organization, whose mission is to address the underrepresentation of Black and Latinx people in the field of the classical arts. Aaron’s unique journey, which begins with his adoption by a white Jewish couple from Chicago at two weeks of age, leads him to the ultimate reunification with his birth family at the age of 31. Lessons of Gratitude is a coming of age story that examines the difficulties of biracial identity across generations and the challenges that mixed race families still face today. It is also a painful and honest adoption memoir, further complicating the narrator’s experiences of racial identity throughout his life and shaping his experiences with his own children. Through his work in the arts and the impact of this work, Dworkin has been able to “pay forward” the first thing that offered him unconditional love—music.
Copyright:
2024

Book Details

Book Quality:
Publisher Quality
Book Size:
280 Pages
ISBN-13:
9780472056996
Related ISBNs:
9780472076994
Publisher:
University of Michigan Press
Date of Addition:
Copyrighted By:
Aaron P. Dworkin
Adult content:
No
Language:
English
Has Image Descriptions:
No
Categories:
Nonfiction, Biographies and Memoirs, Parenting and Family, Music
Submitted By:
Bookshare Staff
Usage Restrictions:
This is a copyrighted book.

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