(BlackNews.com) — Bernard L. Dillard’s memoir, Lemonade: Inspired by Actual Events, has risen to win the Gold Medal (first place) in the 2013 Global Ebook Award Competition. The national Medal was awarded in the Autobiography/Memoir category.
In 2011, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, 24 million children in America (1 out of 3) live in biological father-absent homes. In African-American homes, 2 out of 3 children live in father-absent homes. In addition, fathers who are physically present but emotionally missing indeed contribute to a widespread epidemic of insecurity within children. In many respects, children who grow up with this second father type often face greater challenges than their father-absent counterparts as both groups struggle to find a stable path toward adulthood.
In both instances, where the father is physically or emotionally absent, children frequently struggle with one or more of the following, according to several research studies (Reyes 2009; Seuter & Rovers 2004; Swearer 2011; Wei et al 2004):
* Abandonment and anger issues
* Gender or sexual identity issues
* An emotional emptiness that never seems to subside
* Low self-esteem, low self-worth, and suicidal thoughts
* Bullying tendencies toward others
* A driving desire to be perfect
Even though for many of these children, life continues to march on, there remains a sense of arrested development as they wade through the waters of life, often falling prey to the same cycles of absent fatherhood when they have their own children.
Partially, the remedy for such a dilemma is lodged in discussion or reading about how others managed to overcome such challenges. No longer can those who have overcome such tragedies be silent. Although a certain shame initially may come with talking about such issues, true healing and recovery lie in the bravery of those who have survived such setbacks and who muster the strength to talk about it, thus encouraging others. Bernard L. Dillard’s Lemonade: Inspired by Actual Events serves as a resource to do just that. This resource is useful and timely because it tackles the taboo and pulls no punches. The author is not afraid to open his wounds and share his own struggles in order to assist in breaking the cycle of producing broken children, especially within the African-American community. This resource is unique in that, although many of the author’s experiences are quite sobering, he manages to weave in pop culture as well as a bit of humor as he addresses the ills that plague this father-absent generation.
Hailing from Durham, North Carolina, Bernard L. Dillard is Assistant Professor of Mathematics at Fashion Institute of Technology. There, he teaches several upper-level courses, including Statistical Analysis and The Mathematics of Personal Finance. In early 2012, Kendall Hunt Publishing released his co-authored textbook, Elementary Statistics (3rd edition), a book in widespread use on college campuses across the country. Currently, he is finishing Moneymatics, a textbook whose mission is to increase financial literacy, especially among college students. In addition to his scholastic side, Dillard enjoys acting and modeling. He is always actively engaged in the auditioning process and continues to pursue significant small- and big-screen roles. He is committed to sharing his story of survival and believes his story will serve as a catalyst to engender discussion and remedy concerning such a widespread dilemma. Currently, he is single and resides in New York City.
The Global Ebook Awards honor and bring attention to the future of book publishing: eBooks. The Awards are in 72 specific categories. They are open to all publishers large and small so that a winner is the best in its category, not just the best of small or regionally published eBooks. Most eBooks are also available as printed books. Lemonade is available as an eBook as well as in paperback form.
Got lemons? Read Lemonade.
All 2013 category results may be found at:
