New release in August 2024: LESSONS IN GRATITUDE

Lessons in Gratitude tells the story of Aaron Dworkin, a MacArthur Fellow, social entrepreneur, educator, multimedia artist, and poetjournalist, 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 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 obstacles ultimately led Dworkin to create the Sphinx Organization, whose mission is to transform lives through the power of diversity in the 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.

Editorial Reviews

  • “Aaron Dworkin’s memoir is as captivating as reading a novel; except it is a true story. On one hand, it accounts for challenges he encountered, from racism—not just from strangers, but people close to him—to financial and mental health issues. More important is how he learned to understand flaws in the system, affirm his identity, and support others; lessons from which we can all benefit.”

  • “An open, honest, and compassionate account of a singular life in which music, art, community, and humanity are inextricably connected. Aaron Dworkin’s story is proof positive of the immense power of the arts to change the world for the better, in ways both big and small, immediate and long-lasting.”

  • “Aaron’s life story is a compelling testament to the power of art and artists. Art, as a transformative force that helps us reimagine what is possible. Artists, as the wielders of that force. Their power lies in the willingness to bring every piece of themselves to their art and the world.”

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