Synopses & Reviews
In
Losing Everything, his first book of nonfiction, acclaimed novelist David Lozell Martin tells his wildest, most outlandish story yet -- his own.
One evening in the mountainous forest of his isolated West Virginia farmhouse, Martin became disoriented when searching for a horse who had wandered off the property. Wading through the dark and guiding his horse with a belt around its neck, Martin felt as though every step was taking him deeper into the mountains. Instead, he unknowingly spent the night walking in a wide circle that brought him back to where he started. This quickly became a metaphor for Martin's life. "The more lost I get, the closer to home I come."
After growing up with a violent father who nearly killed Martin's clinically insane mother, Martin pursued a writer's life with a vengeance, becoming vulnerable to struggles with alcohol, financial ruin, and legal feuds. Then, after a betrayal by his soul mate, Martin's sanity was in as much jeopardy as his mother's had ever been -- a state of mind that in his case led to gunfire, divorce, and at least one trip to the emergency room.
But Losing Everything is less about getting lost and more about finding your way home again. In his pursuit of stability, Martin uncovered lessons that might help others who have encountered loss: take pleasure in something as small as an ampersand, keep a list of people you know who have died, meet your own death like a warrior, and be glad you don't own a monkey.
Deeply personal yet surprisingly universal, Martin's story is for anyone who has wandered astray. If not a road map, his journey is a guide, providing hard-earned wisdom to illuminate the path home.
Synopsis
Acclaimed novelist Martin's memoir--his wildest and most heartbreaking redemptive story yet--chronicles the cumulative impact of bad luck, bad decisions, and insanity. If not a road map, the work provides hope, comfort, and wisdom for anyone who has lost his way.
About the Author
D. W. MARTIN spends his days working in book publishing and his nights writing and performing comedy at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York City. Even though he has won seven Nobel Prizes, he is most proud of being the runner-up Employee of the Month in April 1997. His high school senior class voted him Most Likely to Write a Memo. How true!