21 Years of Wisdom: One Man's Extraordinary Odyssey in Japan (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780692799482)

You miss 100 percent of the shots that you don't take... - Wayne Gretzky Darrell Gartrell was born and raised in a tough inner-city area of Los Angeles. From the age of 11, following the death of his father, he and his 4 sisters were raised by their mother who somehow steered him away from the pitfalls that befell many of his peers. He worked hard to study for a BS degree in finance, while doing a night shift job at the Federal Reserve Bank and finally gained his degree in 1989. After a chance meeting, Darrell's life was changed forever when he backpacked across Europe and later made his way to Osaka, Japan, where he became the first African-American to teach English focused on urban culture. His time there was a mixture of heady socializing in the upper echelons of society, to brushes with the feared 'yakuza'. He tells the story in his book, 21 Years of Wisdom, which is now a required purchase for 63 students in the department of business at Savannah State University. Aside from writing, Darrell's interests include travel, foreign languages, R&B and soul music. He reads as much as he can and enjoys spending plenty of time with his lovely young daughter. Today Darrell lives in Savannah, Georgia and would love to write a screenplay of this memoir and watch it on the big screen. You can contact or follow Darrell at the following: Email - corp_pro@hotmail.com Personal Blog - www.darrellgartrell.com Or hook up through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram