BEACH BOOK FESTIVAL NAMES “LIFE, I SWEAR” FOR TOP HONORS

LOS ANGELES_ An essay collection focused on prominent Black women and inspired by a popular podcast is the winner of the 2022 Beach Book Festival, which honors the hottest reads of the summer.

Author Chloe Dulce Louvouezo’s Life, I Swear Intimate Stories from Black Women on Identity, Healing, and Self-Trust (Harper Design) spotlights stories that relate to confronting pain, healing wounds, and finding connection.

A mixture of essays, photography and design, the book is a chronicle of transformation and growth by modern Black women and their private journeys, all told with raw honesty and self-love. Spun off from the popular “Life, I Swear” podcast, the book builds on its premise by diving deep into mental health, identity and resilience. .

For its thought-provoking and raw approach, the book is sure to spark conversations on the beach or everywhere thoughtful people gather.

Other winners in the competition:

ROMANCE:

WINNER: The Refusal – Eve M. Riley

RUNNER-UP: Glissando – Debbie Burke

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

• The Geek Girl Squad: Olivia – Jasmine C. Caldwell
• Inside the Grey – Bobbi Groover

SCIENCE FICTION:

WINNER: Infernum – Jayson Adams

RUNNER-UP: True Taryn – S.G. Blaise

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

• The Methuselah Gene – Michael S. Mauer
• The Devil Pulls the Strings – J.W. Zarek
• Cargo 3120 Ties That Bind – Aaron Walker Sr.

GENERAL NON-FICTION

WINNER: Life, I Swear – Chloe Dulce Louvouezo

RUNNER-UP: The Noble Edge – Dr. Christopher Gilbert

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

• Relentless – Natasha Miller
• Trust and Confidence – Jim Lichtman
• Hold, Please: Stage Managing a Pandemic – Richard Hester
• Midnight Flight to Nuremberg – Marcus A. Nannini
• The Liminal Odyssey, The Alchemical Power… - Sande Hart
• Dance Stance: Beginning Ballet for… - Once Upon a Dance

CHILDREN’S BOOKS:

WINNER: Whitney Wins Everything: A Tiny Ninja Book – Sasha Graham

RUNNER-UP: Ollie & The Moon – Brian Taubman

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

• The Adventures of Bob the Bat – D. Scott Davis
• Queen Bee’s Alphabet Cookbook – Mariah Ecke, RD and Teri Ecke
• From Panama to New York: Jacquelina’s Story –Jacqueline Atkins

BIOGRAPHY/AUTOBIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR:

WINNER: One Student At A Time – Ken Rand

RUNNER-UP: Relentless – Natasha Miller

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

• Burn This City to the Ground – N. Daniel
• “Drop the Baby; Put a Veil on the Broad!” – Margaux Soumoy
• Salt & Light: The Complete Jesus - Jonathan Geoffrey Dean

GENERAL FICTION:

WINNER: The Golden Prison – Paul Alexander Sangillo

RUNNER-UP: A Disturbing Nature – Brian Lebeau

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

• Friends, Foes and Lovers – Bob Ford
• Orchid Blooming – Carole Van Den Hende
• The Chase – Mario Busacca and Hoyt A. Byrum
• Strange Fire – Joel Burcat
• Twins – Don Helin
• Drunk Talk – Mike Davis and TL Banks
• Bushwacked in the Outback – Nancy Raven Smith
• Perfectly Imperfect – Darlene P. Winston
• Dr. Altman and the Concubines – Jacqueline Shortell-McSweeney

WILD CARD

WINNER: Surviving the Second Tier – M.K. Lever

POETRY

WINNER: A Brighter Tomorrow – Lori Schneider, MD

HISTORY

WINNER: The Rise and Fall of Wapato Lake –Ken Bilderback and Kris Bilderback

YOUNG ADULT

WINNER: One Golden Day – Charles D’Amico

RUNNER-UP: Breaking Down Vonnegut – Julia A. Whitehead

HOW-TO

WINNER: A Fish Ate My Homework – Rick Robinson and Wade DeHate

RUNNER: Relentless – Natasha Miller

GENRE-BASED

WINNER: Osaka Games – Yurie Kiri