Where the Water Meets the Sand Wins Gold in Prestigious Benjamin Franklin Awards

Where the Water Meets the Sand Wins Gold in Prestigious Benjamin Franklin Awards

 San Antonio, April 20, 2017 — Where the Water Meets the Sand, by Dr. Tyra Manning was selected as winner of the Gold Award for best memoir in the 2017 Benjamin Franklin Awards™. Administered by the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), the Benjamin Franklin Awards have been regarded as one of the highest national honors for small and independent publishers for nearly 30 years.  From close to 1,400 entries, one gold winner is named in each of 55 categories.

“Becoming a Benjamin Franklin Award finalist showcases a publisher’s commitment to professional standards and high-quality book content and production,” said Angela Bole, IBPA’s Chief Executive Officer. “Winning can expand a book’s marketability and solidify an author’s credibility – two very powerful things in today’s crowded book market.”

Where the Water Meets the Sand has been described by Dr. Colleen Grishom of Trinity University as being “Richly detailed, brutally honest, and vulnerable.” She said, “This memoir traces one woman’s struggle to reclaim her belief in herself and in the world around her.”

The book offers a searing portrayal of Tyra’s adolescent and early adulthood struggles with depression, substance abuse and compulsive disorders, and her hospitalization and recovery at the renowned Menninger Clinic in Kansas City.  It recounts with raw emotion her devastation upon learning of the tragic death of her husband, Lieutenant Larry Hull, whose plane was shot down in the Vietnam War, and her heartwarming reunion with his remains after three decades.  It’s an inspiring story of hope and redemption, fulfilling the dreams and promises she and her husband had made to one another.  Her successful recovery, pursuit of higher education and career success as one of the nation’s top school superintendents make for an inspiring life story, well told.

“I’m so honored and grateful for this award, and I hope the growing readership of my story will bring even more attention to our shared struggles and the need to ensure that all people have access quality mental health care,” said Dr. Manning.

After devoting her 40-year career to helping children achieve their highest potential, Dr. Tyra Manning now lectures, writes and educates others about the need to eliminate the stigma of mental illness and bring hope to individuals who face depression, addiction, and loss.