The Gift, a children’s book focused on diabetes awareness and written by Berks County author Joseph J. Swope, will be published Sept. 17 by Black Rose Writing.
The Gift was inspired by a true story involving Swope’s wife, Selena, a Type 1 diabetic, while she was attending nursing school. The book is illustrated by Swope’s oldest daughter, Chandra.
The Gift focuses on Samantha, an eight-year-old girl with diabetes, who uses her knowledge of the disease to help her teacher realize she requires medical attention. A portion of the proceeds from The Gift will be donated to JDRF.
“Nearly two million people are diagnosed with diabetes each year in the United States,” Swope said. “One person is identified with a new case of diabetes in this country every 30 seconds.”
Swope said he hoped the book would entertain while providing important information about diabetes. He said the The Gift is aimed at a third-to-fifth grade audience.
The Gift is currently available for preorder at http://www.blackrosewriting.com/childrens-booksya/the-gift. If readers purchased the book prior to the publication date of Sept. 17, they may use the promo code PREORDER2015 to receive a 10 percent discount.
The Gift is the second book released by Swope this year. In January, Black Rose Writing published Pleasant Valley Lost, which chronicled the loss of the Swope family farm and the rest of the historic Pleasant Valley region of Berks County, Pennsylvania to the Blue Marsh Dam project.
Additional information is available on Swope Facebook page at www.facebook.com/JSwope58 or on his website at www.josephswope.com.
