21 Years of Wisdom

From his tiny, shoe-box apartment, an American from South-Central LA launches Wisdom21-a boutique language academy in western Japan. As enrollment soars, success leads to union battles, clashes with the mob, and unpredictable romantic encounters. Doing business in Japan was never more riveting. And the stakes never so high.

Author Biography

Darrell Gartrell was born and raised in Los Angeles’s South-Central area. Following the death of his father to cancer, he and his 4 sisters were raised by their mother who steered him away from the pitfalls that befell many of his peers. He struggled to finish a BS degree in finance at CSULA, while working nights at the Federal Reserve Bank. Darrell’s life was changed forever after a chance meeting which led to a backpacking expedition across Europe and then later to Japan. There, he became the first African-American to teach English with an urban focus. Patronized by the upper echelons of Japanese society, he drew the attention of the ‘yakuza’ or mafia as well. He shares his heart-felt story – the journey to opening a countrywide network of language academies – in his memoir, 21 Years of Wisdom – One Man’s Extraordinary Odyssey in Japan. He is currently working on the followup to the story, “My American Homecoming”, which describes the hardships of integrating back into American society after two decades abroad. Scheduled release date in July 2021. Aside from writing, Darrell’s interests include travel, foreign languages, enjoying all kinds of music, watching NBA basketball and exercising. He reads as much as he can and enjoys spending time with his lovely young daughter. Today, Darrell lives in Savannah, Georgia and is collaborating on a screenplay of his first book. You can contact or follow Darrell at the following: Email: corp_pro@hotmail.com Personal Blog – www.darrellgartrell.com (being upgraded) Or hook up through Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter or Instagram