rich dunning
AUTHOR

rich dunning

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Rich Dunning is an award-winning author whose memoir, Silence Was My First Language, has been recognized by Kirkus Reviews and Publishers Weekly BookLife. Kirkus called it “a deeply moving story about triumphing over generational poverty, despair, and addiction,” while Publishers Weekly BookLife described it as a “heart-wrenching memoir of abuse, violence, and, above all, survival.”

Raised in the Bronx in an environment defined by instability, exposure, and the absence of protection. From an early age, he developed a level of awareness and control that shaped how he moved through the world. Those conditions did not remain confined to childhood. They informed his approach to leadership, decision-making, and ultimately, his writing.

He began writing Silence Was My First Language more than fifteen years ago and committed the equivalent of 10,000 hours to developing the manuscript. The work was built over time through sustained effort and revision and reflects a deliberate approach to structure, precision, and narrative control.

The book is constructed through tightly written, scene-driven passages that do not rely on interpretation or adjustment. It presents the material as it was lived.

Dunning is building a body of work that extends beyond memoir. In addition to Silence Was My First Language, he has completed two novels, The Jaguar and Selling Arteries to the Devil, both grounded in real-world experience and developed into fiction. He is currently working on additional manuscripts, including The Executive and the Escort and When in Puglia, continuing a disciplined and structured approach to long-form writing.

In parallel with his writing, he established the Breaking the Silence Initiative, a long-term commitment to direct one dollar from every copy sold to organizations supporting children facing abuse, hunger, and homelessness. The initiative extends the work beyond the page.

Dunning maintains dual residence in Lexington, South Carolina and Brickell, Florida, and continues to lead at a senior level in the medical device industry.

1. Can't Hurt Me — David Goggins
A childhood shaped by abuse, poverty, and systemic failure that evolves into extreme discipline and mental control. A defining work in the resilience and adversity space.

2. Heavy — Kiese Laymon
A structurally controlled, literary memoir that confronts trauma, identity, and environment without softening its impact. Widely recognized as one of the most important modern memoirs.

3. The Glass Castle — Jeannette Walls
A childhood defined by instability, poverty, and parental dysfunction, told through vivid, scene-driven narrative that captures both environment and long-term impact.
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