Perseverance

In this honest and touching memoir, John Martin explores his life growing up in Knoxville, Tennessee in the 1960s and 1970s.

In this honest and touching memoir, John Martin explores his life growing up in Knoxville, Tennessee in the 1960s and 1970s. Based on his true experiences growing up in Tennessee and exploring his native ancestry, personal struggles, challenges and triumphs, it will appeal to anyone with an interest in the American South, growing up Native American, and the ability to overcome.

John Martin is a retired teacher and track coach who grew up in Knoxville, Tennessee. He was a delegate to the National Congress of American Indians in 1989 and served on the Tennessee Commission of Indian Affairs from 1987 to 1998. The Tennessee State Department of Education asked him, in 1989, to author a unit on the life of Sequoyah for schools across the state. He also served on the Board of Advisers at the University of Tennessee's Frank H. McClung Museum from 1994 to 2008. John has served on the Board of Directors of the Sequoyah Birthplace Museum since 1994. He also currently serves on the Council of Elders of the American Indian Scouting Association.