LOS ANGELES, CA.- Before D.W. Duke could earn his pens describing novels about historical injustices and untold truths, he was a boy in Fort Wayne, Indiana, spending afternoons wandering (or trespassing) in woods across his home. “I had a pretty normal childhood,” he recalls. “I began to write my first book in third grade-a health and nutrition book-but I was always imagining stories.”
Today, D.W. Duke stands almost opposite an ordinary storyteller. He is a harbinger of justice in Los Angeles, a humanitarian, a martial artist, and an author of nine books, each interlacing legal precision with deep feelings and history. His novels breathe life into the crossroads of Holocaust resistance and racial injustice in early 20th-century America. More than that, he sees storytelling as a sacred vocation to restore dignity to those forgotten by history and to question long-accepted historical narratives.
A Mind for Justice, A Heart for Truth
Duke’s trajectory to writing went through some extraordinary detours: after his B.A. in economics and psychology from the University of Michigan, he went on to Washington University School of Law in St. Louis to pursue his J.D. He always thought he would become a neurosurgeon. “I took medical school courses, but ultimately I was drawn to law because I wanted greater interaction with people and broader impact on society.”
His legal career involved medical malpractice, civil rights, and business law. All the while, his heart called for something else. “Eventually, I realized that the novel could be used as an educational tool,” Duke says. “That was when I started writing biographical fiction.”
Legal rigor is still at the core of his writing process. He demands historical and factual accuracy even as he drafts entertaining narratives for reading pleasure. Putting those legal instincts into use also gives an ethical dimension to his novels, where every case, each injustice, each human story, is approached with deep seriousness and conviction.
The Voices He Could Not Let Die
More truly, perhaps, his most famous work and the beginning of his deeper plunge into narrative activism has been his book of 2017, Not Without a Fight: The Story of a Polish Jew’s Resistance. Inspired by the story of a distant cousin whose father had fought as a child in the Polish resistance during WWII, Duke undertook interviews and archival research to piece together the story of a Jewish boy whose brave journey was toward standing against Nazi oppression.
The book has been praised for so many things because it arouses emotions and replicates history with fidelity. It was hailed as “an emotionally charged, deeply researched account that reawakens the voices of the past” by Readers’ Favorite.
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Watch the book trailer → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmZhz0hlA6M
This was followed by Duke with Because I Am Black, a stirring novel based on the true story of Jesse Washington, a 17-year-old Black sharecropper lynched after a sham trial in Waco, Texas, in 1916. The book, developed with Nigerian literary student Taiwo Fagbohungbe, seeks to mourn and vindicate.
“Injustice has a way of echoing through generations,” Duke says. “We wanted to tell Jesse’s story not only to expose a forgotten horror but to humanize him.”
Enter the Golden Empire
In Search of the Golden Chalice: The Untold Story (2024), the new book from Duke, thrives on myth, mystery, and an oft overlooked chapter in African history. It was co-written with illustrator Tyesha Law. The book attempts to deconstruct the widely held Yoruba myth that their ancestors trace lineage to the Solomonic Empire of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. Set in 1617, the book tells the story of three young warriors who commanded an army of 2,700 to force out 20,000 British and Portuguese soldiers from a conflict later known as “The Great Battle to Free the Slaves.”
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Watch: Golden Chalice Book Trailer
Such a broad story, mingling biblical lineage with military resistance of the people, is personal to Duke. “The story, steeped in oral history and identity, is my attempt at restoring pride and understanding to communities whose stories have been erased or misunderstood.”
The sequel is already in production and, according to Duke, will reveal more.
Martial Artist, Musician, Messenger
His multidimensional life does not stop at the page. He holds a fifth-degree black belt in Taekwondo and a sixth-degree in Jidokwan, credentials earned via the World Taekwondo in Seoul. “Martial arts taught me focus, discipline, and the importance of mental clarity,” shares Duke.
Also a musician, a keyboardist and guitarist, he has played in bands since college. He is a legal commentator known for lectures on human rights in the Middle East. “All these parts of my life inform my writing. They’re not separate, they’re braided together.”
A Voice for the Voiceless
He looks beyond his craft when describing purpose. “Every major religion teaches empathy. But we’ve lost that. If people learned to ask, how would I feel if that happened to me? The world would change.”
That philosophy is at the heart of his work through Duke Entertainment Group, LLC, which, along with his cousin, Pat Duke (narrator of Swamp People), he co-created. Additionally, he works with another cousin, Tom Biebers, who owns B&B Productions, which produces Holocaust documentaries like Generation to Generation.
Film to Duke is simply the next step along the path of his mission. “Like the novel, motion pictures educate while they entertain. They reach people who may never pick up a book.”
The Writer’s Struggle, The Advocate’s Resolve
Though his many successes belie it, Duke briefly confesses that writing is not always pleasant. “My biggest challenge is the time it takes. I think much faster than I type,” he laughs. “I even bought dictation software, but I never learned how to use it.”
Yet, his resolve never wavers. “I’ve never doubted this path,” he explains. “Writing is something I love. It’s how I contribute to the world.”
Philosopher-like, Duke responds to the question of how he would define purpose. “George Hegel defined purpose as the conscious intention of the subject interacting with the world. I agree. My purpose is found in those interactions, in sharing truth through stories.”
Legacy in the Making
So what does Duke want readers to walk away with from his work?
“Hope. Understanding. Empathy. I want them to walk away changed, maybe not in ideology, but in compassion.”
His pledge to aspiring writers and activists is practical and warm-hearted. “Be prepared for a long road, but don’t give up. Use your unique platform to share a message. The greatest gift you can give is to make others feel understood.”
“…That goes back to the question of how he wants to be remembered,” substitute.
“I hope two hundred years from now, somebody says, ‘He did a good thing for humanity.’ That’s enough.”Discover More About D.W. Duke:
Author Website: www.dwduke.com
Not Without a Fight on Readers’ Favorite: Review
Book Trailer (YouTube): Watch
Popular Interview on In Search of the Golden Chalice (3,000+ Likes): Listen on Spotify
In Search of the Golden Chalice (Kindle): Watch
Interview on Apollo Papyrus: [Listen]
Hidden Gems Interview: [Watch]
Dw is such a great guy! My role model.