The Record That Woke

The Record That Woke is a rare literary achievement - a work conceived in the margins of American life and written during a period of profound homelessness and indigency, yet shaped with the precision, emotional intelligence, and moral clarity of a writer determined to bear witness. This expanded paperback edition presents the full creative architecture of the project: the Pulitzer-caliber novel, the theatrical stage play, and the cinematic screenplay adaptation, collected together for the first time in a single volume.

At its center is a story that refuses silence. Moving between the intimate and the systemic, the personal and the political, The Record That Woke traces the lived realities of Black Pittsburgh across decades of disinvestment, erasure, and unkept civic promises. It is a narrative built from the ground level - from shelters, libraries, sidewalks, and the fragile spaces where survival becomes its own form of authorship. The novel's voice is unflinching yet deeply humane, illuminating the quiet devastations and unexpected solidarities that shape a community fighting to be seen.

The accompanying stage play distills the story's emotional core into a stark, urgent theatrical experience, while the screenplay expands the narrative into a sweeping cinematic arc, revealing the full dramatic and political dimensions of the work. Together, these three forms create a triptych of storytelling that is both structurally ambitious and historically resonant.

Written under circumstances that would have silenced most, The Record That Woke stands as a testament to artistic endurance - a document of what it means to create while displaced, to write while unseen, and to insist on narrative sovereignty when the world offers none. This edition is not merely a book; it is a record of survival, a cultural ledger, and a call to conscience.

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Koger and Koger Literary Works
Published: 04/15/2026
ISBN: 9798256076344
Pages: 364
Weight: 1.07lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.75d