Discover the Best Books Written by Kent M. Keith

Kent was born in 1948 in Brooklyn, New York. His father was a Marine Corps officer. Because his father was often transferred to new duty posts, Kent and his sisters Mona and Melanie grew up in Nebraska, California, Virginia, Rhode Island, and finally, Hawaii.

Kent went to nine schools in 12 years. “We moved almost every summer,” he said. “It was usually a move from one coast to the other. By the time I was 14, I had crossed the country by a car nine times. We took a month and drove the whole way, taking a different route each time. We visited natural wonders and historical places. It was an incredible education. Visiting and living in different parts of the country taught me that we are one nation but have many subcultures.”

Kent discovered the joy of reading when he was in first grade, got his first taste of leadership as a student council member in the third grade, and became excited about writing when he was in the fifth grade. He gave his first formal public speech at an Optimist Club in Honolulu when he was 14. Mrs. Tommy Harvey, a volunteer speech coach, brought Kent out of his shell and launched his speaking career. Kent graduated from Roosevelt High School in Hawaii in 1966. He was student body president and president of the Honolulu High School Association, which consisted of the student body presidents of the other Honolulu schools.

While Kent has held many jobs and has been involved in many activities during his career, he has continued to speak, write, and lead. He has presented more than 1,200 speeches, workshops, and conference papers in 13 countries; published newspaper articles, law review articles, poetry, and a dozen short books, which have sold more than 250,000 copies worldwide; and served as a leader in public-private, nonprofit, and academic organizations.

Kent grew up listening to Broadway musicals that his parents enjoyed— Oklahoma, Carousel, South Pacific, Finian’s Rainbow, Sound of Music, Wonderful Town, and The King and I. When he was in the sixth grade, Kent’s parents bought a large collection of classical music. “I came home during lunch hour and listened to classical music daily,” Kent recalled. His favorites included Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, Rossini’s William Tell Overture, Rimsky-Korsakov’s Russian Easter Overture, and Dvorak’s New World Symphony.