Meet Kenneth Gentili
Kenneth Gentili is Professor Emeritus in Physics and Engineering at Tacoma Community College, a former National Science Foundation Program Director, and a returned Ethiopian Peace Corps Volunteer.
For the past 15 years, Ken and his wife, Sylvia, have volunteered in Malawi, Africa. Sylvia assisted in the development of Malawian preschools and in improving community health. Ken worked with the University of Livingstonia to develop science education and IT structures.
He has written many short stories about the history of his family. Some of that history is reflected in the pages of his novel, Breaking Chains. Ken is a descendant of the Northups, a family who immigrated from England as indentured servants. Eventually, the family became wealthy enough to buy land and slaves to work it.
Ken first heard about the Northups from his grandmother, who shared with him a very old book, an original publication of Twelve Years a Slave, an autobiography by a Black man named Solomon Northup. “This is part of our family history,” she told him. “Solomon’s father was Mintus Northup, who was owned by Captain Henry Northup. Upon the Captain’s death, his immediate family freed Mintus. Thus, Solomon was born a free man.”
Although his grandmother’s book has been lost, Ken’s mother did significant research into the connections between his family history and that of Solomon and Mintus Northup. In honor of that history, Ken imagined his protagonist meeting the real-life Mintus in his novel.
In his free time, Ken enjoys daily walks in nature and discovering, learning, and sharing ideas.
Most recently, he has become aware of the danger opioids pose to pets and wildlife, as he lost Obruni, his beloved dog after she found and ingested a packet beneath a park bench. He is now dedicating some of his time to spreading the word so others do not suffer the same fate due to ignorance.