2026
Bookmarks Festival of Books and Authors Bookmarks Festival of Books and Authors
Some book events are about looking for your next book, while others are about meeting the people who make those books possible. Bookmarks Festival of Books & Authors brings both together, creating a place where readers can meet writers, listen to their stories, and enjoy books with other people who love them. The festival has become the largest annual book festival in the Carolinas, welcoming more than 30,000 attendees each year and bringing together authors from different parts of the country.
The value of the festival comes from the simple connection between readers and authors. With talks, discussions, signings, and events for different ages, Bookmarks gives people a chance to experience books in a more personal way. The 2026 festival is also bringing well-known voices such as John Green for its opening keynote and Jodi Picoult for its closing keynote, giving readers even more reasons to come together around stories.
For Kravitz and Sons, being part of a celebration like this means more than simply putting books on display. It means giving our authors and their stories another chance to meet readers who may be looking for something new.
And speaking of stories worth discovering, I HEAL YOU WITH MY HANDS by Robert Ackerman brings its own special idea to the festival. The book looks at a lifetime shaped by service, faith, helping others, and a growing concern for the future of our world. It takes readers through Ackerman’s experiences as a Vietnam veteran, community leader, rehabilitation director, soccer coach, volunteer firefighter, and climate researcher, while also exploring a message he says he first received in 1969. As we take a closer look at the book, it is also the perfect time to learn about the man whose own life became the starting point for this story.
A Life Spent Helping Others
Some people spend their lives doing one thing, while others keep finding ways to help wherever they are needed. Robert Ackerman is one of those people. A Vietnam veteran, he went on to serve in several leadership positions, including Director of the Pennington County Drug and Alcohol Task Force, Director of the Meade Street Halfway House, Director of Keystone Ambulance Service, Director of the Western South Dakota Referees Association, and Director of the West Dakota Water Development Association. He also served as a volunteer firefighter in Rockerville, South Dakota, for seven years.
His work with people did not stop there. Ackerman also coached a soccer team that went on to win the Dakota State Soccer Tournament. In his 2026 People of Distinction interview, he shared how he chose to coach players that others did not want to coach, pushed them to work hard, and watched them prove what they could do. That story says a lot about the way Ackerman looks at people. He seems to believe that someone should not be judged only by what others expect from them.
A Story About Healing and Looking Ahead
At the center of I HEAL YOU WITH MY HANDS is Robert Ackerman himself. This is not a story built around fictional characters or an imaginary world. Instead, readers are taken through the experiences and ideas of a man who has spent much of his life working with people, serving his community, and trying to understand the world around him. His years as a veteran and community leader become an important part of the story because they show where many of his thoughts and lessons come from.
One of the most personal parts of the book reaches back to 1969, when Ackerman says he experienced a powerful spiritual moment that stayed with him for decades. During his 2026 interview with People of Distinction, he explained that he eventually came to understand the message as a call to use his hands to help and heal others. That idea becomes one of the main parts of the book, connecting his personal experiences with his thoughts about faith, humanity, and helping people.
The book also looks beyond Ackerman’s own life. His long research into climate change and the future of the planet becomes another important part of the discussion. Rather than keeping the story only about himself, Ackerman uses his experiences to talk about how people treat one another, how humanity is connected, and what may happen if we continue ignoring the problems around us. The lesson is simple in many ways: helping people is not only about one big action. Sometimes it starts with the small things we choose to do every day. That message also fits with the way Ackerman has lived, from rehabilitation work and emergency services to coaching, volunteering, and writing.
A Book With a Message to Carry
I HEAL YOU WITH MY HANDS is a personal look at a life filled with service, questions, faith, and a desire to help. For readers who enjoy books based on real experiences and stories that make them stop and think about the world around them, Robert Ackerman’s book offers plenty to consider. It is not simply about what one man has done in his lifetime. It is also about what each person can do with the time and abilities they have. And with its appearances at international book fairs and Ackerman’s return to People of Distinction, this is a story that continues finding new readers beyond its first publication.
I HEAL YOU WITH MY HANDS
A personal story of faith, service, healing, and a lifelong search to understand our world. Discover Robert Ackerman’s Story