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“Soldier, Sister, Savant” is the award-winning hybrid memoir of Diana de Avila, co-authored with Wilma Davidson. Blending memoir with Diana’s digital artwork, the book traces her remarkable journey from soldier, to Sister in a convent, to the sudden emergence of extraordinary artistic ability following neurological injury and multiple sclerosis. It is a story of acquired savant syndrome, resilience, faith, and the unexpected possibilities of the human brain.
Want to read a book that shares how a positive attitude, gumption, and bravery can trump life’s obstacles?
SuperCat! Splat! Splat! is a picture story book for little readers and toddlers, based on the true adult story told in the award-winning memoir/art book Soldier, Sister, Savant (2021, Pen Women Press
Splat! Splat! teaches children who read—or who are read to—that we can make happiness for ourselves, even though bad things may happen to us along life’s way; that life—and we—do not have to be perfect; but, rather, that every single one of us is special, no matter; and, importantly, that kindness and bravery can conquer fear.
Did Max, the main character in Super Cat! Splat! Splat! live happily ever after? Did she encounter any future mishaps she had to overcome? Can you guess what they might be? And what do you think she did after her doctor told her to "rest, rest, rest?" You'll find out the answers in this second book about Max's adventures. You'll see just what she saw-and thought-and said-while she was doing all that resting. When you read Super Cat Chit Chat you will learn what concerns her about us humans and what advice she offers us about how to talk to one another-and why it's good for us!
Take one writer, add one artist and what do you get? A steadfast friendship of two professionals. They share the enlightening tale of one of them, whose life has been anything but ordinary. You get Soldier, Sister, Savant.
This is the story of Diana de Avila, a retired vet and entrepreneur, who, in 2017, suddenly discovered an art ability she never had before. One of very few individuals in the world, especially females, to come upon this “accidental genius”, she has been described as having Acquired Savant Syndrome.
Wilma Davidson, a corporate communications coach and fomer faculty member at USF, has chronicled Diana’s life into a compelling story. And Diana has shared some of the over 1000 pieces of digital fine art she has created since the arrival of her “gift.” In Soldier, Sister, Savant you’ll find both her art and heart.
Praise for Soldier, Sister, Savant
“de Avila's fascinating journey includes reassuring and encouraging correspondence so characteristic of my late father - a remarkable man committed to helping others discover the gifts within themselves."
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Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
“Diana de Avila is no ordinary woman. She survived a deadly motorcycle accident while serving in the military police; she overcame her devastation when diagnosed with multiple sclerosis; and one day, she awakened as an acquired savant. De Avila is nothing short of a scientific miracle, shaking up society's stale preconceptions about human potential. Vividly narrated in the highly relatable voice of Wilma Davidson, Soldier, Sister, Savant is an immensely readable, intimate, and life-affirming story of coming to grips with disability and adversity and of freeing the genius in your brain.”
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Dr. Berit Brogaard, D.M. Sci., Ph.D., Author of Hatred: Understanding Our Most Dangerous Emotion and The Superhuman Mind, among others
Professor and Director of Brogaard Lab for Multisensory Research at the University of Miami
“After recounting Diana de Avila’s early careers as a soldier, nun, and successful business woman, Dr. Wilma Davidson and Diana delineate her processes and accomplishments as a visual artist savant induced by Multiple Sclerosis and a prior traumatic brain injury. A unique and important contribution to the literature on a creative phenomenon.”
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Professor Emerita, Rutgers University
Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters (DHL) from Mt. Holyoke College as a Distinguished Alumnae
Second Ed.D. Honorary Doctorate from Monmouth University for service to the state of New Jersey in the teaching of writing
“Diana de Avila has experienced injury, illness and adversity yet continued to move forward. A recurrence of illness, which could have proved a setback, instead brought a gift that has translated into an impressive body of artwork. In Soldier, Sister, Savant the reader is provided insight into Ms. de Avila’s journey and navigation to a new reality.”
Donald Higgins, M.D.
Chief Physician Educator, National Center for Patient Safety, Veterans Health Administration
Professor of Neurology, Albany Medical College