ARPress proudly celebrates Dad Only Tried to Shoot Me Twice by Mark Eric Johansen, a memoir whose quiet power and emotional honesty have carried it onto some of the most respected platforms in contemporary literature. In an era when millions of books are released each year, works that achieve meaningful recognition do so because they speak with clarity, courage, and resonance. Dad Only Tried to Shoot Me Twice is one such work, an intimate narrative that continues to find its place in cultural, academic, and literary spaces both in the United States and abroad.
The book’s recent feature in the Sunday Los Angeles Times Calendar section on December 21, 2025, stands as a defining moment in its publishing journey. To be included in this publication is to enter a lineage of creative works that have shaped cultural conversation for more than a century. The Los Angeles Times, the nation’s largest metropolitan daily newspaper and a Pulitzer Prize–winning institution, has long been a trusted voice in journalism, arts, and literature. Its Sunday edition, the most widely read and influential of the week, offers unparalleled reach and authority, presenting featured works to millions of engaged readers across print and digital platforms. Placement in such a forum is not merely promotional; it is a form of literary validation that reflects both artistic merit and enduring relevance.
This recognition affirms ARPress’s commitment to championing works that reflect excellence in storytelling and purpose. Featuring Dad Only Tried to Shoot Me Twice in the Sunday Los Angeles Times underscores the book’s ability to connect across audiences, offering readers a narrative that is at once deeply personal and universally human. In a publishing landscape shaped by speed and saturation, this distinction signals a rare and meaningful pause, a moment in which a story is invited to be read with attention and care.
At the heart of the story is Mark, a young man who takes on the responsibilities of adulthood far too early. From managing the family business to protecting his loved ones from his volatile father, Mark’s journey is one of quiet resilience. What begins as reluctant support for a struggling business morphs into full-blown caretaking of the business, his parents, and ultimately, himself. In the face of his father’s two near-violent encounters involving a firearm, Mark’s endurance becomes a symbol of survival. Yet it’s his decision to eventually walk away that represents his true strength.
Dad Only Tried to Shoot Me Twice is not a story of triumph over adversity in the traditional sense. It is a story about boundaries, about choosing peace over chaos, and about the difficult, necessary act of breaking away from those who hurt us, even if they are family. It is a reminder that survival sometimes comes at the cost of connection, and that protecting your own well-being is not selfish, but essential.
Johansen is not simply an author; he is a survivor, a chronicler of truth, and now, a voice that bridges literature and film. His courage in laying bare a story that many would prefer to forget gives this work its lasting resonance. With the screenplay’s release, his testimony steps into a larger world, one where the personal becomes universal, and the painful becomes art.
The book’s presence at the 2025 Frankfurt Book Fair (Frankfurter Buchmesse) further reflects its resonance within spaces dedicated to storytelling, reflection, and cultural exchange. Among the books displayed by ARPress at the Frankfurter Buchmesse in Frankfurt, Germany, from October 15 to 19, 2025, Dad Only Tried to Shoot Me Twice by Mark Eric Johansen stood out quietly amid the buzz of the world’s largest publishing event. The fair, in its 77th edition, felt like a live pulse of the book-world: five days where ideas, culture, commerce, discovery and connection all collided in one place.
Also, Dad Only Tried To Shoot Me Twice by Mark Eric Johansen is preparing to hit the big screen. It is now one step closer to becoming a Hollywood blockbuster with the release of the book’s official screenplay adaptation. The release this book in screenplay form isn’t just news for cinephiles or book lovers. It’s news for anyone who believes that stories matter, that truth told bravely can move us closer to understanding, and that even the darkest chapters of life can one day find the light of a projector beam.
Taken together, these milestones tell the story of a book that has moved steadily and meaningfully through the literary world. From its display at the 2025 Frankfurt Book Fair to its recognition within major cultural platforms like the Sunday Los Angeles Times, Dad Only Tried to Shoot Me Twice exemplifies the enduring power of fiction when written with authenticity and insight. It is a work that does not seek attention through excess but earns it through the resonance of its characters and themes.
ARPress is honored to support Dad Only Tried to Shoot Me Twice and its author, Mark Eric Johansen, as the novel continues to reach readers who find within its pages reflections of their own struggles, hopes, and resilience. In sharing this story, the book reminds us that confronting the past can shape something meaningful for the future.
A Sunday Los Angeles Times feature is not merely an advertisement; it is a mark of excellence and a testament to the power of storytelling in a competitive and ever-evolving literary world.