Memoirs Books

Book SynopsisFrom bestselling author of She's Not There, New York Times opinion columnist, and human rights activist Jennifer Finney Boylan, Good Boy: My Life in Seven Dogs, a memoir of the transformative power of loving dogs.This is a book about dogs: the love we have for them, and the way that love helps us understand the people we have been. It's in the love of dogs, and my love for them, that I can best now take the measure of the child I once was, and the bottomless, unfathomable desires that once haunted me.There are times when it is hard for me to fully remember that love, which was once so fragile, and so fierce. Sometimes it seems to fade before me, like breath on a mirror.But I remember the dogs. In her New York Times opinion column, Jennifer Finney Boylan wrote about her relationship with her beloved dog Indigo, and her wise, funny, heartbreaking piece went viral. In Good Boy,

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Book SynopsisIn this inspiring and provocative memoir about a young black man, Caylin Moore tells the against-all-odds story of his rise from racial injustice and cruel poverty in gang-ridden Los Angeles to academic success at the University of Oxford, with hope as his compass.A Dream to Big is for readers who want to … enjoy a compelling, true, hard-to-believe inspirational story; thoughtfully embrace a long-overdue conversation about equality and justice in America; and be inspired and find hope from a firsthand account of redemption through even the most painful life experiences. When Caylin Louis Moore was a young child, his mother gathered her three young children and fled an abusive marriage, landing in poverty in a heavily policed, gang-ridden community. When Moore’s mother suffered from health complications and a devastating experience in the hospital and his father was sentenced to

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“Nirvana for pop culture fans…a totally tubular testament to the excess of the ‘80s.” * Associated Press *"Delicious...A slice of nostalgia from the people who were there, and wading through those pages is like going home again." * Huffington Post *"[A] highly entertaining snapshot of a wild-frontier moment in pop culture." * Rolling Stone *“This is an essential read for anyone who was there or for those who missed it when MTV really meant Music TeleVision. These 5 VJ's were thrown into a completely new format and made it work beyond anyone’s wildest dreams. Mine included.” -- Rick Springfield“At last--the real inside story of the MTV explosion that rocked the world, in all its giddy excess, from the video pioneers who saw all the hair, drugs and guitars up close. VJ is the wild, hilarious, addictive tale of how one crazy moment changed pop culture forever.” -- Rob Sheffield * New York Times bestselling author of Talking to Girls About Duran Duran *“Dishy, hilarious, wild, and poignant.” * CBS News *“In this wry, engaging oral history, the original veejays recount with bemusement—and occasional horror—their meteoric rise during MTV's heady first years. The first chapter commences with a big-haired, big-mouthed David Lee Roth— and from there the rollicking pace never lets up.” -- Jancee Dunn * co-author of New York Times bestseller Cyndi Lauper: A Memoir *“There was no such job as a 'VJ' when this unlikely crew was chosen to serve as our hosts at a revolution. Their story is a revealing inside look at the highs, lows, and hairstyles that defined a generation.” -- Alan Light * author of The Holy or the Broken *“VJ is a near textbook on ingenuity, luck, perseverance, fame, and the adjustment to life post-fame. There are also at least fifteen paragraphs that made me think, "I can't believe they're actually revealing this!" -- Richard Marx“For latchkey kids of my generation, the original MTV VJs were the best babysitters we ever had. When our parents weren't looking, they gave us secret glimpses into a better, sexier world. They were the coolest people, on the coolest TV station, with the coolest jobs on the planet. This is their story.” -- Michael Ian Black * New York Times bestselling author of You’re Not Doing it Right *“MTV hit the airwaves during the golden age of album rock radio and massive rock touring, and took it all to another level. VJ is a fun and informative ride, told through the eyes of the five people who experienced the MTV phenomenon from the most intimate perspective possible.” -- Kevin Cronin * REO Speedwagon *“Crazy days and nights in a different time--Nina, Mark, Alan and Martha will bring it all to life for you. This book is a joyride!” -- Jane Wiedlen * The Go-Go's *

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Book SynopsisSynopsis coming soon.......Trade Review"In the midst of reading this book I remembered what I really, really liked about Andrew Dice Clay--he said what you thought and would never say out loud; very honest and bitingly funny. The only thing I truly didn't know was what a fine actor he is (but that's not in the book, I'm just commenting). I loved the book because it's him. It's SO him." -- Whoopi Goldberg“I've known Dice since he was Andrew Silverstein and his nursery rhymes were actual nursery rhymes. I've always thought his life would be a page turner. I wasn't wrong. Anybody who is a fan of comedy owes it to themselves to know Dice's whole story. The Filthy Truth is he's a really great guy and a hell of a storyteller.” -- Arsenio Hall"After working with Andrew on Blue Jasmine he will always appear to me as an incredibly talented movie actor. I encourage anyone to read this book to discover the path that led him there." -- Alec Baldwin“No one did it bigger, louder, or ruder. And definitely no one did it funnier than Andrew Dice Clay.” -- Nikki Sixx“My friend Andrew Silverstein is a great comic who invented a character, 'Andrew Dice Clay,' who intends to offend, expose, and mock the common arrogance and stupidity of the ultra-macho male dinosaur, allowing us to laugh the whole archetype to scorn.” -- Roseanne Barr"I remember where I was when Dice appeared on the Rodney Dangerfield special in 1988 (my parents living room). I immediately knew we were entering a new age of comedy. Like Lenny Bruce and Richard Pryor before him, Dice was so stunningly shocking you couldn’t look away. I swore that one day I would work with this guy. It took 20 years, but when he came onto the Entourage set it was like I was a kid again watching as a fan. He’s a such a force and a presence that I think the revival that he is experiencing right now will be even more spectacular than his first time around." -- Doug Ellin, creator of the HBO television series Entourage"This guy Dice provokes everybody. He’s made a career out of his foul mouth and politically incorrect humor. Why would anyone want to live that way?" -- Eminem"Andrew is one of the great comedians of our time. His best material is funny for a thousand reasons. I can't remember laughing harder at anyone more than him." -- Rick Rubin"Dice is a absolute gentleman behind the scenes and in real life.. But a total BEAST on stage... 100% Original. Now buy his book!" -- Ice-T“As low-down and dirty as ever.” * Maxim *

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Book SynopsisSynopsis coming soon.......Trade Review“If Carrie Bradshaw worked in a funeral home à la Six Feet Under, her story would look something like Meyer’s charming memoir about her tenure planning funerals.” * Publishers Weekly, starred review *"A sweet, touching, and funny read. Meyer is truly likable, a great storyteller... A lighthearted, moving glimpse into the almost beyond.” * Booklist *“Still grieving her dad’s death, Meyer got a job at a famed NYC funeral home (of all places). Oddly enough, as she charmingly reveals, it helped her heal.” * Good Housekeeping *“A page-turning memoir about what goes on behind the scenes at the funeral home where anyone who's anyone in New York goes to be embalmed.” * Town & Country *"A behind-the-scenes look into one of the most legendary funeral homes in the country." * Cosmopolitan *“Valuable lessons about living from the death industry.” * USA Today *

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Nate Dern’s brain is a VitaMix that chops up Kafka, the Internet, Republicans and thousands of other cultural ingredients and blends them into hilarious little treats. The results are not just funny—which they are—but they’re even kind of profound. Highly recommended reading for those hungry for surprise."—A.J. Jacobs, New York Times bestselling author of The Know-it-All and Drop Dead Healthy“Nate is one of those writers and performers that is constantly morphing and changing, always impressing and exceeding my expectations. His book is no different—you never know where it's going to go next, what genre, what format, what unique new take on an old idea. It's a breath of fresh air that you can eat up bit by bit or all at once like a huge hoagie. His book is, in a lot of ways, like a really wonderful sandwich."—Abbi Jacobson, co-creator and star of Comedy Central’s Broad City“So no, Nate Dern may not be quite a genius. Still, he has written a book that is very smart, funny, thoughtful, and that might be just what the world needs.”—The New York Times Book Review

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Book SynopsisIn the crucible of grief following a friend's death, Presbyterian pastor Patricia Pearce sensed a dimension of existence beneath her ordinary perception-and became resolved to discover it. She soon found herself in a vortex of revelatory dreams, synchronicities, energy openings, and insights that shattered her worldview, exposed a unified Reality of Love, and unveiled the illusory nature of the ego and the world it has created. Faced with these discoveries, she struggled to remain in a religion that, she now realized, has been shaped by the very ego consciousness Jesus transcended and urged others to abandon. Enlightening, revelatory, and bold, Beyond Jesus reveals how our political and religious institutions are an outward manifestation of the inner beliefs we hold about who we are, and that beneath the layers of dogma about Jesus lies a key to our spiritual evolution and the astonishing possibility it holds for the future.Trade Review"An unusual take on contemporary Christianity grounded in a remarkable life story and told with exceptional prose." —Kirkus Reviews "In this captivating memoir, Patricia Pearce guides us on a journey from her Peace Corps days with indigenous people in Ecuador to moments of enlightenment when, as a Christian minister, she questions the church's vision of Christ. By exploring the teachings of Jesus, she discovers that the world we have created is a reflection of our own consciousness. She inspires us to rise to new levels of consciousness and manifest a sustainable and spiritually fulfilling future for ourselves and our progeny." —John Perkins, New York Times best-selling author of Confessions of an Economic Hit Man "Beyond Jesus invites us to join Patricia Pearce on an exhilarating journey of the spiritual transformations that have undergirded her radical work for justice-love in the world. Along the way, as her mystical consciousness deepens, Pearce sees that-with devastating consequences-Christianity has mistakenly produced a theology, and a Jesus at its center, on the basis of a dualistic worldview rather than helping us realize our oneness with Jesus and each other in a universal Spirit of Love. This book spills over with integrity, wisdom, and joy! It's a splendid resource of hope and encouragement for these troubled times." —The Rev. Carter Heyward, PhD, Professor Emerita of Theology, Episcopal Divinity School, Cambridge, MA "Staying humbly within her own experience, Pearce has addressed a larger story that is unfolding from the edge of Christianity. The countless Christians' journey 'beyond Jesus' is now a much larger, culture-wide odyssey, and needs the close attention Pearce brings to it in order to understand its significance." —The Rev. Dr. Hal Taussig, National Co-Chair, Christianity Seminar, Westar Institute, and editor of A New New Testament: A Bible for the 21st Century Combining Traditional and Newly Discovered Texts "Halfway through the introduction, I was in tears. Pearce's sharing of how her individual journey meshed with the universal seeking for God and the commitment to act for justice in ways that honor the God-spark dignity of all life forms of our planet moved me into and beyond the words of her life story. Beyond words, into tears-and joy." —Rabbi Arthur Waskow, author of Godwrestling-Round 2 and director of The Shalom Center "A riveting account of a courageous spiritual journey. Sharing many of the most intimate moments of her life, Pearce introduces the reader to her new, bold conclusions about Jesus, his teachings, and his purpose. After reading it, you may find a new hope for our planet." —Mary Morrissey, author of Building Your Field of Dreams "This memoir is an astounding story of faith shattered and restored in a profoundly visionary life story. It integrates the social, economic, and racial crises of our day with a personal witness to what spiritual transformation might look like. It is a book that will be of great interest to persons of all faiths and no faith, to men and women who struggle with personal and collective suffering and are seeking an approach that uplifts and challenges them." —Rabbi Sheila Weinberg, founder of the Institute for Jewish Spirituality and author of God Loves the Stranger "This is the very personal journey of an earnest Western seeker out to rescue what Marcus Borg, John Dominic Crossan, and others have called the 'Jesus of history,' the God-conscious human being who survived his early and brutal execution by the Roman state. A useful guide for any of us today who are looking for a life, as she says, 'freed from the ego and its illusions.'" —Michael Nagler, PhD, founder of the Metta Center for Nonviolence and author of The Search for a Nonviolent Future "Detonated by the early death of a close friend and colleague, Patricia Pearce's whole worldview blew wide open. The familiar certainties of religious sensibility collapsed, one by one. What emerged from the wreckage is a potent new understanding of Reality and a powerful and eloquent call to hear Jesus anew." —Penny Gill, Mary Lyon Professor of Humanities, Mount Holyoke College and author of What in the World Is Going On? Wisdom Teachings for Our Time "Patricia Pearce's spiritual odyssey illuminates the wisdom and light that shine within us all. She asserts that this power, the greatest power, is the incredible, immense force of love in the universe that connects all beings to one another in the amazing web of Life. Thank you, Patricia Pearce, for walking this path and sharing it with the rest of us." —Kathryn "Kitsi" Watterson, author of I Hear My People Singing: Voices of African American Princeton, Not by the Sword, and Women in Prison: Inside the Concrete Womb

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Book SynopsisIndiana University, September 1963. Meri Henriques, a naïve freshman from New York, arrives on campus thinking she’s about to enroll at an idyllic Midwestern college. Instead, she discovers a storm is brewing. An intriguing cast of characters inhabits Meri’s new and often troubled world: Katherine “Pixie” Gates, Meri’s charming and quirky roommate; Rachel, brilliant and sarcastic fellow New Yorker; Daniel, a tough radical with a tender heart; folk singer Derek Stone, Meri’s crush; and Shennandoah Waters, a white coed who only dates black men or exotic foreigners, much to her ultra-conservative parents’ horror. Over the course of Meri’s first year at college, tragedy strikes twice: John Kennedy is assassinated, and a young, black IU basketball player is castrated and thrown into a ditch—murdered for dating a white coed. And finally, that year’s commencement ceremonies bring an infamous symbol of white supremacy to campus, endangering anyone who dared to protest—thrusting Meri into the middle of violent and escalating racial tensions. Vivid and compelling, Hoosier Hysteria is a timely story of prejudice and political unrest that, today more than ever before, must be told.Trade Review2019 ELit Book Awards bronze medal in Autobiography/Memoir “Readers interested in Midwestern history, American race relations, and stories of culture shock will find the book both stimulating and convincing. This well-paced narrative absorbingly depicts a handful of lives in Indiana in a pivotal year." —Kirkus Reviews “Vahl, a Jew from New York, was among the first students to live in an integrated dorm room at the conservative campus. In her desire to strike out on her own, she had unwittingly entered the front lines of a battle over race and culture that would rage throughout her freshman year, as she precisely recounts in this memoir.” —Booklist

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Book SynopsisJudy Gaman was so busy making a name for herself that she barely took the time to meet a stranger, enjoy life, or simply stop to breathe. Immersed in her job as the director of business development for a high-profile medical practice—a job that required her to write health and wellness books and host a nationally syndicated radio show—she spent every day going full speed ahead with no looking back. That is, until the day she met Lucille Fleming. While writing a book on longevity, Judy interviewed Lucille, an elegant and spirited woman who had just recently turned 100. Lucille had the fashion and style of old Hollywood, but it was all hidden behind the doors of her assisted living center. What began as a quick meeting became a lasting friendship that transformed into an inseparable bond. Lucille brought incredible wisdom and great stories to the table, while Judy provided an avenue for excitement and new opportunities. Together, the two began living life to the fullest, and meeting the most interesting people along the way (including Suzanne Somers). But then Lucille’s life came to an end through unexpected and unfortunate circumstances—and the very first lesson she ever taught Judy proved to be the most important one of all.

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Book SynopsisIn 1967, when Jo Ivester was ten years old, her father transplanted his young family from a suburb of Boston to a small town in the heart of the Mississippi cotton fields, where he became the medical director of a clinic that served the poor population for miles around. But ultimately it was not Ivester’s father but her mother—a stay-at-home mother of four who became a high school English teacher when the family moved to the South—who made the most enduring mark on the town. In The Outskirts of Hope, Ivester uses journals left by her mother, as well as writings of her own, to paint a vivid, moving, and inspiring portrait of her family’s experiences living and working in an all-black town during the height of the civil rights movement.Trade Review“What makes this book particularly valuable is its vivid depiction of the abhorrent consequences of legalized segregation. What gives it heart is the window it opens to the personal journeys of mother and daughter. An important, riveting history lesson that, unfortunately, is still relevant today.” —Kirkus Reviews “A sensitive and powerful memoir of racial change in the South in the 1960s.” —Booklist “The Outskirts of Hope is a yesteryear tale (1967) that could not be more pertinent and helpful to the racially complex and perturbed time we are living in now.” —Norman Lear “A powerful personal perspective of a tumultuous time in America, seen through the eyes of a mother and her daughter navigating family and societal currents in the midst of the civil rights movement. White and Jewish from Boston, the family is transplanted into the segregated Deep South of the 1960s, trying to make a difference in people’s lives. Although their new world is fraught with fear and anxiety, their strength of character and dedication to being allies rather than bystanders results in their participation in history.” —Barry Curtiss-Lusher, National Chairman of the Anti-Defamation League “Not all stories about the south are fictional and have characters in them named Atticus and Scout. Some are true and have real people in them named Aura and Jo. But just as Atticus and Scout have seared themselves into our cultural consciousness, Aura and Jo will take up residence in your own after reading The Outskirts of Hope. I began this book thinking it was about civil rights and Mississippi and a Jewish family’s singular, brave saga there in the 1960s. I ended it realizing it is a story about us all. It is an American one. And it is one, told forgivingly, about forgiveness.” —Kevin Sessums, author of Mississippi Sissy and I Left It on the Mountain “The Outskirts of Hope is a highly personal narrative that shines a light on the struggles within the Deep South in a passionate, moving way. Told with wit, warmth, and heart, this family’s story places the reader right on the ground as Mound Bayou, Mississippi copes with a world reluctant to change, providing an intimate view of the Civil Rights Movement most have never even considered.” —Anthony Rudel, author of Hello, Everybody!: The Dawn of American Radio “The Outskirts of Hope is a courageous confession of a daughter about her mother and herself that lays bare the front line of the American civil rights struggle of the 1960s.” —Steve Adler, Mayor of Austin, Texas “In the sixties, a lot of people talked the talk about civil rights. The Kruger family lived the life. This sensitive but no-holds-barred account of their life in Mound Bayou, Mississippi is one of the most gripping real-life stories of confronting and dealing with racism ever written. Warning – once you start reading The Outskirts of Hope, you won’t be able to stop.” —Forrest Preece, Columnist, West Austin News “An unflinching memoir of the hopes, triumphs, and disappointments of a white family that moves to a black community in one of the most segregated areas of the American South in the late 1960s. This engaging book offers a rare and moving narrative of the power of seemingly modest personal activities in delivering the durable social changes promised by laws and policy.” —Bob Flanagan, Emeritus Professor, Stanford University “This is a fascinating tale of a family who talked the talk and walked the walk during the height of the civil rights movement of the 1960s. The family with their youngest three children left a middle class New England suburb and moved to an essentially all black community in the Mississippi Delta, where the father opened a medical clinic and the mother taught in an all black school and the kids survived, albeit dramatically at times.” —Dave Richards, former Civil Rights Commissioner “This is the fearless mother-daughter memoir about a white family's move from Boston to a small black town in the Mississippi Delta to help launch the nation's first community health center providing health care to the poor and neediest. The leaders of the civil rights struggle—black and white, male and female—are famous, but we hear much less about the 'ordinary people' in the families that came with them. Aura Kruger and Jo Ivester's journey across the chasms of race and poverty also, profoundly, changed their lives. It may well do the same for readers of their story.” —H. Jack Geiger, MD, founding director of the Delta Health Center and Arthur Logan Professor Emeritus of Community Medicine, City University of New York Medical School “Ivester’s Jewish-Bostonian family took a chance on the importance of being human at a time when life was minimized based on the color of a person’s skin. Ivester captures the essence of the resulting journey through the dual eyes of a child and her mother as they learn the impact of just saying yes.” —Gigi Edwards Bryant, Trustee, Austin Community College District

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Book SynopsisSerious Little Catholics follows Kathy Gereau, the oldest of seven children, as she grows up in the mid-’50s and ’60s and makes her way through Catholic school alongside her siblings. Initially, she buys into the mysteries of faith and the litany of rules being spouted by the Sisters of Mercy. But when her fourth grade teacher tells the class that Kathy’s sweet little Protestant grandmother would never be admitted into heaven, she begins to question the rigid dogma of the church. Later, she discovers that not all boys are as goofy as her brothers and struggles with the notion that it is a woman’s responsibility to discourage men from the plague of impure thoughts. Even an innocent flirtation can sinfully lead men into a temptation they are not capable of resisting; it doesn’t seem fair.Ultimately, with the help of her classmates and a few understanding teachers, she learns to laugh at the ridiculous bits of her religion—and discovers the spiritual message within.Trade Review“A page-turning saga of one woman's quest for truth, Serious Little Catholics is compelling, thought-provoking, and highly recommended.” —Midwest Book Review “‘The Devil was apt to be around every corner, in disguise, trying to get me to do naughty things, and because I was a girl I was especially in danger. After all, if Eve, a grown-up woman, had been fooled, I must be very careful.’ If laughter is good for the soul, then Kathy Gereau's hilarious, effortlessly charming stories are exactly the elixir we need. Heavens above, this is righteously funny stuff.” —Jane Guill, author of Nectar from a Stone “Serious Little Catholics is a seriously funny book. Gereau has a fabulous take on her grade school education ruled by a flotilla of scary nuns. You don’t have to be Catholic to appreciate her wrangling with a passel of siblings or the speculations of her classmates (What do you think is under the nuns’ habits?). And by the time she reveals her seventh-grade infatuation with the Beatles, we’ve already been swept up by her wry observations and engaging realizations. Five stars on the Chuckle Meter!” —Mary Ann Presman, author of The Good Dishes “Serious Little Catholics, Kathy Gereau’s delightful debut memoir, captures a time and culture that is essential to the midwestern landscape. Gereau’s inviting, conversational style draws us in and welcomes us to stay. Her hilarious, thoughtful, and moving stories evoke a time of station wagon way-backs, sock hops, fake Barbie dolls, road trips, and kids’ tables at family gatherings. Through it all, Gereau moves to a deeper understanding of what she might believe, and perhaps more importantly, what she might not.” —Patricia Ann McNair, author of Responsible Adults

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Book SynopsisMelissa Harris’s dream of being a mother again shatters when a fertility doctor tells her she may never have another child due to a physical anomaly in her uterus. Determined to persevere, she undergoes nine surgeries and a year of fertility treatments until she finally gets a positive pregnancy test—only to miscarry both twins within the first fifteen weeks. When what she’s decided will be her last attempt results in her finally becoming pregnant, she’s told that this baby, Sam, is also at risk. While lying in a hospital bed for six days, trying to get to the golden standard twenty-four-week gestation mark, Melissa makes a decision—she will give this baby every chance to live, no matter what it takes.One Pound, Twelve Ounces is the journey of one mother’s determination to give her micro-preemie a fighting chance, and the story of that baby’s remarkable battle to survive.Trade Review2022 Readers’ Favorite Book Awards Finalist in Non-Fiction (Women’s)2022 Eric Hoffer First Horizon Book Awards Finalist2022 Eric Hoffer da Vinci Eye Award Finalist“Written with candor, Melissa Harris’s memoir One Pound, Twelve Ounces is both harrowing and joyful in covering at-risk pregnancies and the experience of mothering a micro-preemie child.”—Foreword Reviews “An articulate, poignant, and gritty family account. . .”—Kirkus Reviews“Melissa Harris, the author of One Pound, Twelve Ounces, is perhaps one of the strongest women I have ever encountered in my life. Her determination and bravery in showcasing her darkest moments and intense fears deserve to be applauded a million times over. One Pound, Twelve Ounces is the story of a mother’s love and desperate desire for her baby to have his best chance at life, even when there was only a 20% chance of hope.”—Readers’ Favorite, 5-star review“One Pound, Twelve Ounces is a gem of a book, filled with suspense, and humor, and heart.”—Gayle Brandeis, author of The Book of Dead Birds“What Melissa went through to become a mother again and what Sam endured in his first year will leave you feeling inspired and hopeful. It’s through stories like this that we humanize one another. A must read.”—Aaron Wright, award-winning author of Thirteen Doors

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Book SynopsisTravel Ruminations is a personal account of the author's walking, hiking, and mountain climbing over a 75-year career in all 50 U.S. states and 38 countries, but it is more than a mere memoir. Interspersed are remarks on the ecological aspects of his environments and the devastation caused by human activity.

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Book SynopsisMany readers are already familiar with Madeleine Kunin, the former three-term governor of Vermont, who served as the deputy secretary of education and ambassador to Switzerland under President Bill Clinton. In her newest book, a memoir entitled Coming of Age: My Journey to the Eighties, the topic is aging, but she looks well beyond the physical tolls and explores the emotional ones as well. And she has had an extraordinary life: governor, ambassador, feminist, wife, mother, professor, poet, and much, much more. As recently reported in the New York Times, a girl born today can expect to live to the age of ninety, on average (boys, on the other hand, can expect to live until age eighty-five). Life expectancy, for many, is increasing, yet people rarely contemplate the emotional changes that come alongside the physical changes of aging. Madeleine wants to change that. Coming of Age: My Journey to the Eighties takes a close and incisive look at what it is like to grow old. The book is a memoir, yet most important of all, it is an honest and positive look at aging and how it has affected her life. Cover photo © Todd Lockwood.Trade ReviewWe are lucky to have such insight from this author in her highly readable and relatable book. . . . From her we garner lessons such as cherishing the moments we have left, letting go of things, of vanity, of grudges, and smiling. Smiling like her photo that adorns the book cover, displaying the proud wrinkles of her time and life. -- NY Journal of Books"WithComing of Age, Madeleine May Kunin continues in her role as bearer of light for women everywhere. This time, she holds the lantern while walking gracefully, passionately and authentically toward her final years. Like the woman herself, Kunin's memoir is exquisite." -- Vermont Woman

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Book Synopsis"A fiercely honest and beautifully written book." --Paul Austin, author, Beautiful Eyes and Something for the Pain A cautionary tale of careless psychiatric diagnosis, treatment, and resilience Sawyer's memoir is a harrowing, heroic, and redeeming story of her battle with mental illness, and her triumph in overcoming it. In 1960, as a suicidal teenager, Sawyer was institutionalized, misdiagnosed, and suffered through 89 electroshock treatments before being transferred, labeled as "unimproved." The damage done has haunted her life. Discharged in 1966, after finally receiving proper psychiatric care, Sawyer kept her past secret and moved on to graduate from Yale University, raise two children, and become a respected psychotherapist. That is, until 2001, when she reviewed her hospital records and began to remember a broken childhood and the even more broken mental health system of the 1950s and 1960s.Trade Review"This utterly gripping, sharply written memoir pulls no punches. With cauterizing honesty and a blessed sense of perspective, Annita Perez Sawyer takes you into and through her dark experience to the shores of wisdom." Philip Lopate, author, Being With Children"How to mend a psyche shattered by personal trauma? Annita Sawyer seeks answers to that question, first for her patients and then for herself. In prose without a hint of self-pity, yet rich in sensory details and professional insight, she draws a dark history into the light." Scott Russell Sanders, author, Divine Animal: A Novel"Annita Sawyer writes candidly and gracefully of her vulnerabilities and her persistence as she details her harrowing experience with a misdiagnosis, the hard-won life she forges in its wake, and her ultimate reconciliation with her buried past. Smoking Cigarettes, Eating Glass is a brave, compassionate, memorable book." Jane Brox, author, Five Thousand Days Like This One: The Evolution of Artifical Light"This account of psychiatric misdiagnosis and mistreatment is remarkable for its narrative force, its palpable (and entirely justified) rage, and its fierce honesty." Anne Fadiman, author, At Large and At Small and The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down"Annita Sawyer' Smoking Cigarettes, Eating Glass is an extraordinary achievement, a memoir of a Yale-trained psychologist' harrowing struggle with serious mental illness and recovery. Beautifully written and full of heartbreak, hope and wisdom, for anyone with a personal or family history of mental illness, this is a must read." Thomas H. Styron, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine"A fiercely honest and beautifully written book." Paul Austin, author, B eautiful Eyes and Something for the Pain"The author's look back on her youth is especially absorbing from her perspective as a practicing psychologist who has treated people with mental illnesses similar to those she experienced." Library Journal

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Book Synopsis BeBe Winans, six-time Grammy Award-winning singer and member of Gospel music''s royal family, shares the candid and close-up journey of pursuing his dreams while holding on to his faith. Benjamin "BeBe" Winans always knew he was born to be a Gospel singer. Growing up watching his four older brothers perform fueled his dream to be on stage, and as teenagers, he and his younger sister CeCe were offered the opportunity to move from Detroit to North Carolina and join the Praise the Lord Singers for The PTL Club, hosted by the eccentric Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker. Under the Bakkers'' wings, BeBe and CeCe became the most popular televangical stars in America and soon found themselves choosing between their family values and the temptations of fame and fortune. Like a conversation with a lifelong friend, BeBe invites readers and loyal fans alike to share in never-before-revealed details about life in the crossfires between church, Gospel music, and the mainstream recording industry. He shares personal stories about his mentor Andraé Crouch and close friend Whitney Houston, who both had a major impact on his life. As he reflects on the obstacles, the disappointments, the victories, the surprises, the racism, and the love he has encountered, he realizes that when we understand our value before God, we can participate in a daily glory and peace for which we were all born.

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Book SynopsisWhen Adrienne Rubin enters into the jewelry business in 1970s Los Angeles, she is a maverick in a world dominated by men. She soon meets a young hotshot salesman who doesn’t seem to struggle at all, and when he asks her to be his partner, she is excited to join him. She doesn’t know him well, but she does know his father, and she believes he is as trustworthy as the day is long . . . Diamonds and Scoundrels shows us how a woman in a man’s world, with tenacity and sheer determination, can earn respect and obtain a true sense of accomplishment. Following Rubin’s experiences in the jewelry industry through the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s—with the ups and downs, good guys and bad—this is a tale of personal growth, of how to overcome challenges with courage and resilience. It’s a story for the woman today who, in addition to a rich family life, seeks a self-realized, fulfilling path toward a life well lived.Trade Review“Diamonds & Scoundrels is an incredible story of a woman who seemingly had it all but craved purpose. Through determination, boldness, entrepreneurial spirit and sheer will, she built a flourishing business, smashed barriers and proved that no dream is out of reach if you simply refuse to quit. It’s a story of business, betrayal, justice and even love. Best of all, her story serves as an incredible learning guide for anyone seeking to live life to the fullest, pursue fulfillment, and achieve goals. Diamonds & Scoundrels had me mesmerized, and the real gem in it is Adrienne Rubin.” —Matt Iseman, host, American Ninja Warrior “Diamonds and Scoundrels is a fascinating story about an extraordinary woman, whom I know personally and admire greatly. She started her own company, naive but full of courage, and was truly ahead of her time, navigating the cutthroat business world in ways that were uncommon for women of that generation. The story is a pleasure to read and proves that success can come to all who persevere.” —H Dayan, manufacturer, importer of fine jewelry and rare diamonds “If Diamonds and Scoundrels weren’t real, it would be a romp of a fiction novel! Rubin's revealing life in the jewelry biz is both an entertaining and informative narrative, from primer to master class on how to create a business, with a lexicon of pitfalls and successes. Adrienne clearly underscores that often we learn more from our failures and misjudgments of character than from our easy wins.” —Barbara Lazaroff, Designer, Restaurateur, and cofounder of the Wolfgang Puck brand “Steeped in women’s empowerment and behind-the-scenes candor, Diamonds and Scoundrels is an entertaining memoir about entrepreneurship. . . . Adrienne Rubin’s gutsy and arresting memoir . . . details her shift from a placid, 1960s homemaking life to an adventurous career, capturing thirty-five years of wisdom and growth.” —Foreword Clarion Reviews “Beautifully written memoir by a Los Angeles housewife who has it all . . . Her story involves working day and night in a man's world, evading robbers, fending off sexual advances, and traveling all over the world in search of uniquely designed handmade jewelry. All in all a great adventure that reads like fiction.” —Robert T. Altman, Superior Court Judge for California (ret.) “The book begins as a seemingly prosaic story—a bored housewife starts a small business as a way to enrich her placid life. But don’t be fooled. Soon you are on the journey and rooting for Adrienne as she encounters and overcomes her challenges. At every turn she is underestimated by competitors and potential partners. The book adeptly interweaves the human side with the business side, and it brims with lessons on entrepreneurship, trust, and how to defend your interests as a minority shareholder.” —Professor Marvin Lieberman, UCLA Anderson School of Management

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Book SynopsisTHE NEW YORK TIMES AND USA TODAY BESTSELLER The renowned and bestselling memoir—written with “insight, truth, and passion” (Sir Ian McKellen)—from iconic, beloved actor and living legend Sir Patrick Stewart.From his acclaimed stage triumphs to his legendary onscreen work, Sir Patrick Stewart has captivated audiences around the world and across multiple generations in a career spanning six decades with his indelible command of stage and screen. No other British working actor enjoys such career variety, universal respect, and unending popularity, as witnessed through his seminal roles—whether as Captain Jean-Luc Picard of Star Trek fame, Professor Charles Xavier of Marvel''s X-Men hit movie franchise, his more than forty years as part of the Royal Shakespeare Company, his unforgettable one-man show adapted from Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, or his comedic work in American Dad!, Ted, Extras, and Blunt Talk, among many others. Now, he presents his stunning memoir, a revealing portrait of a driven artist whose astonishing life—from his humble beginnings in Yorkshire, England, to the heights of Hollywood and worldwide acclaim—proves a story as exuberant, definitive, and enduring as the author himself.

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