Memoirs Books

Book SynopsisLinda I. Meyers was twenty-eight and the mother of three little boys when her mother, after a lifetime of threats, killed herself. Staggered by conflicting feelings of relief and remorse, Linda believed that the best way to give meaning to her mother’s death was to make changes to her own life. Bolstered by the women’s movement of the seventies, she left her marriage, went to college, started a successful family acting business, and established a fulfilling career. Written with irony and humor and sprinkled with Yiddish, The Tell is one woman’s inspirational story of before and after, and ultimately of emancipation and purpose.Trade Review“In this vivid and immensely enjoyable memoir, we encounter the lost world of Jewish Brooklyn, crazy parents, a crazy husband, and a protagonist/narrator who can’t help being a good girl. Woody Allen and Ralph Lauren make appearances: somehow it all fits.” —Philip Lopate, essayist and film critic “The Tell is a compelling coming-of-age story told with grit, humor, and a fine sense of atmosphere. From growing up with a mobster father and an unstable mother to waiting in a Catskill bungalow colony for a phone call from the future Ralph Lauren (né Lifshitz), to becoming a psychoanalyst, Meyers covers a lot of ground in this vivid portrait of resilience.” —Mindy Greenstein, PhD, author of The House on Crash Corner and Lighter as We Go “With cutting humor and an ear for dialogue, Linda I. Meyers mines the crevices of family secrets to disclose some glittering gems as the narrator, a single mother of three, struggles to break free from a web of lies, guilt, and betrayal. A gripping read from a damn good writer.” —Mindy Lewis, author of Life Inside: A Memoir "With beautiful observations of human nature, The Tell serves as an appreciation of the complexity of family." —Foreword Reviews

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Book SynopsisNo one could have imagined how as a child Beverly Engel could have managed to become who she is today—an internationally known expert on abuse recovery and the best-selling author of twenty-two self-help books. This is the raw, candid story of how she made her way in the world in spite of her mother’s neglect, unreasonable expectations and constant criticism; in spite of being sexually abused, first at four years old and then at nine; and in spite of being raped at twelve. Raising Myself takes readers on a remarkable journey, showing us how Engel, who was basically on her own from the age of four, learned how to cope with a neglectful, narcissistic mother while being surrounded by a cast of characters that included eccentrics and misfits, a religious fanatic, child molesters, rapists, and hoodlums. It is a soul-searching memoir about how she came dangerously close to the edge of becoming a child molester, a criminal, and a suicide, and how she battled her inner demons and struggled to keep her heart open and to “reinvent” herself so she could follow her dream of making something of herself. Powerfully inspiring and unflinchingly honest, Raising Myself is a story of remarkable resilience and insight.Trade Review“A gut-wrenching, cleareyed coming-of-age memoir…clean writing well serves this account of a child’s abuse and survival.” —Kirkus Reviews “Beverly Engel saved my life by showing me, and millions of others, how to recover from the aftermath of abuse. Now, we get to discover the woman behind the recovery movement. Through her personal story, Beverly illuminates how quickly our innocence can be destroyed by the subtle choices those who are supposed to love us make, and more important, teaches us how to have hope for a better future.” —Rhonda Britten, Emmy Award-winner, best-selling author of Fearless Living, founder of Fearless Living.org. "This story of reinvention is a must-read for anyone needing evidence that your past doesn’t define you." —Bookstr “When we write a coming-of-age memoir, we become the witness to the life of the child we once were, someone who did not have the larger perspective of the writer/narrator. Raising Myself asks the reader to join Beverly Engel as an abused and neglected child, to see the world through her eyes. The reader is comforted in knowing that she will survive and heal, and the book gives hope to those who have been lost.” —Linda Joy Myers, President of the National Association of Memoir Writers; author of Don’t Call Me Mother, Song of the Plains, and Power of Memoir “Beverly writes with poignancy and insight about a horrific childhood that could have broken her spirit. Raising Myself is the remarkable journey of a lost child becoming an empowered young woman. We follow Beverly as she journeys from one mishap to another, searching for herself, searching for love, searching for meaning. The fact that she was successful at maneuvering through the minefield of her childhood is a testament to her courage, strength, and resilience. There is brutal honesty here, but there is also a great deal of hope.” —Susan Forward, Ph.D., author of Mothers Who Can’t Love and Toxic Parents “It’s easy enough to tell women to 'say no' but, in reality, there is nothing easy about saying no if you are a woman. Engel’s book doesn’t only shed light on why this remains true, even in the age of #MeToo and #TimesUp, but it provides readers with critical, pragmatic tools and strategies designed to confront and report gender harassment, sexual assault, and childhood abuse effectively.” —Soraya Chemaly, author of Rage Becomes Her: The Power of Women’s Anger

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Book SynopsisCarly Gelsinger is an awkward and lonely thirteen-year-old when she stumbles into Pine Canyon Assemblies of God, the cracked stucco church on the outskirts of her remote small town. She assimilates, despite her apprehensions, because she is desperate to belong. Soon, she is on fire for God. She speaks in tongues, slays demons, and follows her abusive pastor’s every word―and it’s not until her life is burnt to the ground that she finds the courage to leave. Raw and illuminating,Once You Go In is a coming-of-age tale about the beauty and danger of absolute faith, and the stories people tell themselves to avoid their deepest fears.

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Book SynopsisFetish Girl is a provocative, dark, and erotic memoir that tells it like it is. LaVey pulls readers into her evolving journey: dancer to stripper to dominatrix to erotic wrestler to BDSM aficionado—and all of this while being a single mother trying to do right by her son. This true story doesn’t hold back from diving into these subcultures with a keen eye for the kinky, for the sexy, for the power of taking a risk. “Fans of the Fifty Shades series will undoubtedly find much to savor in this ribald, risqué, and captivating remembrance.” —Kirkus ReviewTrade Review2019 Next Generation Indie Book Awards: Finalist in Memoir (Other) “LaVey’s prose has an unfettered honesty as she proudly displays the joys, scars, triumphs, disappointments, and hard-won lessons of her lifestyle. The tone of the narrative is educational and never judgmental or arrogant, allowing readers to understand the author on several different levels...Fans of the Fifty Shades series will undoubtedly find much to savor in this ribald, risqué, and captivating remembrance.” —Kirkus Reviews “Skip Sunday School and read this book instead! Join Bella LaVey on her unflinching journey through the underworld of sex, where the mingling of pleasure and pain reopen the childhood wound of love withheld and eventually lead to healing. Defined by compassion, humor, and violence, Fetish Girl proves that the spiritual path can be one of adventure, startling discovery, and large men in pink tutus. A moving and courageous book, full of outcasts and deviants--the kind of folks Jesus called friends.” —Donna M. Johnson, author of Holy Ghost Girl: A Memoir “Rich and evocative, Fetish Girl is an unflinching look at learning to live life on one’s own terms while making peace with the past. Bella LaVey compellingly renders the hard choices a single mother makes to support her child and define herself. At its center, this book celebrates healing, connection, and the power we have to shift our narratives.” —Charlotte Gullick, author of By Way of Water “Experience an unforgettable sense of discovery about your own erotic potential as you connect with Fetish Girl. Deep pain that Lavey turns from the inside out gives her permission to be 'sexy, fearless, and wild both in life and art—my life became my art.' You’re right there with her. Smell the ocean, the smoky clubs, the leather. Feel the raw energy that drives a force she embraces since childhood: 'Live free or die'.” —Susan Kaye, Ph.D. Sexologist “The storms LaVey weathers in Fetish Girl are bright, violent, and mostly internal: from breast milk to BDSM, sex work, drug addiction and single motherhood, she ultimately lap dances her way into a life she can truly prize.” —Antonia Crane, author of Spent “Bella is no nonsense, a hustler, and a savvy business woman. She jumps into everything she tries with an enviable amount of enthusiasm, whether it be working as a stripper or dominatrix, female wrestling, raising her kid, or starting a relationship. She makes mistake after mistake, but she owns it. Although her heart is always in the right place (her son), she is often distracted by sex, violence, relationships, drugs, relationships and relationships. There were lots of relationship problems that she wasn’t able to anticipate . . . Bella’s story resonates with truth, and that is invaluable in this day and age.” —NetGalley, 4 out of 5

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Book SynopsisAnita Swanson Speake’s story begins with a diagnosis: idiopathic cardiomyopathy. At sixty-five, she had just found out that her heart was dying. When she got the news, she was in her late sixties. Her girls were raised and gone. Her three decades of high-stress nursing was behind her. She was living with her hopefully last, and certainly best, husband in a big, contemporary house with lots of glass on a lake in rural Northern California. She loved her life. But she didn’t love her scary new medical condition—or the many awful side effects of the medications her doctor promised would serve as a crutch for her heart. As she struggled with all this, Speake began to see herself as a member of the dying rather than the living. And over time, she began to ponder a new question: “Do I really want to get well?” Heartsong takes readers on an often humorous, sometimes sad journey through the best of Western medicine, complemented by a sampling of alternative and Eastern support systems—and through Speake’s evolving relationship with God—as she navigates this transition. Ultimately, with the help of her doctors, a Reiki practitioner, a Mindfulness coach, and her deep, abiding faith, Speake found renewed purpose late in a changing life—and realized God was waiting there for her all along.Trade Review"In Heartsong Anita weaves a compelling story of faith, love, relationships, dreams, and tough choices in the midst of the challenges of living with a chronically sick heart. She helps us understand, through her experiences, that healing is a journey, often scary, frustrating, and mysterious. Reading her story reminded us that in the midst of pain and the unknown of heartache that joy is there, hope is there, beauty is there, and God is there, even though He seems veiled. I’m glad that Anita and ‘G’ made a right hand turn at Highway 29. It taught me that even in the midst of struggle that taking the scenic route is never a bad idea. ‘Heartsong’ is a book that lifts the spirit." —Dr. Garry Zeek, Senior Pastor Grace Church of Kelseyville, CA "One short chapter at a time, one irregular heartbeat at a time, Anita shares her life with us—honestly, humorously, unashamedly. What begins as the story of a cardiac patient's physical and emotional journey through heart disease ends up being a complicated ride through a lifetime of heartache. Swanson deftly traverses time; taking us back to her childhood, into the high-lights and low-lights of her various marriages, and through her years as a single mom working the nightshift in an ER. If it is possible for years of heart-pain to cause the physical organ of a heart to break, Anita's story quietly suggests that later years of love and faith can bind the heart up again, making it possible to finally truly live . . . while dying.” —Wendy Speake, co-author of Triggers and Life Creative "In Heartsong, Anita Speake takes us on a journey that is quietly compelling and fiercely alive. She grapples with her faith as her health declines but never gives up on finding what will heal her. As she scours the past and pulls us into the present, we are drawn in by her infectious humor and lovely, clear-sighted storytelling. Heartsong is a beautiful story of how one woman survives, thrives, and embraces humor in even the most painful days of her diagnosis." —Melissa Cistaro, author of Pieces of My Mother

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Book SynopsisRunning a clinic for seniors requires a lot more than simply providing medical care. In Stories from the Tenth-Floor Clinic, Marianna Crane chases out scam artists and abusive adult children, plans a funeral, signs her own name to social security checks, and butts heads with her staff—two spirited older women who are more well-intentioned than professional—even as she deals with a difficult situation at home, where the tempestuous relationship with her own mother is deteriorating further than ever before. Eventually, however, Crane maneuvers her mother out of her household and into an apartment of her own—but only after a power struggle and no small amount of guilt—and she finally begins to learn from her older staff and her patients how to juggle traditional health care with unconventional actions to meet the complex needs of a frail and underserved elderly population.

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Book SynopsisA wife and mother of a grown son and two teen daughters, a woman enjoying her career and life, Mary Jo Doig wants nothing more from life than to live out her days embraced by the deep roots of family, friends, and her community. Tightly wrapped in a life-long protective cocoon, she has no idea how wounded she is—until, on one starless night following the death of a relative, she has a flashback that opens a dark passageway back to her childhood and the horrific secrets buried deep inside her psyche. Part mystery and part inspirational memoir, Patchwork is the riveting story of one woman who strived to live a life full of love, only to endure tragedies with two of her children and struggles in her marriages—the consequences of a mysterious life-long behavior unnoticed by her family or teachers. Like a needle stitching together a quilt, the memories Mary Jo recovers following her first flashback show her why her early years were threaded with a need to be invisible, as well as core beliefs that she was stupid, not good enough, and vastly different from her peers. Shattered by these revelations, overcome by depression, hopelessness, and a loss of trust in others, Mary Jo embarks on a healing journey through the underground of her life that ultimately leads to transformation.Trade Review"In Patchwork, Mary Jo Doig explores the nature of memory and consciousness, connecting the threads of the past to weave a beautiful story of healing and transformation." —Linda Joy Myers, president of the National Association of Memoir Writers, author of Song of the Plains

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Book SynopsisIn this award-winning memoir, you’ll meet Hannah, a young girl who has a promising future until she suddenly spirals into sex, drugs, alcohol, and other high-risk behaviors. Off the Rails: One Family’s Journey Through Teen Addiction narrates Hannah’s decline and subsequent treatment through the raw, honest, compelling voices of Hannah and her shocked and desperate mother―each one telling her side of the story. Fearing that they couldn’t keep their teen safe, Hannah’s parents make the agonizing decision to send her to a wilderness program, and then to residential treatment. Off the Rails tells the story of the two tough years Hannah spent in three separate programs―and ponders the factors that contributed to her ultimate recovery. Written for families facing challenges and those that wish to support them, Off the Rails is an inspiring story of love, determination, and a last-resort intervention, as a mother and daughter lose, and then try to find each other again.

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Book SynopsisThis story begins with an ending: the day Maureen Muldoon realized the devastating fact that her husband was having an affair—and leaving her for Miss Universe. Miss freaking Universe! How does this even happen? An intimate examination of Muldoon’s unraveling in the face of this betrayal, A Spiritual Vixen’s Guide to An Unapologetic Life takes a fresh, funny and fearless look at loss, denial, anger, grace, and liberation. Muldoon reveals the strength that comes from facing one’s fears, the humor that arrives in the darkest hours, and the miracles that happen when you least expect them in this grand tapestry of tales from the dark side. Ultimately, with wit and wisdom, she walks herself out of hell in a pair of sexy stilettos and manages to do what the all the king’s horses and all the king’s men could not: she puts herself back together. And in doing so, she comes to find more beauty and strength in the fractured places than anyone would have ever imagined.Trade Review"A self-help memoir about one woman overcoming a broken marriage and alcoholism to find spiritual fulfillment . . . The author also offers concrete, valuable examples of how the 'feminine Divine' can help turn trauma into spiritual wisdom, which should particularly appeal to fans of Louise Hay’s work. A sassy, colorful take on New-Age insights." —Kirkus Reviews "Muldoon delivers a valiant, generous story that gives women a fresh perspective on being savvy, sacred, and sexy. She shares a step-by-step blueprint for shedding old, worn out beliefs and embracing our authentic selves. This is girl power at its most inspired!" —Tammy Letherer author, The Buddha at My Table "Maureen reminds us to pay attention and follow the signs and signals of the Universe that lead us to the life of our dreams. To remember, even in the midst of the depths of despair, that endings are always beginnings, that we are writing our own stories in collaboration with the Divine Creator that lives within us, to never give up when the chips are down, because the Goddess will burn down our limited expectations and deliver something bigger, badder, and bolder than we could ever dream of ourselves." —Cathy Richardson, lead singer Jefferson Starship “It’s like two books in one: a ‘how-to’ instruction manual on how to connect with the Divine Feminine and become a strong and spiritual woman, as well as a beautifully written true story from whence Muldoon’s life lessons came. It’s a story that will pull you in, make you laugh and cry, and inspire you to follow Muldoon and become your best self!” —Bethany Rooney, television producer/director “Maureen Muldoon is a wonderful storyteller . . . she navigates her life with honesty and humor.” —Mindy Sterling, actress, Austin Powers "This true story is about a woman whose husband leaves her for Miss Universe. Miss f*cking Universe. And I thought I had trust issues. Muldoon details her feelings of loss, anger, and denial in a funny and candid way, and her journey towards liberation is one you’ll be rooting for." —Betches, "5 Self-Help Books That Aren't Corny"

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Book SynopsisAn Amazon Bestseller Jo’s mother, Babe, liked to drink, dance, and stay up very late. When the husband she adored went on sales calls, she waited for him in the parking lot, embroidering pillowcases. Jo grew up thinking that the last thing she wanted was to be like her mother. Then it dawned on her that her own happiness was derived in large part from lessons Babe had taught her. Her mother might have had tomato aspic and stewed rhubarb in her fridge, while Jo had organic kale and almond milk in hers, but in more important ways they were much closer in spirit than Jo had once thought. At a turbulent time in America, Never Sit If You Can Dance offers uplifting lessons in old-fashioned civility that will ring true with mothers, daughters, and their families. Told with lighthearted good humor, it’s a charming tale of the way things used to be—and probably still should be.

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Book SynopsisOne terrible night in 2011, Brin Miller’s life is upended when she learns that her teenage stepson has been sexually abusing her two daughters. Once this secret is discovered, Brin’s marriage, already crumbling and unable to sustain itself, breaks apart. But against all odds, Brin and her husband, along with their daughters, are gradually able to learn resilience, forgiveness, strength, and courage, and—miraculously—Brin’s marriage begins to heal. Haunting and horrible yet hopeful and beautiful, Buried Saints is a fast and raw memoir of forgiveness and resilience, a revelatory look into a family deeply destroyed by deceit, and a truly astonishing story about the intense, unpredictable love of two parents who have to decide whether to fall or flourish in a tragic situation.

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Book SynopsisLost Without the River is an elegantly wrought memoir of resilience, courage, and reinvention. A portrait of nature at its most beautiful and demanding, it is the story of a girl whose family struggled against Depression-era hardship and personal tragedy to carve out a small farm in rural South Dakota. The youngest of seven, Barbara wrestles against the expectations of her family, the strictures of the church, and the limits imposed by a male-dominated culture. Eager for adventure, she leaves the farm—first for the Peace Corps and ultimately for the unknown environs of Manhattan’s Upper East Side—but she never truly escapes. Lost Without the River demonstrates the emotional power that even the smallest place can exert, and the gravitational pull that calls a person back home.Trade Review2020 International Book Awards Finalist in Autobiography/Memoir 2019 Foreword INDIES Finalist in Adult Nonfiction: Grief/Grieving 2019 Best Book Awards Finalist in Autobiography/Memoir 2019 Readers' Favorite Awards Finalist in Nonfiction (Memoir) 2019 Next Generation Indie Book Awards: Finalist in Memoir (Historical/Legacy Career) 2019 Foreword Indies Finalist in Adult Non-Fiction: Grief/Grieving “. . . this volume of reminiscences charts not just the stories of [Scoblic's] youth, but also the ways those things have shaped and weighed on her throughout her adulthood. The author’s prose is lyrical and highly observant . . .” —Kirkus Reviews “With its map of the family farm, its photograph of the Whetstone river, and its portrait gallery, Scoblic's memoir is both a microhistory of her tiny corner of South Dakota and an oral-history-toned chronicle of the Hoffbeck family from the 1920s onward . . . . Scoblic's picturesque language . . . keeps sentimentalism at bay . . .” —The New York Times “. . . Scoblic has captured something universal here . . . [she] mines the theme of the power of place, specifically the river that traced through their farm. None of the kids remained in South Dakota, and she rightly notes it takes ‘a great deal of emotional courage to return to that spot where we grew up,’ what with how the agricultural economy has foundered. Writing this memoir was no doubt an act of quiet courage, and Scoblic strikes that careful balance between objectivity and love that is essential to preserving such stories.” —Minneapolis Star-Tribune “Her large farming family was always in flux, hardworking and bone weary, yet there is a quiet intimacy conveyed in the lean prose of Barbara Scoblic’s memoir, where simple gestures, like ironing blouses before a sister leaves for college, carry unspoken love and yearning.” —Elizabeth Garber, author of Implosion: A Memoir of an Architect's Daughter “There are some writers who can sing the song of even a small and remote place and through some magic transform it into a siren call. Barbara Scoblic is one of those writers!” —Lewis Frumkes, director of The Writing Center at Hunter College “Enter Barbara Scoblic's world, where opera reigns in the kitchen on Saturday afternoons, the winter is long, and loss is real. Her writing beautifully teases up the questions of life, love, and how much of a hold our past really has on us.” —Marion Roach Smith, author of The Memoir Project: A Thoroughly Non-Standardized Text for Writing & Life “Barbara Scoblic’s Lost Without the River is a virtual literary symphony fusing memoir, history, and geography. Her descriptions of South Dakota's farms, rivers, and glacial lakes are as vivid as her portraits of three generations of her family and their relationships. She may have achieved a modern classic.” —Sidney Offit, author of Memoir of the Bookie's Son

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Book SynopsisBeing Mean is about learning how to acknowledge and live with incomprehensible experiences in the healthiest ways possible. Told in vignettes relative to markers of age and experience, Patricia Eagle reveals the heartbreak and destruction of sexual abuse, from age four to thirteen, by her father. Eagle uses dissociation and numbing in response to his abusive behavior, her mother’s complacency, and as a way to block her own sense of self. How does a child come to know what is safe or unsafe, right or wrong, normal or abnormal? How does a young woman learn the difference between real love and a desire for sexual pleasure stimulated by abusive childhood sexual experiences? Careening through life, Eagle wonders how to trust others and, most importantly, herself. As a mature woman struggling to understand and live with her past, she remains earnest in her pursuit of clarity, compassion, and trust.Trade Review2020 CIBA Journey Book Awards Finalist2020 Colorado Independent Publishing Association (CIPA), 3rd Place in Memoir2019 Foreword INDIES Finalist in Adult Nonfiction: Autobiography & Memoir2019 Colorado Author's League Finalist in Adult NonFiction: Historical, Autobiographical“Being Mean excavates the caverns of the author’s childhood trauma to expose how its tendrils tormented her long after the horrible fact. Eagle’s account is harrowing in its honesty. Traumatic as the shaping circumstances of her childhood are, she never uses them as a shield. Such frank analyses are refreshing and may provide empathetic assurance to other victims who are still in the gauntlet of recovery.”—Foreword Reviews“A deftly written work of commendable honesty, exceptional candor, and impressive personal courage, Being Mean: A Memoir of Sexual Abuse and Survival is a riveting, honest, and ultimately life-healing memoir with a highly relevant underlying message given today's #MeToo climate that is slowly bringing to justice even the most powerful and wealthy of pedophiles and sexual predators.”—Midwest Book Review“Being Mean: A Memoir of Sexual Abuse and Survival is a painful story with a message of hope for readers; a message that tells readers that they can heal and that they can reclaim their lives after sexual abuse. It's a captivating story that makes a powerful case for the millions who suffer the pain of sexual abuse in silence.”—Readers' Favorite“Not since Alice Sebold’s Lucky have I read a memoir that leans into the soul-shattering experience of early sexual trauma with such courage and intelligence. Patricia Eagle elevates the difficulty of her subject matter through her clear prose and a cohesive narrative that weaves recurring themes of betrayal, devotion, the secrets that keep us, and the redemptive wisdom of love. I wept real tears at the complexity and beauty of the healing. This book will rinse you clean.”—Kathleen Adams, LPC, author of Journal to the Self and Expressive Writing: Foundations of Practice and founder/director of Center for Journal Therapy Inc “Patricia Eagle’s extraordinary memoir, Being Mean, is a testament to the power of the human spirit to prevail over childhood sexual trauma, heal itself in the act of truth-telling, and emerge from the depths of confusion with survivor’s wisdom and an open, generous heart. Eagle’s humor, candor, and determination to bring compassionate understanding to the darkest of crimes separates this book from the majority of abuse memoirs; so does her spirited refusal to sacrifice sexual freedom and pleasure to the fire of childhood incest. Daring, beautifully written, and filled with unforgettable moments, Being Mean is one brave woman’s story of soul retrieval and finding her way through the mysteries of love. It deserves a place on your bookshelf next to Kathryn Harrison’s The Kiss, Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues, and Bass-Davis’s The Courage to Heal. I could not recommend it more highly.” —Mark Matousek, author of The Boy He Left Behind and When You’re Falling, Dive“When I first began speaking of my sexual abuse, I looked for just one woman who had relived her experiences and her feelings, and who had survived and thrived. I became that woman whom I was looking for, and Patricia Eagle can now count as another.” —Marilyn Van Derbur, author of Miss America by Day“Being Mean is an incredible piece of writing, reconciling the most harmful aspects of the author's life to make a story she carries forward in strength and compassion. I appreciated how Patricia Eagle not only detailed her childhood experience but how that confusion/sexualization/trauma impacted the decades of her adult life. This is a teaching book that I hope gets to many therapists for understanding and to many survivors for validation.” —Christina Baldwin, author of Storycatcher: Making Sense of Our Lives through the Power and Practice of Story and The Seven Whispers: A Spiritual Practice for Times Like These

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Book SynopsisAt eighteen, Paula is already a seasoned traveler, having begun life in England, crisscrossed the US as a young child, and survived a year in a London boarding school, immersed in her mother’s heritage. But when, at eighteen, she leaves home for Israel to explore her father’s Jewish roots and learn Hebrew on a kibbutz ulpan (a work/study program on a collective farm), her quest will change her life forever. Seduced by her love of language, she continues the journey to France for several years before returning at last to settle to Israel. As she navigates her odyssey from vision to reality, she will learn much more than two new languages—and realize that if she is ever to forge her own identity, she must also separate from her twin sister and follow her own path.Trade Review2021 Readers' Favorite Book Awards Finalist in Non-Fiction - Women's

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Book SynopsisIrene Sardanis was born into a Greek family in the Bronx in the 1940s in which fear and peril hovered. Her mother had come to New York for an arranged marriage. Her father drank, gambled, and enjoyed other women—and then, when Irene was eleven, abandoned her family altogether. Faced with their mother’s violent outbursts in the wake of this betrayal, Irene’s older siblings found a way out, but Irene was trapped, hostage to her mother’s rage and despair. When she finally escaped her mother as a young adult, she married a neighbor, also Greek, who controlled and dominated her just like her mother always had. But Irene wasn’t ready to let her story end there. With therapy, she eventually found the courage to leave her husband and pursue her own dreams. Out of the Bronx is her story of coming to terms with the mother and past that terrified and paralyzed her for far too long—and of how she went on to create a new life free of those fears.Trade Review2021 Firebird Book Awards First Place Winner in Inspiration2020 New York City Big Book Awards Winner in Inspiration2020 Independent Press Awards Winner in Inspirational“Out of the Bronx is the brave story of a young woman who wants to stay connected with her Greek roots while she tries to escape them. The reader will enjoy the lively prose and energy of Irene Sardanis as she brings alive her childhood and her family, and you’ll cheer her on as she discovers the life she wants to live.”—Linda Joy Myers, founder of the National Association of Memoir Writers, author of Don’t Call Me Mother, Song of the Plains and The Power of Memoir“Out of the Bronx is the story of a young woman's struggle to escape and heal from the generational struggle of Greek immigrant parents. As an adult psychologist, she comes to understand her mother's story and to celebrate her own Greek culture. At the close of a beautifully detailed description of a Greek feast, she writes, 'I have filled my empty.' Her story is an important aid to readers who want to better understand the complicated difficulties faced by immigrants.”—Pat Schneider, founder, Amherst Writers & Artists, author of Writing Alone and With Others and How the Light Gets In“Are you from the Bronx? Have you visited? Neither? Regardless, you’re in luck, because Irene Sardanis transports you to this infamous New-York borough in an entirely engaging, revealing, and personal way. The daughter of two Greek-immigrant parents, Sardanis proclaims, 'My mother’s village was her extended family. At the (Greek) Festival, the Greeks are mine.' It is there that she 'fills her empty,' which is vast yet hidden until the publication of this deeply moving and painfully relatable memoir, Out of the Bronx.”—Valerie Haynes Perry, author of Write the Book You Want—Be Your Own Coach“Irene Sardanis writes with compulsion, ferocity, and immediacy of a wrongly imprisoned person, unexpectedly and surprisingly set free—which, of course, she is: a prisoner of time, place, family, gender, culture, religion and self.”—Mark Greenside, author of I Saw a Man Hit His Wife and I'll Never Be French (no matter what I do)“Out of the Bronx is a spellbinding tale of how to survive the worst kind of childhood and thrive in later life. Author Irene Sardanis, the daughter of Greek immigrants, takes readers on her healing journey, one that began with a violent mother and often absent, alcoholic father. Richly compassionate, Ms. Sardanis eventually built a career as a therapist and found the love of her life. Along the way, she discovered a hard-won surprise, compassion for her mother and father. The memoir is a haunting reminder of the era when few persons thought of intervening when a young person was abused, and before anyone heard of child protective services. Whether one's parents arrived from another place recently or long ago, Out of the Bronx, offers considerable inspiration for all readers.”—Kristine Mietzner, Contributor, Your Life is a Trip“Irene Sardanis's writing is as spunky as she is, and we cheer for her as she negotiates her way from being an abused child to a teenager who tries to outwit her mother to an adult who survived two abusive marriages, got her doctorate in psychology, worked as a therapist, and found love. Her insight, understanding, and humor are there in her memoir for the reader to experience. This book could be depressing. Instead, it's an inspiration.”—Karen Lee Pliskin, PhD, anthropologist, author of Silent Boundaries“Irene Sardanis’s coming of age story is filled with drama, resilience, and hope. She follows the arc from her hardscrabble childhood in a Bronx tenement to breaking away from her difficult family to finding her own voice and becoming a therapist and writer. Her memoir, told with grace, honesty and wit, will encourage and inspire others.”—Elizabeth Fishel, author of Getting to 30“How we come through our childhood is a mystery. Even with dynamics laid out plainly as Irene Sardanis does in her memoir, her voice is so utterly clear you can see her world. She says, 'I knew I could never tell anyone.' Yet she bravely tells us her story. Read Out of the Bronx and you may be honored with a glimpse of the mystery.”—Clive Matson, author of Hello, Paradise. Paradise, Goodbye. and Let the Crazy Child Write“The memoir, Out of the Bronx tells with Immediacy and grace, how Irene Sardanis not only survived her family of birth, she successfully navigated the choppy waters that followed to grow into a self-assured writer.”—Audrey Ward, author of Hidden Biscuits“Out of the Bronx is a powerful, emotional recounting of Sardanis’s journey, and the unvarnished truth of her experience—which is at once so familiar and yet so uniquely her own—is moving.”—The National Herald

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Book SynopsisPart culinary memoir and part travelogue, Carole Bumpus gathered this compilation of intimate interviews, conversations, stories, and traditional family recipes (cuisine pauvre) in the kitchens of French families as she traveled throughout the countryside. Travel with her through Champagne caves/wineries and historic cathedrals, local farmers’ markets, ancient potters’ guilds, and restaurant kitchens with wood-fire ovens. Learn how to make homemade Spinach-stuffed Tortellini with Bolognaise Sauce from the Champagne region, Crêpes and Watercress-stuffed Ravioli from the Lorraine, and Baekeofe and Kugelhopf from the Alsace. “Go blind” from the family stock of Eau de Vie liqueur and be treated to tales of foraging for snails for the infamous and now extinct Escargots Festival. And, on a somber note, listen to accounts of families forced from their communities during the German occupation of WWII in the Alsace and Lorraine, only to continue to struggle for survival after finally making their way home. This book is a compilation of stories about making ends meet; about people being grateful for all they had, even when they had almost nothing; about the sharing of family jokes and laughter; and about family trials and triumphs. This book is about people savoring the life they have been given.Trade Review2021 Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY Awards): Gold Winner in Book Series - Non-Fiction 2020 CIBA Hearten Book Awards Finalist 2020 International Book Awards, Finalist in Cookbook: International 2020 IPPY Awards Silver Winner in Best Regional Non-Fiction—Europe 2020 International Book Awards Finalist in Cookbook: International 2019 Chanticleer I & I Book Awards for Instruction and Insight Finalist “Both a regional history and a cooking memoir, this is even more than the sum of its parts, and a celebration of living life every moment. Francophiles, history fans, and foodies will love this book.” —Booklist “. . . engaging. . . . Bumpus’s writing is perspicuous and economical. . . . The recipes, too, are enticing and detailed, and the book as a whole should appeal to Francophiles and ambitious cooks. A culinary adventure that’s enhanced by familial and regional histories.” —Kirkus Reviews “The book is peppered with descriptions of regional and family dishes . . . and is a wonderful ride through four regions of France, generating great excitement for its follow-up.” —Foreword Reviews “Mouth-wateringly delicious, evocative, and utterly charming.” —French Book Worm, on Good Life France.com “These are stories of history and change, of cherishing traditions partly because of the sense that they may not continue forever, making them even more precious and Bumpus’s recording of them even more vital. . . .” —Jeannette Ferrary, author of MFK Fisher and Me: A Memoir of Food and Friendship “Carole’s enthusiasm for the region’s people, history and culinary traditions leaps from the pages in this down-to-earth exploration of north-eastern France. Pull up a chair, pour yourself a glass of wine and dig in!” —Fiona Valpy, author of The French for Love “This is a gem of a book for foodies, francophiles and lovers of storytelling. Carole Bumpus is an insightful and gracious guest.” —Patricia Sands, author of the bestselling Love in Provence series “In a carefully constructed itinerary, and with notebook in hand, Carole visits with local families who recount how traditional French dishes have been woven into their everyday lives and upbringings. . . . This book is chock-full of details and foodie inspiration and gives the reader intimate insight into French home-cooking traditions.” —Belle Provence Travels “This book is a gem . . . . If food, France, history, and culture interest you, then don’t miss this book that perfectly combines all of these and more.” —The French Village Diaries “Warning: Do not read this book if you are hungry or within reach of a credit card. You will end up cooking (and eating) all of the included recipes, or buying a ticket for the next flight to France, or both—all while devouring this book. Because, much like the dishes and stories she describes, Carole Bumpus’s writing is simply delectable.” —Pink Pangea

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Book SynopsisIn September 2007, Christine Ristaino was attacked in a store parking lot while her three- and five-year-old children watched. In All the Silent Spaces, Ristaino shares what it felt like to be an ordinary person confronted with an extraordinary event—a woman trying to deal with acute trauma even as she went on with her everyday life, working at a university and parenting two children with her husband. She not only narrates how this event changed her but also tells how looking at the event through both the reactions of her community and her own sensibility allowed her to finally face two other violent episodes she had previously experienced. As new memories surfaced after the attack, it took everything in Ristaino’s power to not let catastrophe unravel the precarious threads holding everything together. Moving between the greater issues associated with violence and the personal voyage of overcoming grief, All the Silent Spaces is about letting go of what you think you know in order to rebuild.Trade Review2020 Readers’ Favorite Book Awards: Finalist in Non-Fiction – Social Issues 2020 Readers’ Favorite Book Awards Finalist: Non-Fiction: Social Issues 2020 Living Now Book Awards Gold Winner in Inspirational Memoir (Female) 2020 International Book Awards, Finalist in Social Change 2020 IndieReader Discovery Awards Winner in Women's Issues 2019 Best Book Awards Finalist in Social Change 2019 Best Book Awards Finalist in Women's Issues “ . . . a swirling examination of many of the elements that can factor into violence in America, but it’s also a portrait of one woman’s experiences with such violence, and how she managed to find a way to avoid being destroyed by it . . . An insightful, openhearted memoir about brutality in many forms.” —Kirkus Reviews “All the Silent Spaces: A Memoir, by Christine Ristaino, is a deep and lyrical memoir about how a vicious assault affected all aspects of the author’s life, and how she found strength to not just endure tragedy but transcend it. This book touches on dynamics one might expect–fear, survival, mistrust, recovery—but also on themes one might not—like race, religion, poverty, and politics.” —IndieReader

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Book Synopsis“With sensitivity and candor, Baraf examines mental illness, immigration, forgiveness, and community—all framed within the precocity of her life’s circumstances.” —Ms. Magazine “At the Narrow Waist of the World is a compelling account of what it is like to live through turbulence and come out on the other side.” —Foreword Clarion Review “Deftly written, impressively candid, insightfully presented, At the Narrow Waist of the World is an extraordinary and memorable read.” —Midwest Book Review “By the end of At the Narrow Waist of the World, we have come to know, admire and even cherish its author in a way few memoirists manage to achieve . . . . ” —Jewish Journal Raised by a lively family of Spanish Jews in tropical and Catholic Panama of the 1950s and 1960s, Marlena depends on her many tíos and tías for refuge from the difficulties of life, including the frequent absences of her troubled mother. As a teenager, she pulls away from this centered world—crossing borders—and begins a life in the United States very different from the one she has known. This lyrical coming-of-age memoir explores the intense and profound relationship between mothers and daughters and highlights the importance of community and the beauty of a large Latin American family. It also explores the vital issues of mental illness and healing, forgiveness and acceptance. At the Narrow Waist of the World examines the author's gradual integration into a new culture, even as she understands that her home is still—and always will be—rooted in another place.Trade Review2019 Foreword INDIES Finalist in Adult Nonfiction: Autobiography & Memoir “With sensitivity and candor, Baraf examines mental illness, immigration, forgiveness, and community—all framed within the precocity of her life’s circumstances.” —Ms. Magazine “At the Narrow Waist of the World is a compelling account of what it is like to live through turbulence and come out on the other side.” —Foreword Clarion Review “Deftly written, impressively candid, insightfully presented, At the Narrow Waist of the World is an extraordinary and memorable read.” —Midwest Book Review “By the end of At the Narrow Waist of the World, we have come to know, admire and even cherish its author in a way few memoirists manage to achieve . . . . ” —Jewish Journal

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Book SynopsisIn the summer of 1994, a freak lightning and thunder storm explodes on the southern coast of Maine, killing Nancy Bills’s husband and critically wounding her younger son. She promises her late husband that she will write their family’s story and bind it with a red ribbon of love and courage. In language alternately tender and gritty, The Red Ribbon documents the aftermath of Bills’s husband’s death. As a wife, she grieves and attempts to rebuild her life; as a mother, she strains to be the parent her young adult sons need. Then, one year later, she is faced with more loss—this time, the father whom she adores. After his death, other deaths, some anticipated and others unpredictable, follow. Meanwhile, the impending death of her aging mother is a particular challenge; Nancy struggles to be a good daughter, and on many visits to Montana, her home state, she tries to mend their painful history. Insightful, moving, and full of intelligence and humanity, The Red Ribbon is a story of surviving the many and often devastating lightning strikes of life, and a gift of compassion and wisdom for readers who are struggling with their own losses.Trade Review2019 Kirkus Reviews' Best Indie Book Awards—Best Indie Biographies & Memoirs 2019 Foreword Indies Honorable Mention in Adult Non-Fiction: Grief/Grieving 2020 Eric Hoffer First Horizon Award Finalist 2020 Eric Hoffer Award Honorable Mention in Memoir “Memoirs of loss and survival are rather common, but what sets this one apart is Bills’ extraordinary perceptiveness and writing talent. . . . A keeper of a book by a talented author.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review “A must-read for anyone dealing with loss.” —Hollis Gillespie, best-selling author and award-winning syndicated humor columnist “I highly recommend this book; it is both heartbreaking and uplifting . . . a real tour de force!” —Christine Linnehan, MS, LCPC, FT, psychotherapist at Riverview Counseling and consultant for Center for Grieving Children “Achingly beautiful.” —Barbara Hesselman Kautz, MSN, RN, author of When I Die I’m Going to Heaven ‘Cause I Spent My Time in Hell: A Memoir of My Year as an Army Nurse in Vietnam “Nancy’s voice in The Red Ribbon is direct and beautifully sustained right through to the end, and her language, both fresh and arresting, documents the fragility such a blow inflicts; her work is infused with pain and grace moving into emotional country most fear to explore. She shares generously the truth of her experience, and the reader is stunned, brought to tears, and needs to be reminded to breathe. Her memoir is an amazing accomplishment offering help and hope to others suffering losses. Nancy’s memoir reveals a brave effort to stay focused and steady when facing an ultimate horror. The Red Ribbon is the product of a years-long struggle for meaning, the gradual construction of her myth, and a clear vision of an experience fully understood in the broader human context. It is a triple whammy.” —Walden S. Morton, editor of KALEIDOSCOPE and a finalist for the Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance 2017 Maine Literary Award for Anthology

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Book SynopsisAfter growing up in abject poverty in a dysfunctional alcoholic environment and being terrorized by a boarder who lived in the root cellar, Athena Demetrios repressed her traumatic memories—thrusting her into a downward spiral of melancholy and despair. But when, as an adult, she had a powerful spiritual experience that opened doors into other dimensions, she began an odyssey in which truth became stranger than fiction—a journey through hypnotic regression that led her to transcendence and healing. Demetrios’s story of courage, mystical insight, and otherworldly guidance will open your heart and challenge your perception of the borders of our minds and the boundaries of our world. This is a tale of past-life visions, spiritual guides, and communication beyond death—and emergence into the radiant light of self-discovery, knowing, and being at peace with all that is.

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Book SynopsisMeet Chris and Marty—a married couple working on their careers, raising their only child, and chasing big adventures. At midlife, they suddenly find themselves weighing the responsibility of parenthood against the possibility of one more grand adventure, before their aging bodies and the warming continent of Antarctica further degrade. They ultimately decide it’s time to pursue their biggest dream: Ski 570 miles from the edge of Antarctica to the South Pole. With no guide or resupply. From the lush Pacific Northwest to the barren landscape of Antarctica, Chris and Marty embark on one of the hardest challenges on the planet. After three years of intense planning and training, including meticulous preparations for the care of their twelve-year-old son, they are ready. Experience a boundless white wonderland like no other on earth. Encounter life-threatening dangers lurking in the bitter cold. Feel the intensity of 220-pound sleds, relentless wind, 40-below temperatures, and mind-numbing isolation. This is not an average couples getaway. Chris and Marty go where few others have dared on the way to making history—stretching their bodies, minds, and marriage to the limit in the process. Riveting and inspiring, The Expedition is about the power of family and community, the adventurous spirit that dwells within us all, and breaking through to feel fully alive.Trade Review2020 Living Now Book Awards Gold Winner in Relationships/Marriage 2020 PNWA Nancy Pearl Book Award Winner in Memoir 2020 Readers’ Favorite Book Awards Honorable Mention in Non-Fiction – Sports 2019 Foreword INDIES Finalist in Adult Nonfiction: Adventure, Sports & Recreation “Chris Fagan’s new book is a wonderful story of a husband and wife coming together as they conquer the daily hardships and challenges of an extreme journey. The story is a celebration of what it takes to meet big goals and dreams, as well as a testimony to an enduring partnership.” —Helen Thayer, author of Polar Dream and Walking to Gobi “Chris has written a wonderful book, as honest and revealing of her emotions as the physical challenges she endured. She draws the reader into her life and family in a powerful way. I wouldn’t be surprised if she finds complete strangers, thinking they know her, showing up to share a cup of tea. This book is going on my recommended reading list.” —Steve Jones, Expeditions Manager at Antarctica Logistics and Expeditions “The Expedition is an epic, heartwarming story about moxie and the power of family. Travel to the coldest and southernmost reaches of planet earth where Chris and Marty dig deep into their reserves and ultimately strengthen their bond of marriage in this remarkably told story. Bravo!” —Susan Conrad, author of Inside: One Woman’s Journey Through the Inside Passage “The gaze of polar narratives are all too often focused exclusively on the destination, at the expense of the real heart of any journey—the family and the support network back home that make it all possible in the first place and that determine so much of who we are as individuals. The Expedition is the first polar account I have read that has given ‘home’ equal billing to the ‘ice’. Congratulations on a heartfelt memoir and a journey completed with integrity.” —Felicity Aston, author of Call of the White, Alone in Antarctica and Chasing Winter “In her stunning memoir The Expedition, Chris Fagan details her trip with her husband, Marty, through remote, harsh, and otherworldly Antarctica, a place that presents challenges unlike any others on Earth. . . . Intimate and brutally honest, Fagan’s story is about the dynamics of relationships, too—with oneself, one’s partner, family, and community.” —Kristine Morris, Foreword Reviews

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Book SynopsisBonnie S. Hirst is a woman of faith who has always believed that everything in life works out for the best. So, when her daughter, Lacey, is accused of a terrible crime, although Bonnie is devastated, she is also convinced that God will protect her family from harm. He always has, after all. But when her prayers are not answered and Lacey is sentenced to life in prison, Bonnie questions every aspect of her existence: her beliefs, her role as a mother, and the purpose behind the events that are tearing her family apart. As Bonnie and her family navigate the complicated labyrinth of the legal system, she struggles with the duality of presenting a façade of being okay on the outside and screaming for air on the inside. Finally, she is guided to ask for help—a concept previously foreign to her—and is rewarded with a bubble of friends who surround her and her family with love. Poignant, hopeful, and ultimately uplifting, Test of Faith is the story of one mother’s spiritual journey of awareness—and her discovery that even when your life seems to have radically veered off course, there are always blessings to be found, if you can just keep your heart open enough to receive them.Trade Review“Deeply personal, heart-breaking but ultimately inspiring story, Test of Faith: Surviving My Daughter's Life Sentence is an extraordinary and deftly presented account that is an inherently compelling read from cover to cover.” —Midwest Book Review

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Book SynopsisA schoolteacher escapes an abusive marriage and finds love on a blind date. Mary Jane’s new man, sure that riding a Harley will restore her confidence, ends up following the white lines with her through fifteen years of marriage. Traveling together, they learn to be partners, both on and off the road, until Dwayne is diagnosed with cancer. After losing her husband, Mary Jane once again must learn to live on her own—but she’ll never be the same again.

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Book SynopsisThe Parrot’s Perch opens in 2013, when Karen Keilt, age sixty, receives an invitation to testify at the Brazilian National Truth Commission at the UN in New York. The email sparks memories of her “previous life”—the one she has kept safely bottled up for more than thirty-seven years. Hopeful of helping to raise awareness about ongoing human rights violations in Brazil, she wants to testify, but she anguishes over reliving the horrific events of her youth. In the pages that follow, Keilt tells the story of her life in Brazil—from her exclusive, upper-class lifestyle and dreams of Olympic medals to her turmoil-filled youth. Full of hints of a dark oligarchy in Brazil, corruption, crime, and military interference, The Parrot’s Perch is a searing, sometimes shocking true tale of suffering, struggle—and survival. Karen Keilt lived through the darkest days of Brazil’s military dictatorship. In her courageous and compelling memoir, Keilt narrates an emotionally honest reckoning of her desire to find true happiness. Forbidden by her wealthy family to even mention her imprisonment, torture, and rape, Keilt is forced to make a change that will affect the rest of her life. Seen through her testimony to the Brazilian National Truth Commission at the UN, readers become witnesses to both her vulnerability and her quiet strength.

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Book SynopsisShe didn’t see the hammer. For a fraction of a second JoAnne Jones saw a young black face, framed by a black hoodie, and then she descended into a place where she felt and saw nothing. Jones survived this sudden assault by a stranger, but it left her with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI), fractured hands, and PTSD. Headstrong tells the story of how she learned to live with the daily challenges of TBI. It brings the reader into a life traumatized by violence and set in the context of a society full of violence and vocal, visible white supremacists. Woven throughout Jones’s account are the stories of how medical professionals, friends, family, and strangers became a foundation strong enough to hold her during the worst of times, and to give her the buoyancy to find a path toward hope.

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Book SynopsisMany Hands Make Light Work is the rollicking true story of a family of nine children growing up in the college town of Ames, Iowa in the ’60s and ’70s. Inspiring, full of surprises, and laugh-out-loud funny, this utterly unique family champions diversity and inclusion long before such concepts become cultural flashpoints. Cheryl and her siblings are the offspring of an eccentric professor father and unflappable mother. Mindful of their ever-expanding family’s need for cash, her parents begin acquiring tumbledown houses in campus-town, to renovate and rent. Dad, who changes out of his suit and tie into a carpenter’s battered white overalls, like Clark Kent into Superman, is supremely confident his offspring can do anything, whether he’s there or not. Mom, an organizational genius disguised as a housewife, manages nine children so deftly that she finds the time—and heart—to take in student boarders, who stir their own offbeat personalities into this unconventional household. The kids, meanwhile, pour concrete, paint houses, and, at odd moments, break into song, because instead of complaining, they sing as they work, like a von Trapp family in painters caps. Free-wheeling and contagiously cheerful, Many Hands Make Light Work is a winsome memoir of a Heartland childhood unlike any other.

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Book SynopsisWhen Janice Morgan, a divorced college professor living in a small town in Kentucky, learns that her son has been arrested for possession of a stolen firearm and drug charges, she feels like she’s living a nightmare. Dylan’s turbulent period as a college student in Cincinnati before this should have warned her, but it’s only now that she realizes how far he has drifted into substance abuse and addiction. As Dylan passes through the judicial system and eventually receives a diversion to drug court, Morgan breathes a sigh of relief—only to find that she, too, has been sentenced right along with him. In the months to follow, she leads a double life: part of it on campus, the rest embarking upon what she calls “rescue missions” to help Dylan stay in the program. But resilience, dark humor, and extreme parenting can only carry you so far. Eventually, Morgan discovers that she needs to gain a deeper understanding of the bipolar and addiction issues her son is dealing with. Will each of them be able to learn fast enough to face these complexities in their lives? Clearly, Dylan isn’t the only one who has recovery work to do.

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Book SynopsisBorn in the Netherlands at a time when girls are to be housewives and mothers and nothing else, Hendrika de Vries is a “daddy’s girl” until her father is deported from Nazi-occupied Amsterdam to a POW camp in Germany and her mother joins the Resistance. In the aftermath of her father’s departure, Hendrika watches as freedoms formerly taken for granted are eroded with escalating brutality by men with swastika armbands who aim to exterminate those they deem “inferior” and those who do not obey. As time goes on, Hendrika absorbs her mother’s strength and faith, and learns about moral choice and forced silence. She sees her hidden Jewish “stepsister” betrayed, and her mother interrogated at gunpoint. She and her mother suffer near starvation, and they narrowly escape death on the day of liberation. But they survive it all—and through these harrowing experiences, Hendrika discovers the woman she wants to become.

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Book SynopsisIn 1972, when she was a young, divorced, single mother, restless and idealistic, Elena Schwolsky made a decision that changed her life: leaving her eighteen-month-old son with his father, she joined hundreds of other young Americans on a work brigade in Cuba. They spent their days building cinderblock houses for workers and their nights partying and debating politics. The Cuban revolution was young, and so were they. At a moment of transition in Schwolsky’s life, Cuba represented hope and the power to change. Twenty years later, she is drawn back to this forbidden island, yearning to move out of grief following the death of her husband from AIDS and feeling burned out after spending ten years as a nurse on the frontlines of the epidemic. Back in Cuba, she experiences the chaotic bustle of a Havana most Americans never see—a city frozen in time yet constantly changing. She takes readers along with her through her humorous attempts to communicate in a new language and navigate this very different culture—through the leafy tranquility of the controversial AIDS Sanitorium and into the lives of the resilient, opinionated, and passionate Cubans who become her family and help her to heal.Trade Review2020 Next Generation Indie Book Awards Finalist in Travel/Travel Guide 2020 Next Generation Indie Book Awards Finalist in Memoirs (Personal Issues/Health Struggles) 2020 Eric Hoffer Awards Montaigne Medal Finalist 2020 Eric Hoffer Award Honorable Mention in Memoir 2019 Foreword INDIES Finalist in Adult Nonfiction: Grief/Grieving

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Book Synopsis• As of 2016, an estimated 44.7 million adults had some form of mental illness. • Bipolar disorder affects about 5.7 million US citizens 18 and older.• Approximately 15.1 million adults struggle with Alcohol Use Disorder. • More than 60 US hospitals have adopted Reiki as part of patient services, and Reiki education is offered at 800 hospitals. More than 30,000 nurses in U.S. hospitals use touch practices every year. AUDIENCE:• Women ages 20–90 who enjoy tales of courage and humor, especially those who dare to live their lives the way they want to. • Families of those with mental illness• Families of those struggling with addiction• Mental health workers and physicians • Those dealing with their own mental illness • The global Reiki community• Those interested in the feminist movement of the ’60s and ‘70s• Those fascinated with New Orleans cultures

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Book SynopsisOn a glorious, if blisteringly hot, Saturday in August 2010, Margaret Thomson’s world is suddenly shattered by the incomprehensible news that her twenty-two-year-old son, a medic in the army, has taken his life. In a deep state of shock, Thomson and her husband immediately travel to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where their son Kieran was stationed, in an effort to assist their daughter-in-law. Upon their arrival, though, the couple find themselves plunged into a labyrinthine and, at times, seemingly bizarre world of military rules and regulations.Eventually, after the funeral and the memorial services are over, an even more challenging journey—emotionally as well as geographically—ensues, especially for Margaret, who, as a former journalist, is determined to find out more about the circumstances surrounding her son’s death, no matter how high the cost. As she enters her second year of grieving, Thomson receives an unexpected invitation from an unlikely source—the army, which she’s often blamed in many ways, whether fairly or not, for her son’s death. Seizing upon this opportunity, Thomson finds that her perspective is changed—literally—and that as a result the world does indeed look different now.Trade Review2021 IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards Gold Winner in Best New Voice: Nonfiction2021 International Book Awards Winner in Health: Death & Dying2021 International Book Awards Finalist in Best New Non-Fiction2021 CIBA Military & Front Lines Book Awards Winner2020 Shelf Unbound Best Indie Book Awards Finalist“An unflinchingly honest portrait of grief and survival that many fellow travelers will find comforting.”—Kirkus Reviews“A beautifully written and harrowing tale of a mother coming to terms with her son's devastating suicide. The World Looks Different Now offers comfort and companionship to other parents grieving this unbearable loss.” —Sarah Neustadter, PhD, author of Love You Like the Sky“Margaret Thomson has achieved the near-impossible by looking grief right in the eye and finding a story that illuminates us on the toughest topic there is. With grace, a light touch, and a great deal of truth, she moves us past the plot of her tale of loss and into a place of knowing.” —Marion Roach Smith, author of The Memoir Project: A Thoroughly Non-Standardized Text for Writing & Life “Margaret Thomson’s raw and intimate and eventually heartwarming story shows she has learned to survive. . . . I recommend The World Looks Different Now to other suicide survivors and parents who have lost their children by any means.”—Madeline Sharples, author of Leaving the Hall Light On“This is a powerful book—Thomson’s emotions crackle off the page. Survivors of suicide loss will find communion in her grief, and solace in her healing.”—Kelley Clink, author of A Different Kind of Same“In this timeless memoir of tragic loss and exploration, author Margaret Thomson pulls back the curtain on life-altering experiences with courage and determination so that what wasn’t seen . . . can be seen. Absolutely find a way to weave this riveting story into your life and heart.”—D.A. (Daisy) Hickman, author of The Silence of Morning: A Memoir of Time Undone

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Book Synopsis• 1/4 (25%) pregnancies end in miscarriage. The World Health Organization estimated that there are approximately 211 million pregnancies every year, which, with the above statistic on miscarriage, would equal approximately 42.2 million miscarriages/year around the world. • 1/160 pregnancies end in stillbirth.• SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) is the leading cause of death in infants from one month to one year old. SIDS claims the lives of approximately 2,500 infants every year in the United States. • Many couples who lose a child try to have more children. The desire to parent a child after loss is immense, and many people feel they need to get pregnant again to help heal from the experience.• The American Pregnancy Association stated that of the women trying to get pregnant after miscarriage, 85% will have a successful subsequent pregnancy.• Many couples will experience multiple miscarriages and stillbirths. They search for answers, enduring long months and years of genetic testing.

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Book SynopsisAs a horny little kid, Holly Lorka had no idea why God had put her in the wrong body and made her want to kiss girls. She had questions: Was she a monster? Would she ever be able to grow sideburns? And most importantly, where was her penis? The problem was, it was the 1970s, so there were no answers yet. Here, Lorka tells the story—by turns hilarious and poignant—of her romp through the first fifty years of her life searching for sex, love, acceptance, and answers to her questions. With a sharp wit, endearing innocence, and indelible sense of optimism, she struggles through the awkward years (spoiler: that’s all of them) and discovers that what she thought were mistakes are actually powerful tools to launch her into a magical—and ridiculous—life. Oh, and she discovers that she can buy a penis at the store, too.Trade Review2021 Next Generation Indie Book Awards Winner Memoirs (Overcoming Adversity/Tragedy) “Lorka’s ability to balance life’s harshness alongside its ridiculousness and to poke fun at herself make for a read that’s never disingenuous or boring. . . . A delightful remembrance that’s brimming with honesty and wit.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

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Book SynopsisWelcome to Krista Nerestant’s journey from the other side of the globe—the islands of the Philippines—to the United States of America. Indestructible is where she shares the hidden gifts of trauma that have empowered her to not only survive but also thrive in a life most would have given up on. Krista was a traumatized overachiever bound by the cultural and societal limitations of her home country. But coming out as a spiritual medium exposed the many resources she had in her arsenal, inspiring her to embark on a healing journey. In Indestructible, she shares how she learned to extract life-healing lessons while overcoming a violent past, with the hope of inspiring and teaching survivors to approach personal wounds as a gateway to unleashing their self-actualization. Her story will stimulate you mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually—but most of all, it will lead you to start your own journey of self-discovery and uncover your very own hidden gifts of trauma.Trade Review2021 Journey Book Awards Finalist “Her gift to readers: effective guidance to creating a healthier, more fulfilling life. A true story that may be useful to anyone seeking emotional healing.” —Kirkus Reviews “Indestructible is a powerful memoir about resilience and forgiveness.” —Foreword Clarion Review, 4 stars “Readers seeking relief from injury will find this a valuable, actionable guide to recovery.” —BlueInk Review “In moving, unsparing prose, Krista shares the incredible, heroic journey of her life, and along the way turns her struggles into powerful lessons that can help anyone. Despite the unbelievable obstacles she’s faced, Krista shows that it’s possible not just to survive but to thrive, so long as you never stop nurturing compassion.” —Jeff Campbell, writing teacher, editor, and author of Daisy to the Rescue “Krista’s journey is a powerful one. Her gorgeous voice outlines her journey from the most challenging circumstances through a gorgeous post-traumatic growth. Her spirit soars, and her sense of hope and healing is inspiring, uplifting, and beautiful. Krista’s capacity for forgiveness and her deep sense of love is what allows her manifestation of success. I am deeply grateful to have been able to read her story and to feel her radiance beaming from each page.” —Peg Cafferty, actress, writer, producer, and activist “Krista’s story proves that you can heal and manage PTSD. She provides the encouragement and motivational essence to look deep into yourself and conquer your darkest moments so that you may live a stable life.” —Danielle Pignatiello, MSW, LSW “In the midst of today’s chaos, this book teaches you to be indestructible and rise up in hope and faith.” —Sydney Lotuaco, Bachelor in Paradise contestant and Filipina media influencer “Proof that the resilience of a woman immigrant is indeed indestructible.” —Gina Doost, writer, lifestyle blogger, and media influencer “Nerestant’s spirit soars, and her sense of hope and healing is inspiring, uplifting, and beautiful.” —Peg Cafferty, actress, writer, producer, and activist “Indestructible begs for you to ask, ‘What are my hidden gifts of trauma?’ while reminding you—above all else—to HEAL.” —Jen Rufo, NBA dancer, fitness coach, and media influencer “Krista's life choices exemplify why, as individuals we must never let the light of purpose ever fade, or disconnect from our spirit of determination!” —Elisa Charters, Lean In-Latina Surge President

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Book SynopsisApproximately 1 in 7 women suffer from postpartum depression after having a baby. Many more may experience depression during pregnancy, postpartum anxiety, OCD, and other mood disorders. Postpartum depression is, in fact, the most common pregnancy-related complication—yet confusion and misinformation about this disorder are still widespread. And these aren’t harmless myths: the lack of clarity surrounding mothers’ mental health challenges can have devastating effects on their well-being and their identities as mothers, which too often leads to shame and inadequate treatment. In this one-of-a-kind anthology, thirty mothers break the silence to dispel myths about postpartum mental health issues and explore the diversity of women’s experiences. Powerful and inspiring, Mothering Through the Darkness will comfort every mother who’s ever felt alone, ashamed, and hopeless—and, hopefully, inspire her to speak out.

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Book SynopsisA decade after twelve-year-old Jessica loses her mother, Dianne, to cancer complications, she finds herself curious about Dianne’s mysterious youth. Armed with a journalism degree, Jessica sets out on a quest to find two of Dianne’s former lovers, an old ballroom dance partner and a Vietnam war hero, along with anyone else who can tell her about Dianne. The Butterfly Groove features Jessica’s journalistic approach complemented by reimagined portions of Dianne’s life. Part mystery, part coming-of-age story across decades, this memoir is a heartwarming exploration of how our pasts tell our truths, and how love survives us all.Trade Review“An intimate portrait of the abiding love between a mother and daughter.” —Simon Van Booy, bestselling author of The Illusion of Separateness “A powerful debut memoir weaving the lives of a mother and daughter. The Butterfly Groove offers a web of insights into unraveling the mysteries of being a motherless daughter. This book is a reminder that loved ones become even more alive after they are gone. Barraco remains nurtured by her mother’s wisdom, including the importance of commanding self-respect and smothering people with kindness. This book is a gem to be read in one sitting.” —Diana Raab, Ph.D., author of Lust and Regina’s Closet: Finding My Grandmother’s Secret Journal “There are few relationships more enigmatic than that of mothers and daughters. In The Butterfly Groove, Jessica Barraco beautifully melds her investigative instincts with a storyteller’s flair to intimately reveal the links that exist between our past and our present selves. To read this book is to know the author’s heart—and to come one step closer to knowing our own ...” —John Valeri, Hartford Books Examiner “A beautiful blend of heart and journalism, The Butterfly Groove is an ethereal portrait of innocence, loss, and a young woman's unwavering curiosity surrounding her mother's past. Barraco's writing is witty and profound, and she has an undeniable skill for breathing new life into the most intimate of memories.” —Charlee Fam, author of Last Train to Babylon “With compassion and insight, Jessica Barraco relates her quest to discover all she can about her mother, who died young. Heartfelt, humorous, and perceptive.” —Christina Baker Kline, author of Orphan Train

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Book SynopsisElizabeth Barker spent years planning and working hard to achieve her version of the American dream - one that is supposed to culminate in parenthood and the role of supermom. But when her first child is born with Down syndrome and a fatal heart condition, her dream suddenly becomes a nightmare. And that’s only the beginning… Liz’s new reality is a detoured obstacle course of life altering encounters, medical mishaps, a breast cancer diagnosis, and cruel hardships. From the moment of her daughter’s birth, she is pummeled with life lessons that no schooling or formal education could have ever taught her. Can Liz keep her sanity and some semblance of her former self alive and well through all of this? Changed by Chance is a courageous story of soul searching introspection about how this champion acquired the necessary life skills to Triumph over Tragedy. Her inspiring journey offers a roadmap to others who may face their own bumps in the road.Trade Review“[Changed by Chance] is a heartbreaking, inspirational story of perseverance through a maelstrom of tragic events that Barker manages to triumph over. The experiences in this book seem almost too harrowing to be true, yet the author’s intelligent, clear prose will keep readers grounded. It’s food for thought for every reader.” —Kirkus Reviews “This stunningly honest and intimate memoir is a moving and inspiring testament to the enduring power of love to strengthen us and heal us after even the most challenging of obstacles have been thrown our way. Liz Barker is the mom we all would wish to be.” —Emily Perl Kingsley, Sesame Street writer for 45 years “Elizabeth Barker had to learn the hard way about being an advocate for health care. Readers will gain inspiration from her tenacity, courage, and passion, and the positive att itude that enabled her to live beyond the loss of her child, as well as part of herself, with a breast cancer diagnosis.” —Jean Sachs, MSS, MLSP, CEO of Living Beyond Breast Cancer “This stunningly honest and intimate memoir is a moving and inspiring testament to the enduring power of love to strengthen us and heal us after even the most challenging of obstacles have been thrown our way.” —Emily Perl Kingsley, author and Emmy-award-winning writer for Sesame Street “Elizabeth Barker’s remarkable story offers valuable life lessons and inspirations. It reminds us to greet others with open hearts and empathy because you simply don’t know the obstacles that they have overcome. It is a compelling tribute to a truly special child.” —Catie Tobin, Head Correspondent, RBC Wealth Management “Liz’s story is so real and relatable. You will be struck by her candor and inspired by her strength. Her 'Angel Moments,' as she describes them, reminds us that we really are spiritual beings having a human experience. You will read some rather amazing, magical moments of synchronicity and foreshadowing. Her grateful attitude has fueled her with positive energy to attract good things despite being challenged by many, many difficult moments in her life. She has definitely 'Triumphed Over Tragedy' and continues on a positive journey. She reminds us all that we can triumph too.” —Nancy P. Ottaviano, WinningEDGE, www.WinningEdgeEvents.com

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Book SynopsisIn the 1960s and ’70s, thousands of baby boomers strapped packs to their backs and flocked to Europe, wandering the continent on missions of self-discovery. Many of these boomers still dream of “going back”—of once again cutting themselves free and revisiting the places they encountered in their youth, recapturing what was, and creating fresh memories along the way. Marianne Bohr and her husband, Joe, did just that. In Gap Year Girl, Bohr describes what it’s like to kiss your job good-bye, sell your worldly possessions, pack your bags, and take off on a quest for adventure. Page by page, she engagingly recounts the experiences, epiphanies, highs, lows, struggles, surprises, and lessons learned as she and Joe journey as independent travelers on a budget—through medieval villages and bustling European cities, unimaginable culinary pleasures, and the entertaining (and sometimes infuriating) characters encountered along the way. Touching on universal themes of escape, adventure, freedom, discovery, and life reimagined, Gap Year Girl is an exciting account of a couple’s experiences on an unconventional, past the-blush-of-youth journey.Trade Review“Bohr shines . . . provid[ing] glimpses of herself as a whole person, not simply a traveler. Gap Year Girl is an excellent choice . . . a travelogue filled with historic places, but its personal stories provide its highlights.” —Kirkus Reviews “An absorbing rundown of a cultural odyssey bursting with insights and quiet truths, which the author absorbed, way out there, without a guide, and often intuitively—some might even say through her pores. Thanks to Gap Year Girl, Ms. Bohr’s travel universe and the way it’s recorded are an inspiration to thousands of baby boomers who are coming to realize that it’s possible not only to dream Don Quixote’s Impossible Dream, but to make it come true.” —Darwin Porter and Danforth Prince, coauthors of many dozens of Frommer’s best-selling guides “Gap Year Girl speaks to the curious youth in us all, reminding us on every page of the anticipation, excitement, and futility that go into finding a cure for wanderlust. Bohr’s delicious prose brings sights, smells, and tastes to life and inspires the reader as she and her husband climb off of the corporate ladder and jump into the great unknown. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself dusting off an old language textbook and checking the Internet for the best airfares!” —Michael Hughes, Education First Language Travel “Don’t we all dream of quitting our nine-to-fives to travel the world? Marianne Bohr and her husband do just that with the mindsets of college students backpacking through Europe. The author tells a great story and it’s easy to forget that theirs is a 'senior year' abroad.” —Neil Levin, President, EverPub “I lived vicariously through this adventure-infused chronicle of getting away from it all. Bohr's recounting of running the Paris marathon rang true to my runner’s soul and captured the event’s raw emotion. I want to be Gap Year Girl!” —Mary Anne Marciante, International Marathoner “For those bitten by the travel bug, the author’s story of giving up the ‘real world’ for a year abroad is inspirational. She took a daydream and made it a reality with a combination of bravery and planning. Read about the highs (literally in the Alps) and lows (the inevitable fatigue of constant traveling) as she and her husband retrace the steps of their youth and forge new paths.” —Davida G. Breier, blogger at Next Exit Travel “Having worked with the author of Gap Year Girl, I wasn’t surprised that she would be so courageous as to sell all her worldly possessions and begin an amazing adventure traveling through Europe. Her memoir did surprise me, however, as it’s not just a travelogue, but also an inspirational guide to all with a repressed desire to quit their jobs to go on a similar journey. It’s easy and fun reading.” —Judy Rothman, Former Publisher, Harper Collins “...a terrific story. I'm now dreaming of my own gap year.” —Lisa Shroder, Bethesda Magazine “To all my friends in book clubs ... a perfect read to inspire all to live our dreams!” —Lynn Arndt, Deputy Director, Community Ministries of Rockville “The author's voice is warm and insightful, such that by the time you finish her travel memoir, you feel you've not only visited 21 countries with her and her husband, but also that you've made a new friend.” —John Ray Hoke Jr, FAIA, Former Publisher of AIA Press “Gap Year Girl is a celebration of life in all its vivid intensity. Fueled by memories of another time and place, the author takes her maturity on the trip of a lifetime and rediscovers the exuberance of youth. That exuberance is contagious. I defy anyone to read this book without being uplifted by it. Marianne Bohr has that rare knack for bringing the kaleidoscope of experience alive with a few well-crafted words; she seduces her reader away from black and white text and into a reality where all the senses are teased. You can’t read Gap Year Girl as a bystander. You’re with her every step of the way, for this is travel writing at its very best. Dreamers beware. This is a book with consequences.” —Kev Reynolds, author of The Tour of Mont Blanc, Cicerone Guides “Many fantasize about doing what Marianne Bohr did, but few actually do it. It is truly the adventurous who embrace their dreams. There is so much we learn through travel, whether it be about ourselves or the world in general, and this learning is perpetual throughout life. To think that an adventurous spirit dies with youth is just nonsense. Bohr inspires the adventurer in all of us.” —Matt Holmes, Boundless Journeys, Founder and President “I love this book! The mid-life transition is all about becoming 100 percent ourselves and shedding what no longer serves us. Rejuvenating and inspiring, Gap Year Girl reminds us that travel can change who we are—if we let it. And sometimes we need to leave home in order to come home to ourselves. I’m buying this book for all my friends who are forty-plus. Thank you, Marianne, for this heart-warming, eloquent gift!” —Renee Peterson Trudeau, life balance coach and author of Nurturing the Soul of Your Family: 10 Ways to Reconnect and Find Peace in Everyday Life “Marianne did what all of us dream of doing: she visited the exotic places of her youth with a lifetime’s worth of experience to sharpen the view. With humor and candor and an enormous amount of appreciation, Gap Year Girl gives us back the excitement of travel and the charm of European life.” —Trish O’Hare, Publisher, GemmaMedia “Gap Year Girl goes well beyond travel literature: it's a fascinating story of the author and her husband's journey, full of insights into what goes into intense travel. The author's sincere and open voice gives the reader an honest view of the realities of travel by presenting rich illustrations of the highs and lows, the exhilaration and tedium, that are necessary parts of extensive travel. This book was hard to put down and I was sorry to see it end.” —Chris Darby, Film Editor, Univision "[In Gap Year Girl,] Bohr steps outside of her comfort zone and explores the world . . . and she vividly conveys her experiences, such as when she describes the chaotic streets of Morocco and the loneliness of the bucolic French village Saint-Cirq-Lapopie.” —Publishers Weekly

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Book SynopsisIndie Reader Discovery Awards Winner for Parenting National Indie Excellence Award Finalist Hollywood Book Festival 2016 Honorable mention in general non-fiction Bookvana 2016 Finalist in Parenting/Family Bronze Medal Winner Inspirational Memoir-Female Living Now Book Awards-Books for Better Living When LeeAndra Chergey is told that her son, Ryan, is no longer considered “normal,” she and her family are forced into a new way of handling the outside world. Together, Chergey’s family and a team of carefully chosen therapists put in years of hard work, and eventually teach Ryan to speak and express emotions. Through it all, Chergey follows her heart—and in the process, she learns that being “normal” is not nearly as important as providing your child with a life full of joy, love, and acceptance. Tender and candid, Make A Wish For Me is a story of accepting and tackling a disability stigmatized and misunderstood by society.

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Book SynopsisA sweeping exploration of beginnings and endings, loss and letting go, All the Ghosts Dance Free takes readers on a journey through author Terry Cameron Baldwin’s life: from her childhood in a privileged but unstable enclave on the coast of Southern California, through her adolescence in Palm Springs and coming of age in San Francisco at the height of the sixties psychedelic revolution, and ultimately to her life as an ex-pat in Mexico. Struggling to deal with the death of her parents, as well as questions about her own mortality, Baldwin embarks upon a pilgrimage to a small town in Morocco—where, she finds, all of the ghosts dance free.Trade Review"A striking, sensitive record of voyages and acceptance.” —Kirkus Reviews “Terry Cameron Baldwin has written the definitive memoir on coming of age in 1960s Southern California. It’s all here: growing up in an Eden on the beach, beautiful, rich parents, divorce, suicide, drugs, alcoholism, the Haight, private jets, cigarette boats, Volkswagen buses, furious arguments, and the constant lure of the road and the next big thing. ‘The free, fresh wind in her hair, life without care . . .’ drew Baldwin around the world. From the mountains of Mexico to the souks of Morocco, from laissez-faire Christianity to a Muslim ex-husband, she rings the changes of an impulsive, insatiable curiosity. This woman writes prose poetry.” —Stephen M. Joseph, author of Children in Fear and Meditations, and co-author of the Tony-nominated Broadway musical, The Me Nobody Knows “This is a wonderful read from a gifted writer. Baldwin paints vivid portraits of her characters and the world around them with a masterful use of language and syntax. It’s a captivating look not only at the colorful personalities that populate the author’s world but also the values, views, and quirks that distinguish them. In short, a fascinating glimpse at an extraordinary life of compelling relationships.” —Richard Daniel, book editor for the Beverly Hills Post “‘If you remember the sixties, you weren’t there,’ goes the joke. Terry Cameron Baldwin proves this canard radiantly wrong. We haven’t heard nearly enough from women about that era, a time when Baldwin says she was the freest she’s ever been. With a photographic memory, she introduces a cast of characters that glint in the imagination long after you close the book. And she evokes all the idealism, adventurousness, and self-denial of a generation too easily mocked and misunderstood. Muriel Rukeyser asked us what would happen if one woman told the truth about her life—the world would split open, she answered. Baldwin remembers how people in her world dressed and dreamed. She brings her ghosts back to life with exquisite prose as diamond sharp as the ring she donned in 1965.” —Lauren Coodley, author of Upton Sinclair California Socialist, Celebrity Intellectual, California: a Multicultural Documentary History, and Napa: the Transformation of an American Town “All the Ghosts Dance Free tells the fascinating story of a woman striding confidently through a swiftly fluctuating world and how she and the world shape each other.” —San Francisco Book Review

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Book SynopsisThe aviation world is a man’s world—it always has been, and it continues to be so today. In fact, women make up a mere 5 to 6 percent of the total pilot population worldwide. But from the first time Erin Seidemann experienced what it was like to see the world from a small plane’s perspective, she was hooked—and she’s spent much of her time since then fighting her way into becoming one of that 5 to 6 percent. Postcards from the Sky: Adventures of an Aviatrix tells of the struggles and adventures one encounters as a woman in the male-dominated space of aviation. With humor and equanimity, Seidemann recounts her varied experiences as a female pilot—from the chauvinistic flight instructor she makes the mistake of falling in love with to the many, many customs agents who insist she can’t possibly be her plane’s owner (“Where’s your boyfriend?”)—while at the same time giving insight about just what makes flying so incredible . . . and so very addictive. Frank, funny, and full of adventure, Postcards from the Sky is an entertaining foray into a world few women have dared enter.

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Book SynopsisWhen Cynthia Trenshaw, recently widowed, moves to Berkeley, she thinks the reason she has transplanted herself is to earn her master’s degree in theology. But when, step by unexpected step, she is drawn into the cultural borderlands where society’s “invisible people” reside, she encounters dispossessed and demanding teachers not listed on any academic roster—and becomes immersed in a heady curriculum of helplessness and joy, wisdom and pain. A book that encourages readers to receive the generosity and reciprocity of the margins, Meeting in the Margins offers guidance for how we can all, as individuals, begin to repair the rift between the margins and the mainstream of society—simply by being profoundly present.Trade Review2018 IPPY Gold Medal Winner in Current Events II (Social Issues/Humanitarian) “Meeting in the Margins is a dangerous book. It will move you, shake you, change you, and leave you with a profound sense that you have been in the presence of the holy. Cynthia Trenshaw’s intention is to do just that. She is a brilliant writer. Simply by telling the truth in stories that she herself has lived, she takes us into touching distance of those whom Rabindrinath Tagore called ‘the poorest, the lowliest, and lost.’” —Pat Schneider, author of Writing Alone and With Others, and How the Light Gets In: Writing as a Spiritual Practice, both from Oxford University Press “A beautifully written, challenging, and thought-provoking book, one that truly leads us to insights and recognitions that make it possible to contemplate a world that works for all. I haven’t seen anything like it. Trenshaw’s book contributes to helping us see the world at the margins with clarity.” —Margaret J. Wheatley, author of So Far From Home, Perseverance, Turning to One Another, and Leadership and the New Science “Cynthia Trenshaw is a gifted writer, massage therapist and pilgrim who has chosen to journey with those who are the most vulnerable in our society. As a writer she conveys in vivid and powerful prose the heart-wrenching details of life on the street. As a massage therapist she feels into the stories of those who live in the margins, and anoints their soul-wounds with compassion and courage. As a pilgrim she searches for meaning, her own and ours, with every encounter. This is a prayer-book as well as a text-book for those who choose to journey to the margins of society and be transformed.” —Mary Ann Finch, founder/director of Care Through Touch Institute, and author of Care Through Touch: Massage, the Art of Anointing “Cynthia Trenshaw gifts us with an extraordinary window into the soul of the marginalized among us. In exquisite detail of both inner and outer moments of meeting on the streets, the reality of presence she evokes communicates through her stories; it sparks our own celebration of that precious sense of presence. Prepare to be deeply touched. Prepare to remember what is truly important in our lives. This book is itself a gift from soul to soul. Through her open-hearted memories, Trenshaw offers us all a most generous and luxurious soul massage! ” —Rabbi Ted Falcon, PhD, author of A Journey of Awakening, co-author of Religion Gone Astray, Getting to the Heart of Interfaith, and Judaism For Dummies “This well-written, often moving account of Trenshaw’s experiences among the homeless and other forgotten individuals at society’s margins evokes a range of responses: apprehension, admiration, revulsion, recognition, and perhaps shame in anyone who’s ever avoided the sight of a street person. Trenshaw, a chaplain and massage practitioner with a degree in theology, shares her experiences seeking out these invisible men and women and offering them not only massage (relaxing for both body and mind) but the greater gift of affirming their 'realness' and 'worth.'” —Publishers Weekly

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Book SynopsisSamantha Dunn used to live for the feeling of wind blowing in her hair and the powerful intoxication of her horse's steady gallop. A tug of Harley's leathery reins could instantly eradicate mounting bills, unfinished work, and the reality of a troubled marriage from her mind. But one day, as she was leading Harley across a stream in a picturesque California canyon, he panicked, knocked her to the ground, and trampled her—nearly severing her leg in the process. Dunn had always been “accident prone”—but in the aftermath of this incident, she began to analyze the details of her life and her propensity for accidents. Was she really just a klutz? Or could there be some underlying emotional reason she was always putting her life in danger? A blend of personal narrative and of research about what drives some people to have more accidents than others, Not by Accident is an insightful, incisive memoir that helps bridge the gap in understanding that exists on the concept of accident proneness.Trade Review“Dunn’s clear prose and lively recall of her calamities make for an effortless read.” —People “Witty, smart, droll, moving, and always entertaining, Dunn’s book is nothing short of a thoroughly enjoyable triumph . . .” —The Oregonian “I loved this book.” —Rosie O’Donnell “Samantha Dunn pulls no punches in this tough, witty, and deeply personal memoir of a brave woman’s moment of crisis as she examines the parts played by the elements or risk, identity, and the unexamined life in her own catastrophe, and the unexpected requirements of healing. A beautiful, necessary book.” —Janet Fitch “The book you hold in your hands is more than a moving example of art as healing; it’s a perfect triumph.” —Darin Strauss “Ms. Dunn is the storyteller we all one day want to be: a writer unafraid of the less flattering truths, a writer keen to know why the up is at times down, a writer undaunted by the mysteries peculiar to this planet, a writer for whom the easy answers are no answers at all.” —Lee K. Abbott

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Book SynopsisDancing in the Narrows chronicles a mother and daughter’s multiyear journey through illness and trauma. At sixteen, Anna’s youngest daughter, Dana, is stricken with a mysterious and debilitating condition, eventually diagnosed as Lyme disease. Desperate to find a cure, the two women are thrust into the established medical world, then far beyond. Full of adventure, humor, and blind faith, Dancing in the Narrows is an inspiring story of self-discovery as a single mother fights to save the life of her child.

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Book SynopsisFor nearly fifty years, Sara Somers suffered from untreated food addiction. In this brutally honest and intimate memoir, Somers offers readers an inside view of a food addict’s mind, showcasing her experiences of obsessive cravings, compulsivity, and powerlessness regarding food. Saving Sara chronicles Somers’s addiction from childhood to adulthood, beginning with abnormal eating as a nine-year-old. As her addiction progresses in young adulthood, she becomes isolated, masking her shame and self-hatred with drugs and alcohol. Time and again, she rationalizes why this time will be different, only to have her physical cravings lead to ever-worse binges, to see her promises of doing things differently next time broken, and to experience the amnesia that she—like every addict—experiences when her obsession sets in again. Even after Somers is introduced to the solution that will eventually end up saving her, the strength of her addiction won’t allow her to accept her disease. Twenty-six more years pass until she finally crawls on hands and knees back to that solution, and learns to live life on life’s terms. A raw account of Somers’s decades-long journey, Saving Sara underscores the challenges faced by food addicts of any age—and the hope that exists for them all.Trade Review“This is a riveting and deeply human memoir about one woman’s crazily disordered eating, and the path to freedom she discovered. But it is also the story of Sara Somers’s fight to save her soul, spirit and life.” —Anne Lamott, New York Times best-selling author and past recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship “Read Saving Sara to see how bad it can get before it gets great—and find out just how [Sara Somers] did, so you can do it too.” —Judy Collins, New York Times best-selling author of Cravings, Grammy-nominated singer, and Academy Award-nominated director “ . . . a compelling memoir that really dives deeply into the realm of addiction.” —Readers Favorite “Saving Sara is a mental anguish page turner, depicting the relentless drive to eat that can dominate and destroy life’s opportunities, just like any other addiction . . . ideal reading for someone who is struggling with compulsive eating or who is suffering with complications from obesity. It is essential reading for someone working in the addiction field. A critical book for anyone who really wants to walk in the shoes of a food addict, who lives in the disease, and finally finds her recovery.” —Dr. Vera Tarman, MD, FCFP, ABAM, medical specialist in food addiction, author of Food Junkies: Recovery from Food Addiction “When it comes to eating disorders, both professionals and the public have a great deal of understanding of anorexia and bulimia. There is very little understanding, however, of Binge Eating Disorder. In this wrenching book, Sara describes in detail—sometimes painful detail—what her disease of food addiction was like and the depths to which it took her. But this is also a volume about hope. Her journey to finding her solution is only one person’s story, but as we know from the long history of Alcoholics Anonymous and other 12-step programs, one person telling their story can transform lives. I hope that mental health providers will read this, learn from it, and share it with those who might benefit from knowing they’re not alone with their eating behaviors.” —Dr. Kristi Webb, PsyD, Licensed Psychologist, Raleigh, North Carolina "Your commitment to living life fully rather than being one of the walking wounded is very clear. You let the reader see the strengths and the support of the women and men in 12 Step recovery: a new freedom, and a new happiness . . . one meal at a time." —Father Tom Weston, Oakland, California

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Book SynopsisDizzy with grief after a shattering breakup, Kristen did what any sensible thirty-nine-year-old woman would do: she fled, abandoning her well-ordered life in metropolitan Boston and impulsively relocating to a college town in North Carolina to start anew with a freshly divorced southerner. Dismissing the neon signs that flashed Rebound Relationship, Kristen was charmed by the host of contrasts with her new beau. He loved hunting and country music, she loved yoga and NPR; he worried about nothing, she worried about everything. The luster of her new romance and small-town lifestyle soon—and predictably—faded, but by then a pregnancy test stick had lit up. As Kristen’s belly grew, so did her concern about the bond with her partner—and so did a fierce love for her unborn child. Ready or not, she was about to become a mother. And then, tragedy struck. Poignant and insightful, From the Lake House explores the echoes of rash decisions and ill-fated relationships, the barren and disorienting days an aching mother faces without her baby, and the mysterious healing that can take root while rebuilding a life gutted from loss.Trade Review“Over the course of this book, in well-structured, descriptive prose, Rademacher effectively leads readers through a gradually withering romantic relationship that culminates in a tragedy. . . . Some of the most painful sections of the book are her loving letters to the little girl whom she held for but an hour, and whom she named Carly. It soon becomes clear that these missives helped to lead her back from a precipice of despair, so that she could finally face her future. A poignant and painful remembrance with comforting messages for the grieving.”—Kirkus Reviews“From the Lake House is phenomenal in its realness and the calmness with which it is told. . . . This powerful and realistic memoir is a testament to how resilient a woman can be when she wants to survive and mend her heart.”—Readers’ Favorite 5-star review“A riveting, emotional, and candidly engaging read from first page to last, From the Lake House is an extraordinary story by an extraordinary woman.”—Midwest Book Review“Kristen Rademacher’s achingly honest memoir about her losses of place, partner, and much-anticipated baby daughter Carly resonates with courage and an abiding gratitude for the preciousness of life. A truly tender reflection about loss that illuminates the devastating experience of baby loss.”—Janel Atlas, writer and editor of They Were Still Born: Personal Stories about Stillbirth“From the Lake House is an intimate, inspiring story of surviving in a world where blessings and tragedy walk hand in hand. Written with tender honesty and luscious language, it is a joy to read, even amidst the pangs of heartache and loss. As a bereaved mother, I found myself nodding in agreement with so many of Rademacher’s experiences of life after the death of a child . . . This book is for memoir-lovers and anyone who finds themselves in a turbulent relationship or who has said goodbye to a dearly loved child . . . Rademacher champions solitude for its healing capacities and the wholeness birthed from dogged, hard-earned resiliency. Perceptive and endearing, it is a moving saga of motherhood.”—Alexis Marie Chute, award-winning author of Expecting Sunshine: A Journey of Grief, Healing, and Pregnancy After Loss“In this beautifully written and poignant memoir, we learn that though people and dreams die, relationships don't. If we're attuned, the dead can transform our lives, offering enduring love and guidance—and hope.”—Carol Henderson, author of Losing Malcolm: A Mother's Journey Through Loss and Farther Along: The Writing Journey of Thirteen Bereaved Mothers“Any loss of a loved one is hard, but losing a pregnancy must be unimaginable and Kristen brought the sheer scope of the loss, feelings and the difficulties that she went through afterward into beautiful focus. I highly recommend this book if you like a good, touching memoir and are ready for a little bit of a cry.”—Toot’s Book Reviews“A deeply moving and absolutely heartbreaking tale of one woman’s struggle to cope with loss and change in her life and to keep moving forward. . . . This book almost felt like an exorcism for the author, in a really healthy way. Kristen’s writing was very beautiful and I felt for her on such a deep level while reading. . . . This is one to read if you love stories about overcoming life’s toughest circumstances and the enduring love of a mother.”—Bound4Escape book review

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Book SynopsisSouthern women are inundated with rules starting early—from always wearing sensible shoes to never talking about death to the dying, and certainly not relying on song lyrics for marriage therapy. Nevertheless, Katherine Snow Smith keeps doing things like falling off her high heels onto President Barack Obama, gaining dubious status as the middle school “lice mom,” and finding confirmation in the lyrics of Miranda Lambert after her twenty-four-year marriage ends. Somehow, despite never meaning to defy Southern expectations for parenting, marriage, work, and friendship, Smith has found herself doing just that for over four decades. Luckily for everyone, the outcome of these “broken rules” is this collection of refreshing stories, filled with vulnerability, humor, and insight, sharing how she received lifelong advice from a sixth-grade correspondence with an Oscar-winning actress, convinced a terminally ill friend to write good-bye letters, and won the mother of all “don’t give up” lectures by finishing a road race last (as the pizza boxes were thrown away). Rules for the Southern Rule Breaker will resonate with every woman, southern or not, who has a tendency to wander down the hazy side roads and realizes the rewards that come from listening to the pull in one’s heart over the voice in one’s head.Trade Review2020 CIBA Hearten Book Awards 1st Place Winner “Katherine Snow Smith’s sure voice, deft pen, hilarious sense of humor and always original slant on things offer the reader much to enjoy in these delightful essays—and also much to identify with, especially for another Southern girl. Her delightful, humorous accounts always convey a deeper truth—about self-image, especially for women; about raising children; about an early death in the family and the later loss of a friend; about politics and belief—about life itself. Snow Smith’s own lifetime of writing and observant living is distilled in this kind, original, and compulsively readable book.” —Lee Smith, author of Fair and Tender Ladies and winner of the Robert Penn Warren Award for Fiction and the Southern Book Critics Circle Award “Katherine’s ability to observe her life from the balcony while it plays out on stage is a gift to her readers. Her keen perspective—which is unapologetically southern and chock-full of grit, forgiveness, and humor—reminds us that we all aspire to love well and to laugh until our face hurts.” —Charla Muller, author of Pretty Takes Practice: A Southern Woman’s Search for the Real Meaning of Beauty “Rules for the Southern Rulebreaker is a warm, genuine memoir about living fully beyond the bounds of others’ expectations.” —Foreword Reviews “Smith writes of going her own way with humor and honesty, encouraging readers not to take themselves too seriously and find value in friends and family. Readers of essays from Sloane Crosley, Samantha Irby, or Bailey White will laugh out loud.” —Booklist

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Book SynopsisI’m So Glad You’re Here is the story of a family disrupted by ramifications of a father’s mental illness. The memoir opens with a riveting account of Gay, age eighteen, witnessing her father being bound in a straitjacket and carried out of the house on a stretcher. The trauma she experiences escalates when, after her father has had electroshock treatments at a state mental hospital, her parents leave her in a college dorm room and move from Massachusetts to Florida without her. She feels abandoned. Both her parents have gone missing. Decades later, when Gay and her three much-older siblings show up for their father’s funeral, she witnesses her sundered family’s inability to gather together. Eventually, she is diagnosed with PTSD of abandonment and treated with EMDR therapy—and finally begins to heal. Poignant and powerful, I’m So Glad You’re Here is Gay’s exploration of the idea that while the wounds we carry from growing up in fractured families stay with us, they do not have to control us—a reflective journey that will inspire readers to think about their own relational lives.Trade Review2020 Best Book Awards Finalist in Narrative: Non-Fiction“In this debut memoir, a father’s death reunites a mother and daughter but reignites familial tensions. Gay is a perceptive and compassionate narrator who manages to explore the gaps in everyone’s stories, including her own. She uses poetry, journal entries, and literary epigraphs to create an engaging metanarrative that explores how writing was vital to her process of overcoming trauma.” —Kirkus Reviews“An inherently interesting and impressively candid personal story . . .”—Midwest Book Review“In I’m So Glad You’re Here, Pamela Gay takes us on a psychological journey through which she heals her own trauma while discovering compassion and empathy. Gay’s prose is lyrical and moving. I guarantee once you start reading, you won’t be able to put this book down.”—Maria Mazziotti Gillan, author of American Book Award winner All That Lies Between Us“An honest and moving account built upon her father’s mental illness and death and her yearning to be close to her mother. Gay details the repercussions of his illness on her family members and herself, giving us a brave and close-up view of how she coped with grief and trauma.”—Roberta Allen, author of The Princess of Herself and The Dreaming Girl“In this psychological travelogue, Pamela Gay fractures the surface of memory to peer into the depths of a family in all its complex dysfunction: shock treatment, alcoholism, feuding siblings, hissing turkey dinners, home burial, and yes, recipes—a surprising semiotic assemblage masterfully crafted at the crossroads of tragedy and comedy.”—Mindy Lewis, author of Life Inside: A Memoir“Pamela Gay dramatically illustrates that while wounds we carry from growing up in fractured families stay with us, they do not have to control us.”—Susan Anderson, author of The Journey from Abandonment to Healing

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