Best of
Mental-Illness
2020
On Us
Nina. - 2020
Her sister Ivy, who she loved more than anyone in the world and Vant who had taken care of her like she was his own blood, told her for years Ky was no good. Their relationship didn’t start ideally, but the love she had for him began long before they became public to the world. What was once a fairytale turned into a nightmare, and Avery felt like it was karma. She didn’t have any business being with Ky then, and the torment she had been put through showed they weren’t meant to be together presently.Lake Porter, a man who dedicated his life to taking care of his brothers and living by his father’s word, finally catches up to the feelings he tried so hard to fight. Love wasn’t in the cards for him, and he had come to terms with that until a prissy, sometimes crazy, vibrant woman, shows him that he isn’t so cold and his heart did pump. She isn’t fazed by his mean persona and deadly dark eyes. Lake out of his comfort zone, and in the presence of a woman so alluring with energy so contagious, finds himself at the end of a bullet from the love gun. He quickly finds out that being with the woman of his choosing comes with baggage that he doesn’t mind carrying. But will Lake be able to break her from the curse that is his sworn enemy?
The Boy Between: A Mother and Son’s Journey From a World Gone Grey
Josiah Hartley - 2020
But then her son came to her with a real one…Josiah was nineteen with the world at his feet when things changed. Without warning, the new university student’s mental health deteriorated to the point that he planned his own death. His mother, bestselling author Amanda Prowse, found herself grappling for ways to help him, with no clear sense of where that could be found. This is the book they wish had been there for them during those dark times.Josiah’s situation is not unusual: the statistics on student mental health are terrifying. And he was not the only one suffering; his family was also hijacked by his illness, watching him struggle and fearing the day he might succeed in taking his life.In this book, Josiah and Amanda hope to give a voice to those who suffer, and to show them that help can be found. It is Josiah’s raw, at times bleak, sometimes humorous, but always honest account of what it is like to live with depression. It is Amanda’s heart-rending account of her pain at watching him suffer, speaking from the heart about a mother’s love for her child.For anyone with depression and anyone who loves someone with depression, Amanda and Josiah have a clear message—you are not alone, and there is hope.
Sorrow and Bliss
Meg Mason - 2020
She knows there is something wrong with her but she doesn't know what it is. Her husband Patrick thinks she is fine. He says everyone has something, the thing is just to keep going.Martha told Patrick before they got married that she didn't want to have children. He said he didn't mind either way because he has loved her since he was fourteen and making her happy is all that matters, although he does not seem able to do it.By the time Martha finds out what is wrong, it doesn't really matter anymore. It is too late to get the only thing she has ever wanted. Or maybe it will turn out that you can stop loving someone and start again from nothing - if you can find something else to want.
Mean Tucker: The Bully 2
Edwina Fort - 2020
Nothing General About It: How Love (and Lithium) Saved Me On and Off General Hospital
Maurice Benard - 2020
In his life outside the screen, he is a loving husband and the father of four. But his path has not been without hardship. When he was only twenty, Maurice was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.In Nothing General About It, Maurice looks back to his youth in a small town and his tenuous relationship with his father. He describes how his bipolar disorder began to surface in childhood and how a doctor finally saved his life. For years Maurice was relentless in his goal to be a successful actor. But even after he “made it,” he still grappled with terrifying lows, breakdowns, and setbacks, all while trying desperately to maintain his relationship with his wife, who endured his violent, unpredictable episodes. Maurice holds nothing back as he bravely talks about what it was like to be medicated and institutionalized, and of how he learned to manage his manic episodes while on the set of GH.
Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family
Robert Kolker - 2020
After World War II, Don's work with the Air Force brought them to Colorado, where their twelve children perfectly spanned the baby boom: the oldest born in 1945, the youngest in 1965. In those years, there was an established script for a family like the Galvins—aspiration, hard work, upward mobility, domestic harmony—and they worked hard to play their parts. But behind the scenes was a different story: psychological breakdown, sudden shocking violence, hidden abuse. By the mid-1970s, six of the ten Galvin boys, one after another, were diagnosed as schizophrenic. How could all this happen to one family?What took place inside the house on Hidden Valley Road was so extraordinary that the Galvins became one of the first families to be studied by the National Institute of Mental Health. Their story offers a shadow history of the science of schizophrenia, from the era of institutionalization, lobotomy, and the schizophrenogenic mother to the search for genetic markers for the disease, always amid profound disagreements about the nature of the illness itself. And unbeknownst to the Galvins, samples of their DNA informed decades of genetic research that continues today, offering paths to treatment, prediction, and even eradication of the disease for future generations.With clarity and compassion, bestselling and award-winning author Robert Kolker uncovers one family's unforgettable legacy of suffering, love, and hope.
Inferno: A Memoir of Motherhood and Madness
Catherine Cho - 2020
Before the trip’s end, she develops psychosis. In desperation, her husband admits her to a nearby psychiatric hospital, where she begins the hard work of rebuilding her identity.In this memoir Catherine reconstructs her sense of self, starting with her childhood as the daughter of Korean immigrants, moving through a traumatic past relationship, and on to the early years of her courtship with and marriage to her husband, James. She interweaves these parts of her past with an immediate recounting of the days she spent in the ward.
The Hilarious World of Depression
John Moe - 2020
As Moe came to terms with his own illness, he began to see similar patterns of behavior and coping mechanisms surfacing in conversations with others, including high-profile comedians who'd struggled with the disease. Moe saw that there was tremendous comfort and community in open dialogue about these shared experiences and that humor had a unique power. Thus was born the podcast The Hilarious World of Depression.Inspired by the immediate success of the podcast, Moe has written a remarkable investigation of the disease, part memoir of his own journey, part treasure trove of laugh-out-loud stories and insights drawn from years of interviews with some of the most brilliant minds facing similar challenges. Throughout the course of this powerful narrative, depression's universal themes come to light, among them, struggles with identity, lack of understanding of the symptoms, the challenges of work-life, self-medicating, the fallout of the disease in the lives of our loved ones, the tragedy of suicide, and the hereditary aspects of the disease.The Hilarious World of Depression illuminates depression in an entirely fresh and inspiring way.
A Breath Too Late
Rocky Callen - 2020
Yet the day after she dies by suicide, she finds herself in the midst of an out-of-body experience. She is a spectator, swaying between past and present, retracing the events that unfolded prior to her death.But there are gaps in her memory, fractured pieces Ellie is desperate to re-assemble. There's her mother, a songbird who wanted to break free from her oppressive cage. The boy made of brushstrokes and goofy smiles who brought color into a gray world. Her brooding father, with his sad puppy eyes and clenched fists. Told in epistolary-like style, this deeply moving novel sensitively examines the beautiful and terrible moments that make up a life and the possibilities that live in even the darkest of places. Perfect for fans of the critically-acclaimed Speak, I’ll Give You the Sun, and If I Stay.
Breathtaking
Courtney Turcotte Bond - 2020
The only one who knows the dark secrets inside her home is her best friend and next-door neighbor, Adam. Cara’s only escape is by writing and sharing her stories with him through their facing bedroom windows late at night. Just when everything seems to get better, Cara’s world shatters, causing her to spiral into a deep depression and writer’s block. Even though Adam promises her “everything will be okay,” she knows things will never be the same. As she clutches to the fractured wounds of the past, how will Cara ever be able to love or write again? Breathtaking is a heart-wrenching coming-of-age story that fans of John Green and Nicholas Sparks will love.
My Life in the Fish Tank
Barbara Dee - 2020
Mom and Dad want Zinny, her sixteen-year-old sister, Scarlett, and her eight-year-old brother, Aiden, to keep Gabriel’s condition “private”—and to Zinny that sounds the same as “secret.” Which means she can’t talk about it to her two best friends, who don’t understand why Zinny keeps pushing them away, turning everything into a joke. It also means she can’t talk about it during Lunch Club, a group run by the school guidance counselor. How did Zinny get stuck in this weird club, anyway? She certainly doesn’t have anything in common with these kids—and even if she did, she’d never betray her family’s secret. The only good thing about school is science class, where cool teacher Ms. Molina has them doing experiments on crayfish. And when Zinny has the chance to attend a dream marine biology camp for the summer, she doesn’t know what to do. How can Zinny move forward when Gabriel—and, really, her whole family—still needs her help?
Waiting for an Echo: The Madness of American Incarceration
Christine Montross - 2020
Christine Montross has spent her career treating the most severely ill psychiatric patients. Several years ago, she set out to investigate why so many of her patients got caught up in the legal system when discharged from her care--and what happened to them therein.Waiting for an Echo is a riveting, rarely seen glimpse into American incarceration. It is also a damning account of policies that have criminalized mental illness, shifting large numbers of people who belong in therapeutic settings into punitive ones.The stark world of American prisons is shocking for all who enter. But Dr. Montross' expertise--the mind in crisis-- allowed her to reckon with the human stories behind the bars. A father attempting to weigh the impossible calculus of a plea bargain. A bright young woman whose life is derailed by addiction. Boys in a juvenile detention facility who, desperate for human connection, invent a way to communicate with one another from cell to cell. Overextended doctors and correctional officers who strive to provide care and security in environments riddled with danger. In these encounters, Montross finds that while our system of correction routinely makes people with mental illness worse, just as routinely, it renders mentally stable people psychiatrically unwell. The system is quite literally maddening.Our methods of incarceration take away not only freedom, but also selfhood and soundness of mind. In a nation where ninety-five percent of all inmates are released from prison and return to our communities, this is a practice that punishes us all.
Sara and the Search for Normal
Wesley King - 2020
Stop taking your pills 19. Make a friend 137. Don’t put mayonnaise on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Sara wants one thing: to be normal. What she has instead are multiple diagnoses from Dr. Ring. Sara’s constant battle with False Alarm—what she calls panic attacks—and other episodes cause her to isolate herself. She rarely speaks, especially not at school, and so she doesn’t have any friends. But when she starts group therapy she meets someone new. Talkative and outgoing Erin doesn’t believe in “normal,” and Sara finds herself in unfamiliar territory: at the movies, at a birthday party, and with someone to tell about her crush—in short, with a friend. But there’s more to Erin than her cheerful exterior, and Sara begins to wonder if helping Erin will mean sacrificing their friendship.
The Unwelcome Visitor: Depression and How I Survive It
Denise Welch - 2020
This is my story that you have asked me to tell. Those who suffer from depression will understand and those who don't will hopefully learn how to.'This is the book that Denise Welch wished for as she found herself exhausted and defeated after yet another visit from The Unwelcome Visitor - the name she gives to the episodes of clinical depression she has suffered from over the past 30 years.For so many understanding their mental health is a leap into the unknown, and they are left grappling with the physical and emotional fallout without any guidance or someone to tell them 'you're not alone and you can live a happy and successful life alongside your illness'. Within these pages Denise reveals her ongoing journey from breakdowns to breakthroughs and through self-destruction to self-acceptance.Typically candid, Denise brings her trademark humour and honesty to a conversation that we urgently need to have, and shows readers it is brave and courageous to be open and vulnerable, and you too can take back control.
Building a Life Worth Living: A Memoir
Marsha M. Linehan - 2020
"Because if you were, it would give all of us so much hope."Over the years, DBT had saved the lives of countless people fighting depression and suicidal thoughts, but Linehan had never revealed that her pioneering work was inspired by her own desperate struggles as a young woman. Only when she received this question did she finally decide to tell her story.In this remarkable and inspiring memoir, Linehan describes how, when she was eighteen years old, she began an abrupt downward spiral from popular teenager to suicidal young woman. After several miserable years in a psychiatric institute, Linehan made a vow that if she could get out of emotional hell, she would try to find a way to help others get out of hell too, and to build a life worth living. She went on to put herself through night school and college, living at a YWCA and often scraping together spare change to buy food. She went on to get her PhD in psychology, specializing in behavior therapy. In the 1980s, she achieved a breakthrough when she developed Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, a therapeutic approach that combines acceptance of the self and ways to change. Linehan included mindfulness as a key component in therapy treatment, along with original and specific life-skill techniques. She says, You can't think yourself into new ways of acting; you can only act yourself into new ways of thinking.Throughout her extraordinary scientific career, Marsha Linehan remained a woman of deep spirituality. Her powerful and moving story is one of faith and perseverance. Linehan shows, in Building a Life Worth Living, how the principles of DBT really work--and how, using her life skills and techniques, people can build lives worth living.
The King of Jam Sandwiches
Eric Walters - 2020
Highly recommended."--School Library Journal, starred reviewThirteen-year-old Robbie leads a double life. It's just Robbie and his dad, but no one knows that his dad isn't like most parents. Sometimes he wakes Robbie up in the middle of the night to talk about dying. Sometimes he just leaves without telling Robbie where he's going. Once when Robbie was younger, he was gone for more than a week. Robbie was terrified of being left alone but even more scared of telling anyone in case he was put into foster care. No one can know. Until one day when Robbie has to show the tough new girl, Harmony, around school. Their first meeting ends horribly and she punches Robbie in the face. But eventually they come to realize that they have a lot more in common than they thought. Can Robbie's new friend be trusted to keep his secret?
The Bridge
Bill Konigsberg - 2020
Aaron is a gay misfit struggling with depression and loneliness. Tillie isn't sure what her problem is -- only that she will never be good enough.On the bridge, there are four things that could happen:Aaron jumps and Tillie doesn't.Tillie jumps and Aaron doesn't.They both jump.Neither of them jumps.
Geese Are Never Swans
Eva Clark - 2020
He is determined to make it to the Olympics and he knows that the only coach in town who can get him there is Coach Marks. So it seems like a simple plan: convince Coach Marks to train him. Everything from there on in is just hard work and Gus has never been afraid of hard work.But there are a few complications. For one thing, Coach Marks was Danny's coach. Danny, Gus's older brother, committed suicide after failing to make the national swimming team, a big step on the way to the Olympics. And for another thing, Gus and Danny didn't exactly get along when Danny was alive. Gus never liked living in Danny's shadow, and that shadow has grown even longer since Danny's death.In this powerful novel about the punishing and the healing nature of sports, Gus's rage threatens to swallow him at every turn. He's angry at his brother, his mother, his coach . . . even himself. But as he works through his feelings and toward his goal, Gus does everything he can to channel his anger into excelling at the sport that he and Danny both loved, finding solace in the same place he must face his demons: the water.
Surviving the Merge
C.P. Harris - 2020
And like any disease left untreated, it festered and burrowed into the unaffected areas of us, until we were both so far from healthy, we were killing one another. Then a tragedy sparked our implosion.With nothing of us remaining to salvage, I was left to pick up the pieces, while Damon found his escape in the abyss. Leaving me alone with his alter, Blake. Damon and Blake are two halves of a whole. But Damon is the coldest part of darkness, and Blake the warmest part of light. Which form of ecstasy would you choose? I love Blake with a ferocious intensity akin to the peeling back of skin. Except Blake isn’t Damon, but Damon was gone—until now. What once threatened to tear us apart has become our catharsis.Outnumbered in a relationship with the man who is my life, I’ve begun to learn more about love than I ever thought possible.But can our love survive the merge? **An M/M romance and book one in the Chadwick trilogy.Can be read as a standalone, no cheating, doesn't end on a cliffhanger, and ends with an HEA. **WARNINGS: Contains explicit sex, violence, graphic language, and an MC with dissociative identity disorder.Author’s note: For a full set of trigger warnings, please use the Amazon “look inside” feature to find them within the first several pages.
Things You Can't Say
Jenn Bishop - 2020
And after losing his dad unexpectedly three years ago, Drew knows a lot about things not going right. First, it’s the new girl Audrey taking over everything at the library, Drew’s sacred space. Then it’s his best friend, Filipe, pulling away from him. But most upsetting has to be the mysterious man who is suddenly staying with Drew’s family. An old friend of Mom’s? Drew isn’t buying that.With an unlikely ally in Audrey, he’s determined to get to the bottom of who this man really is. The thing is, there are some fears—like what if the person you thought was your dad actually wasn’t—that you can’t speak out loud, not to anyone. At least that’s what Drew thinks.But then again, first impressions can be deceiving.
Always Young and Restless: My Life On and Off America's #1 Daytime Drama
Melody Thomas Scott - 2020
But the high drama, angst, and catastrophes aren’t confined to her character’s plotlines. In this captivating memoir, Melody reveals behind-the-scenes tales of her own riveting journey to becoming an icon.As Nikki Newman went from impoverished stripper to resourceful, vivacious heroine―with missteps as gripping as her triumphs―Melody became a household name, enthralling audiences across the globe. But her road to stardom also had to be one to freedom marked by an escape fit for cinema. In Always Young and Restless, Melody tells of her troubled, untraditional upbringing for the first time.Readers will learn how she suffered at home with her hoarder grandmother, whose cruelty as her manager is shockingly extreme; abuse at the hands of industry men; the intensity of acting in feature films with Alfred Hitchcock and Clint Eastwood; and how she finally took control of her life and career, in a getaway move as daring as any on The Young and the Restless. And of course, Melody divulges forty years’ worth of juicy on-and-off-set details of what it’s like to be one-half of the show’s most successful supercouple, “Niktor,” plus her personal path to healing, love, and family. In witty, warm prose, meet the shining, persevering heart of an American icon―and prepare to be moved by a life story fit for a soap opera star.
Five Things About Ava Andrews
Margaret Dilloway - 2020
On the inside, she bubbles with ideas and plans. On the outside, everyone except her best friend, Zelia, thinks she doesn’t talk or, worse, is stuck-up. What nobody knows is that Ava has invisible disabilities: anxiety and a heart condition.Ava hopes middle school will be a fresh start, but when Zelia moves across the country and Ava’s Nana Linda pushes her to speak up about social issues, she withdraws further. So Ava is shocked when her writing abilities impress her classmates and they invite her to join their improv group, making up stories onstage. Determined to prove she can control her anxiety, she joins—and discovers a whole new side of herself, and what it means to be on a team.But as Ava’s self-confidence blossoms, her relationship with Zelia strains, and she learns that it isn’t enough just to raise your voice—it’s how and why you use it that matters.
Dear Dark Knights: The Dear Letters Series-Book Two
King Ellie - 2020
Please read with caution. Please be aware and conscious that the diagnoses that the heroine has is mixed with fiction. It does not at all reflect nor change the true research of the study of the conscious-unconscious mind. Dear Dark Knights,You both broke my heart. You took every part of me, made it your own, and then you chose to walk away from me. You both left me there.You both twisted, yanked, and wickedly took what should’ve never been yours and stomped on it. You made up your minds to show me that you both were the devil reincarnate. You took that broken, battered, and unwanted heart with you, as though it belonged to you.The problem with me is… both of you. I can’t think, breathe, or see past either of you. You flood my mind in a way that no one can. You need to let me go. You hurt me. Why can’t either of you let go of me? You may not say it with your mouths, but your souls call out to me. There’s a part of you that cries for me just as much as I cry for you.Should we do this again? Can we? One minute, I think of you and love you. The other, I want you to suffer as I did. The worst part is, you’re not even aware of my pain. You ruined me for anyone else, and for that…you’ll pay for watering and providing this flower with sunlight. You only did it for the flower to grow so you could trample on it. You can never get rid of me. I am you, Tennesse Church, and you both are me, Tucker-Jamison Vasiliév.But, I want you to remember my words… I’ll always love you both; equally, painfully, and in every waking moment. Even in reincarnation, you are my dark knights.Signed,Tini Chastain
Everything Is an Emergency: An OCD Story in Words Pictures
Jason Adam Katzenstein - 2020
Mundane events like shaking hands or sharing a drink snowball into absolute catastrophes. Jason has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, a mental illness that compels him to perform rituals in order to protect himself from dangers that don’t really exist. He checks, washes, over-thinks, rinse, repeat. He does his best to hide his embarrassing compulsions, and sometimes this even works. He grows up, worries about his first kiss, falls in love with making cartoons, moves to New York City — which is magical and gross, etc. All the while, half his energy goes into living his life, while the other half is devoted to the increasingly ridiculous rituals he’s decided to maintain to keep himself from fully short-circuiting, Then, he fully short-circuits. At his absolute lowest, Jason finally decides to do the things he’s always been told to do to get better: exposure therapy and medication. These are the things that have always freaked him out, and they continue to freak him out. Also, they help him recover. Everything is an Emergency is a comic about all the self-destructive stories someone tells himself, over and over, until they start to seem true. In images surreal, witty, and confessional, Jason shows us that OCD can be funny, even when it feels like it’s ruining your life.
The Edge of Anything
Nora Shalaway Carpenter - 2020
Sage is a high school volleyball star desperate to find a way around her sudden medical disqualification. Both girls need college scholarships. After a chance encounter, the two develop an unlikely friendship that enables them to begin facing their inner demons.But both Len and Sage are keeping secrets that, left hidden, could cost them everything, maybe even their lives.Set in the North Carolina mountains, this dynamic #ownvoices novel explores grief, mental health, and the transformative power of friendship.
Aster's Good, Right Things
Kate Gordon - 2020
If she was, her mother wouldn’t have left. Each day Aster must do a good, right thing—a challenge she sets herself, to make someone else’s life better. Nobody can know about her ‘things’, because then they won’t count. And if she doesn’t do them, she's sure everything will go wrong. Then she meets Xavier. He has his own kind of special missions to make life better. When they do these missions together, Aster feels free, but if she stops doing her good, right things will everything fall apart?
The Lightness of Hands
Jeff Garvin - 2020
Perfect for fans of Adi Alsaid, David Arnold, and Arvin Ahmadi. Sixteen-year-old Ellie Dante is desperate for something in her life to finally go right. Her father was a famous stage magician until he attempted an epic illusion on live TV―and failed. Now Ellie lives with her dad in a beat-up RV, attending high school online and performing with him at birthday parties and bars across the Midwest to make ends meet.But when the gigs dry up, their insurance lapses, leaving Dad’s heart condition unchecked and forcing Ellie to battle her bipolar II disorder without medication.Then Ellie receives a call from a famous magic duo, who offer fifteen thousand dollars and a shot at redemption: they want her father to perform the illusion that wrecked his career―on their live TV special, which shoots in Los Angeles in ten days. Ellie knows her dad will refuse―but she takes the deal anyway, then lies to persuade him to head west. With the help of her online-only best friend and an unusual guy she teams up with along the way, Ellie makes a plan to stage his comeback. But when her lie is exposed, she’ll have to confront her illness and her choices head-on to save her father―and herself.
Hands of Grace
Brenda S. Anderson - 2020
Her heart surgeon boyfriend has hinted at proposing, along with letting her sickly mother live with them once they're married.But then she learns her boyfriend isn't a doctor at all, but a drug trafficker who's involved her in his scheme. Not only did she get love wrong, but she's unwittingly placed both her and her mother's lives in danger.Love is the last thing on Officer Daniel Winter's mind. Twice-burned, he's locked up his heart for good. But when he goes undercover as a handyman to protect the cute and quirky Rita Dunlap, he discovers he's not only guarding her and her mother, but his heart as well.Rita wants to trust Daniel, wants to believe his work around her house doesn't come with a price, but she'll need to let go of her past mistakes to open her heart to the future.
Grow Through It: Inspiration for Weathering Life's Seasons
Dani DiPirro - 2020
Artist Dani DiPirro started her Instagram, PositivelyPresent, after she realized that positivity, like all self-care, is an essential skill that needs to be practiced daily. She began posting her bright and bubbly illustrations, sharing the ups and downs of her journey to positive thinking.In Grow Through It, Dani shares never-before-seen content to take us through the seasons, and she shows us how to pick out the positives on both sunny days and snowy ones. She also reminds you to take breaks for self-care, to stop comparing yourself to others, and to grow at your own pace. No matter what the circumstance, this book shows you how optimism is always an option!
Fighting for His Life
Nola Marie - 2020
He was my best friend. At fourteen I fell in love with him. Maybe I always was. Then graduation night he kissed me. Told me he loved me too. That day made me think everything would be perfect.Until the unthinkable happened, and nothing was perfect. I've lost myself and I've pushed him away. That day left me so broken and damaged, and I don't know if I can find my way back.JaxI've loved Zoey for so long I can't remember not loving her. Until that fateful phone call made it seem like the end.I have to find a way to help the girl I love heal because living without her isn't an option. She is everything to me. She is my life.
Someone's Story
B.A. Bellec - 2020
A. Bellec has crafted a masterpiece of emotive and well-rounded young adult fiction.”K.C. Finn – Author“A gripping story of teenage life and the many problems they face. A RED RIBBON WINNER and highly recommended.”The Wishing Self Book Awards“The variety of personages, situations, and mental illnesses represented allows all readers to relate to this book and take something away from reading! This novel is on our list of all-time favourites!”International Girls and Books“B.A. Bellec has truly created a masterpiece that deserves worldwide recognition, awards and so much more.”Rebecca Ryan – ReedsyIn his debut endearing coming-of-age book, B.A. Bellec writes about a group of weirdos that find and save each other from the dark depths of their minds. Someone’s Story is literally Someone’s story, as in a first-person narrative of a teenager that calls himself Someone. As he struggles to find a new footing in a new space, we encounter the many ups and downs of modern teenage life, the difficulties that adjusting to adult feelings bring, and a few tear-jerking surprises along the way.Littered with music, mental health, friendship, loss, meditation, advice, pop culture, and even inspiring an EP, there is so much nostalgia, inspiration, and depth here it is hard to absorb it all. Cozy up somewhere warm and enjoy!
Finding Quiet: My Journey to Peace in an Anxious World
Jamie Grace - 2020
Many know her as a singer with radio hits who has spent the last decade on stages and in front of the camera, but behind the scenes, she has struggled with Tourette Syndrome, ADHD, and an anxiety disorder for most of her life. But in the middle of both inner and outer noise, Jamie has learned how to manage the negative effects of her diagnoses, make the most of her strengths, and lean into the journey God has led her on.A journey of Finding Quiet.
Trowbridge Road
Marcella Pixley - 2020
Months after her father’s death from complications from AIDS, her mother has stopped cooking and refuses to leave the house, instead locking herself away to scour at the germs she believes are everywhere. June Bug threatens this precarious existence by going out into the neighborhood, gradually befriending Ziggy, an imaginative boy who is living with his Nana Jean after experiencing troubles of his own. But as June Bug’s connection to the world grows stronger, her mother’s grows more distant — even dangerous — pushing June Bug to choose between truth and healing and the only home she has ever known. Trowbridge Road paints an unwavering portrait of a girl and her family touched by mental illness and grief. Set in the Boston suburbs during the first years of the AIDS epidemic, the novel explores how a seemingly perfect neighborhood can contain restless ghosts and unspoken secrets. Written with deep insight and subtle lyricism by acclaimed author Marcella Pixley, Trowbridge Road demonstrates our power to rescue one another even when our hearts are broken.
Covet
Lakisha Johnson - 2020
Their marriage isn’t perfect, but they’ve made it work. They’re active members of True Vine MB Church, she’s a photographer and he owns a tire shop. Things are, well, they are good.Until the day, their life becomes the object of somebody’s obsession. The only downside, they don’t know who it is. This person, in the darkness has a yearning, a desire to possess something Karis and Darius has ... they just didn’t know it yet.Pray and fast, that’ll help when you’re going through a storm, right? Well, they’re doing that, but things are getting worst. Fire, turmoil, secrets and a kidnapping of a spouse. It’s clear, the person responsible hasn’t read Romans 13:9, “For the commandments say, “You must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not covet...”
The End of Mental Illness: How Neuroscience Is Transforming Psychiatry and Helping Prevent or Reverse Mood and Anxiety Disorders, ADHD, Addictions, PTSD, Psychosis, Personality Disorders, and More
Daniel G. Amen - 2020
Though incidence of these conditions is skyrocketing, for the past four decades standard treatment hasn't much changed, and success rates in treating them have barely improved, either. Meanwhile, the stigma of the "mental illness" label--damaging and devastating on its own--can often prevent sufferers from getting the help they need.Brain specialist and bestselling author Dr. Daniel Amen is on the forefront of a new movement within medicine and related disciplines that aims to change all that. In The End of Mental Illness, Dr. Amen draws on the latest findings of neuroscience to challenge an outdated psychiatric paradigm and help readers take control and improve the health of their own brain, minimizing or reversing conditions that may be preventing them from living a full and emotionally healthy life.The End of Mental Illness will help you discover:Why labeling someone as having a "mental illness" is not only inaccurate but harmful.Why standard treatment may not have helped you or a loved one--and why diagnosing and treating you based on your symptoms alone so often misses the true cause of those symptoms and results in poor outcomesAt least 100 simple things you can do yourself to heal your brain and prevent or reverse the problems that are making you feel sad, mad, or badHow to identify your "brain type" and what you can do to optimize your particular typeWhere to find the kind of health provider who understands and uses the new paradigm of brain health
Jagged Little Pill
Rachel Syme - 2020
In the "triumphant and moving" (Variety) Broadway musical of the same name, Morissette's iconic numbers-including smash hits like "Ironic," "You Oughta Know," and "Hand in My Pocket,"-are paired with new songs by the beloved musician and a powerful original story by Academy Award-winning writer Diablo Cody (Juno). Hailed as "urgent, wildly entertaining, and wickedly funny" (The Boston Globe) and "joyful and redemptive, rousing and real" (The New York Times), the Jagged Little Pill musical is a poignant and emotionally revelatory experience that is speaking to audiences across generations. Now, for the first time, this book will take you behind the scenes with stunning photography, original in-depth interviews with the cast, crew, Alanis Morisette, and Diablo Cody, and an introduction from Morissette herself on the album's genesis and journey from release to acclaimed musical-including details and anecdotes on her collaboration on the show. Including the full annotated libretto and a retrospective look at Alanis's artistic influences and the significance of the album within the cultural context of the 90s as well as its long-term impact on the music world as we know it, this beautifully rendered book is a must-have keepsake for anyone who has been touched by this production or Morissette's music.
Modern Madness: An Owner's Manual
Terri Cheney - 2020
Now, in this "stigma-buster" and "must-read", she blends a gripping narrative with practical advice (Elyn Saks).Cheney flips mental illness inside out, exposing the visceral story of the struggles, stigma, relationship dilemmas, treatments, and recovery techniques she and others have encountered. Sometimes humorous, sometimes harrowing, Modern Madness is the ultimate owner's manual on mental illness, breaking this complex subject down into readily understandable concepts like Instructions for Use, Troubleshooting, Maintenance, and Warranties.Whether you have a diagnosis, love or work with someone who does, or are just trying to understand this emerging phenomenon of our times, Modern Madness is a courageous clarion call for acceptance, both personal and public. With her candid and riveting writing, Cheney delivers more than heartbreak; she promises hope.
Daughter of a Monster
Sabre Rose - 2020
Nothing but blood.Then came the hushed whispers and hidden smirks.I’ve been this girl before.I won’t be her again.The daughter of a monster.Jericho Priest appears as my savior, an escape to another world.One where no one knows the darkness running through my veins.But no matter where I hide, my past haunts me.I thought I’d found sanctuary, a solace from my nightmare.But it was only the beginning.Set in the same world as the Requested Trilogy, this dark romance trilogy follows Berkley as she faces the struggles of being known as the daughter of a monster. * Reader discretion is advised as this story contains dark scenes.
Success from the Inside Out: Power to Rise from the Past to a Fulfilling Future
Nona Jones - 2020
Many of us aspire to achieve position, wealth, and notability in the hopes that those things will erase the pain of the past. But for those like Nona Jones who have experienced trauma, success requires more than a changed mindset--it requires repairing a broken spirit.Nona was appointed to an executive role with a Fortune 100 company at only 23 years old. Since then, she has led award-winning initiatives in public affairs, brokered multi-million dollar business deals, addressed the United Nations, and championed juvenile justice and education policy reform in the halls of Congress--all under the age of 35.Then in one of the largest wake-up moments of her life, Nona realized that her past battles were waging a present war. Though she tried to push away the memories, her childhood trauma continued to affect her emotionally, spiritually, mentally, and physically--until she made a pivotal decision.Success from the Inside Out charts the course of Nona's breakthrough--a course that can also lead you out of the storms of your past or present. Through her own remarkable story and insights, Nona helps you:Claim victory at the place where the defeat happenedRecognize ways you use work to cover up inward brokennessStill the voices in your head that say you aren't good enoughChoose not just empty success but fulfilling successMap your mile-markers toward your biggest goalsPush through from brokenness to breakthroughAs Nona writes, "I've discovered that the only thing stronger than the power trauma has to change you is the power you reclaim when you acknowledge its effect on you." Success from the Inside Out is an empowering guide to finding healing from the past so you can move with freedom and hope into the future.
Among the Sins of my Father
Sabre Rose - 2020
Vengeance.She was nothing more than something to be used. A tool to exact my revenge.My role was to be the villain in her life. Not the savior.But I wasn’t prepared for her. And she ruined everything.She wasn’t supposed to get under my skin.But she did.Then she consumed me.And now, when I think about my future there is an image in my mind. It’s of Berkley.She’s everywhere. She’s permeated every aspect of my life. And I will kill anyone who keeps her from me.Among the Sins of my Father is the final conclusion of the Black Swan dark romance trilogy.* Reader discretion is advised as this story contains dark scenes.
Like Crazy: Life with My Mother and Her Invisible Friends
Dan Mathews - 2020
Full of wry humor, tenderness, and compassion.” —Jeannette Walls, New York Times bestselling author A hilarious and heartbreaking memoir about an outlandish mother and son on an odyssey of self-discovery, and the rag-tag community that rallied to help them as the mother entered the final phase of her life.Dan Mathews knew that his witty, bawdy, unhinged mother, Perry, was unable to maintain her fierce independence at seventy-eight—so he flew her across the country to Virginia to live with him in an 1870 townhouse badly in need of repairs. But to Dan, a screwdriver is a cocktail not a tool, and he was soon overwhelmed with two fixer-uppers: the house and his mother. Unbowed, Dan and Perry built a rollicking life together fueled by costume parties, road trips, after-hours gatherings, and an unshakeable sense of humor as they faced down hurricanes, blizzards, and Perry’s steady decline. They got by with the help of an ever-expanding circle of sidekicks—Dan’s boyfriends (past and present), ex-cons, sailors, strippers, deaf hillbillies, evangelicals, and grumpy cats—while flipping the parent-child relationship on its head. But it wasn’t until a kicking-and-screaming trip to the emergency room that Dan discovered the cause of his mother’s unpredictable, often caustic behavior: Perry had lived her entire adult life as an undiagnosed schizophrenic. Irreverent and emotionally powerful, Like Crazy is a darkly comic tale about the perils and rewards of taking in a fragile parent without derailing your life in the process. A rare story about mental illness with an uplifting conclusion, it shows the remarkable growth that takes place when a wild child settles down to care for the wild woman who raised him.
Fin & Rye & Fireflies
Harry Cook - 2020
Jesse Andrews had the arms of a Greek god and he was on the track team. The night of our kiss fell on a Friday.”Then, only a few days later, Fin’s world is turned upside down - and not in a good head-over-heels-in-love way - when Jesse cruelly outs him. An event which ultimately leads to his family leaving town.But a fresh start isn’t going to change the truth of who Fin is. And it’s not going to stop his sexuality causing everyone all sorts of problems. Everyone, that is, apart from his new best friend Poppy, her girlfriend-in-waiting June, and his new crush Rye… So, while Fin and Rye are enjoying some seriously intimate moonlit moments together, Fin’s parents decide to pack him off to the local ReSouled ‘therapy camp’.It’s a nightmare - and there’s no easy way out. Can Fin’s squad hatch a plan outrageous enough to spring him before the ‘conversion’ acolytes force him into the straight and narrow?
Searching for Hope
Sabre Rose - 2020
But white knights exist only in fairy tales. Shining armor is nothing more than an illusion. And guardian angels can lose their wings.Hope can be beautiful.But it can also be cruel.The story of Berkley, Jericho and Hope continues in part two of the Black Swan dark romance trilogy.* Reader discretion is advised as this story contains dark scenes.
Hidden Magic
Melinda KucseraL.C. Ireland - 2020
Be they wizards and shamans, assassins, or everyday people, Hidden Magic tells their stories about escape, consequences, and most of all, magic. From Earth cities and fantastical new worlds comes twenty-six stories where heroes grapple with the seen and unseen in order to save themselves, their families, and often the world. This collection features: Elderly antiques experts interacting with souls Shamans growing outlawed magic Baby chimeras battling for their lives Children sprouting fluffy tails A king’s boat thrown off-course A perfect life coming at a not-so-perfect cost Vikings defending a village against the unseen A lone shifter atoning for his past mistakes Trolls and pixies tumbling through the doorway to another world And more! Fans of Patricia Briggs and Tamsyn Muir will love Hidden Magic, first of the Magic Underground trilogy of anthologies… Get it today!
The Long Night: Readings and Stories to Help You Through Depression
Jessica Kantrowitz - 2020
But it can take four to eight weeks for the meds to start to work, and it might take two or more tries before you and your doctor find the ones that work best for you. When you're in the midst of terrible depression, those weeks can feel like an eternity. You just want to feel better now. This book is for those who are in the long night of waiting. It does not promise healing or deliverance; it is not a guide to praying away the depression. It is simply an attempt to sit next to you in the dark while you wait for the light to emerge.Drawing on the wisdom of spiritual figures from the past and present--including Henri Nouwen, Thomas Merton, Barbara Brown Taylor, Bunmi Laditan, and many others--The Long Night is a comforting and inspirational companion for anyone in the midst of depression. Writer, editor, and mi
Manic
Niki Jilvontae - 2020
(Dissociative Identity Disorder) can hinder the value of life for all if affects. These disorders know no age, gender or race boundaries so anyone can be affected by them! Bianca Fulton found that out the hard way at a very young age. As she grew older her manic episodes and multiple personalities led to various obstacles in her life. This is her story... her misery, her turmoil, and her pain. This is the story of how what was supposed to be a tragic ending turned into a beautifully, devious beginning for Bianca Fulton. This is a complex story that shows how she felt like a captive in her own mind...trapped until she found the calming chaos she needed.... this is MANIC!
Stain
M. Hayes - 2020
His chosen sanctuary? The girl he left behind.Katarina Soloway is the one person Blake trusts to uncover the facts, but the further they dig, the more twisted the truth becomes.When paths cross, no one is safe. Horrors always leave a mark. The stain of truth may never come clean.
A Prayer for Orion: A Son's Addiction and a Mother's Love
Katherine James - 2020
When Katherine James and her husband found out their son was using heroin, their responses ran the gamut: disbelief, anger, helplessness, guilt. As they struggled to come to grips with their son's addiction and decide how best to help him, their home became a refuge for an unlikely assortment of their son's friends, each with their own story, drawn by the simple love and acceptance they found there--"the Lost Boys," James calls them. In this sensitive, vulnerable memoir, award-winning novelist James turns her lush prose to a new purpose: to tell her family's story through the twists and turns of her son's addiction, overdose, and slow recovery. The result is not just a look at the phenomenon of drug abuse in suburban America, but also a meditation on the particular anguish of loving a wayward child and clinging to a desperate trust in God's providence through it all.
The Man from Milwaukee
Rick R. Reed - 2020
His monstrous crimes inspire dread around the globe. But not so much for Emory Hughes, a closeted young man in Chicago who sees in the cannibal killer a kindred spirit, someone who fights against the dark side of his own nature, as Emory does. He reaches out to Dahmer in prison via letters.The letters become an escape—from Emory’s mother dying from AIDS, from his uncaring sister, from his dead-end job in downtown Chicago, but most of all, from his own self-hatred.Dahmer isn’t Emory’s only lifeline as he begins a tentative relationship with Tyler Kay. He falls for him and, just like Dahmer, wonders how he can get Tyler to stay. Emory’s desire for love leads him to confront his own grip on reality. For Tyler, the threat of the mild-mannered Emory seems inconsequential, but not taking the threat seriously is at his own peril.Can Emory discover the roots of his own madness before it’s too late and he finds himself following in the footsteps of the man from Milwaukee?
Finding Hope
J. Grace - 2020
Her only saving graces, her brother Carson and her best and only friend Sierra, are both gone. Life without them is just one horrible day set on repeat, but she’s determined to hold on even if it’s by the skin of her teeth, waiting for the day that she can escape her mother's hold. On the one year anniversary of Sierra’s death, she is rocked to her core by cruelty that not even she expected from her mother. In her most desperate hour, Marjorie makes a decision that she can’t take back. When she wakes up in the hospital after being found by her estranged brother, her life takes an even more confusing and tumultuous turn when she's sent to Brighton House for Troubled Youth. There she meets a doctor who not only wants the best for her but gives her the motherly love and warmth she's wanted her whole life.And four people, who, like her, are struggling with demons of their own. Avery, a lesbian who was sent away from home by her ultra conservative parents. Malcolm, recent amputee and former All-American Texas football star struggling to find his new identity. Bodie, an alcoholic who uses jokes to deflect from his lack of confidence. And Zachery, who witnessed the murder-suicide of his parents after a tragic accident. With the help of these unexpected allies, she comes to terms with the demons that have plagued her her whole life, while dealing with the newly found and never experienced love and desire brought on by her budding relationships forged through trials, tribulations, and trust. But just when she thinks she's getting a grasp on life, her world is upended, and she is forced to grapple with the repercussions of the familial bombshells that have been dropped on her. Through it all, she and her chosen heartmates find their way to being who they were truly meant to be as they grow together and find love in a hopeless place. Finding Hope is a medium burn Reverse Harem/Why Choose novel with maturbatory and FF scenes. Finding Hope is not a dark or bully book but does deal with darker subjects that some may find triggering.
Wrestling With My Thoughts: A Doctor With Severe Mental Illness Discovers Strength
Sharon Hastings - 2020
There she was with her medical qualifications sitting on the floor of a mental hospital. She'd been baptized, offered her life to God, wanted to serve him anywhere, but no, surely not this...Sharon Hastings is absolutely passionate about helping anyone who suffers from 'severe and enduring mental illness' (SEMI): schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and schizoaffective disorder. She wants the church to know all about these illnesses: how they devastate ordinary people and how they need to be treated. By telling her story, warts and all, showing her own tortuous, painful journey, she equips us to come alongside loved ones, fellow church members, friends and neighbours, understanding the social and spiritual ramifications of their illnesses, including them in our activities (where appropriate) and encouraging their spiritual growth.ContentsIntroduction: Deep joy1 Too numb to pray - Wrestling with thoughts of darkness2 The symphonies have lost their colour - Wrestling with low mood3 I want to go home - Wrestling with my loss of freedom4 Throwing the bouquet in the bin - Wrestling with my identity5 A case too complex to treat - Wrestling with rejection6 He wants me back - Wrestling with God7 Sighing out my bitterness - Wrestling with despair8 Too alive - Wrestling with suicidal thoughts9 Aftercare. At last - Wrestling with my body10 More than well - Wrestling with mania11 Support for my application - Wrestling with the General Medical Council12 The network of the fourth dimension - Wrestling with psychosis13 A complicated little creature - Wrestling, with fresh hope14 This doesn't feel like 'friends' - Wrestling with risk15 It's not your average relationship - Wrestling with first love16 Even there your hand will guide - Wrestling, with acceptanceEpilogueAppendix 1 FAQsAppendix 2 Useful contacts and resourcesEnd notesA natural storyteller, the author draws us in. We journey with her as she shares deeply. With wisdom, kindness and the heart of a bruised survivor, she interweaves her exceptional story with vital teaching which cannot be ignored by anyone within the church today.
Learning to Be: Finding Your Center After the Bottom Falls Out
Juanita Campbell Rasmus - 2020
Imagine large strong hands slowly applying pressure while breaking a family-size package of uncooked, dry spaghetti. I was the spaghetti. Breaking down one piece at a time. This is how Juanita Rasmus begins the wise, frank, and witty account of what she later called The Crash and what her counselor labeled a major depressive episode. This experience landed Juanita, a busy pastor, mother, and community leader, in bed. In addition to exhaustion and depression, on the spiritual front she experienced a dark night of the soul. When everything in her life finally came to a stop, she found that she had to learn to be--with herself and with God--all over again. Pastor Juanita writes from her life with kind attention to the life of the reader. She offers both practical and spiritual insights but never pat answers. If you are longing for a trustworthy companion through dark days, this book is here for you. Each chapter includes life-giving spiritual practices to help you discover your own new ways of being.
Ballad of a Sober Man: An ER Doctor's Journey of Recovery
J.D. Remy - 2020
Coming Undone
Terri White - 2020
In reality, she was rapidly skidding towards a mental health crisis that would land her in a locked psychiatric ward as her past caught up with her.As well as growing up in a household in poverty, Terri endured sexual and physical abuse at the hands of a number of her mother's partners. Her success defied all expectations, but the greater the disparity between her outer achievements and inner demons, the more she struggled to hold everything together.Coming Undone is Terri's documentation of her unraveling, and her precarious navigation back from a life in pieces.
The Opposite of Falling Apart
Micah Good - 2020
. .What's the point of pretending nothing has changed when everything has? It's the last summer before college, and Jonas Avery knows he should be excited. Instead, he hides out at home, avoiding his friends, his family, and everything that resembles his old life. Because nothing will be normal again―because of The Accident, when everything started falling apart.Brennan Davis knows she needs to stand up and face her anxiety―the deep, dark, debilitating dread that rules her everyday life. Because what stops her from going out into the world and just living is going to get a whole lot worse. She’s leaving for college in the fall, where she’ll be confronted with even more to worry about.When Jonas crashes into Brennan―in a harmless, albeit embarrassing fender bender―the two teens connect in ways they never expected. As friends, they help each other overcome their biggest falls and faults, and soon discover that while love can't fix everything, it's sometimes a place to start.Sensitive, wry, and unabashedly authentic, The Opposite of Falling Apart isn't about finding perfection in another person or fixing the things we think are broken. Instead, Micah Good has penned an enchantingly honest novel about accepting the very pieces of ourselves that make us unique, whole, and undeniably human.
Tantalize
Rayne Havok - 2020
She invades my mind, taking over until I must do something to regain it, to be free of her. Things have escalated, but I have it all under control.
Worse Than Weird
Jody J. Little - 2020
Martin will adore this story of a citywide scavenger hunt and a girl who learns that family—and weirdness—is relative.
Summer Coding Camp
Incoming 7th graders only
Eight-week session begins June 28
This is it, my summer plan.
Hoping to ditch two months of chicken coops, kale, and her parents’ antiscreen rules, Mac MacLeod sets out to win a citywide food cart scavenger hunt and the money she needs for the summer coding camp of her dreams.But Mac discovers more than just clues during her cross-city sprint—like how her weird parents might not be the worst thing compared to the circumstances of those around her.With the same humor and hope of her debut novel, Mostly the Honest Truth, Jody J. Little gives readers another spunky, unforgettable character to root for.
Cherry Hill: A Childhood Reimagined
Jona Frank - 2020
Told in words and evocative photographs, Frank's account of her childhood struggles with a repressive mother, mentally ill brother, and overwhelming expectations is leavened with episodes from her rich interior world.Akin to a graphic novel, this hybrid of personal essay and photography breaks open the memoir format, detailing the life of a young artist as she spends her days dreaming of a friendship with Emily Dickinson, longing for Bruce Springsteen and eschewing the rules of femininity. Frank employs a cinematic approach to construct vivid scenes from her youth. Using elaborately dressed sets, era-specific wardrobes, and multiple actors to portray herself as a child, Frank refashions her memories into vibrant tableaux. Strikingly, Frank cast Academy Award-winning actor Laura Dern in the role of her strict and complicated mother in a performance as bravura as her film and television work.As Frank outgrows the confines of her environment and suffocating domestic life, discovering art and photography as the path to her personal fulfillment, she plots her ultimate escape. A unique photographic storytelling project reminiscent of such classics as Fun Home and The Best We Could Do, Cherry Hill is an intimate self-portrait of what it takes to break free of convention and answer the question, Who am I meant to be?
All of My Friends Are Rich
Michael Sarais - 2020
Embarrassed by a dead-end job that barely pays the bills, he can't help but notice that those around him are all enjoying success. When his closest friend, Sara, asks him to be her best man, Leo reaches the last straw: how can he possibly afford these lavish festivities on his wages? A Grindr chance encounter reveals that a shortcut to riches does exist . . . but in the end, this reckless route may cost him the loved-ones he aims to impress and welcome terrible danger . . .Leo's trip will take him afar, but answers lie only within.
Anna Incognito
Laura Preble - 2020
Not her intense fear of germs that keeps her housebound most of the time. Not the fact that she needs to borrow a car and hasn't driven in years.I have worked with people with mental illness for decades, and I see how society marginalizes the problem and wills people who have it to gracefully disappear. My own struggles inform this knowledge; I have seen first-hand how mental illness is used as an excuse, a weapon, a way to exclude people, and a way to divide families. That is why I am the person to write this book. Although it is fiction, it is drawn from life, and I believe it can offer hope to those who fight mental illness and personal tragedy. Anna Incognito deals with mental illness, loss, and renewed hope and acceptance of flaws through the insightful, biting wit of a main character at odds with herself, her past, and the world; still, she sees the humor and absurdity in it all.
Woman on Ward 13
Delphine Woods - 2020
You must hold on to it, at any cost.’1900Asylum attendant, Katy Owen, hates the isolation, the bars on the windows, and the way the mad women watch her. She should not believe their delusional tales, but when her charge talks of murder, she is drawn into a story of tragedy and conspiracy that threatens her own sanity.1956Iris Lowe is a nurse on the infamous Ward 13 at Smedley Psychiatric Hospital. After one patient receives her first visitor in over fifty years, Iris suspects there might be more to her story than meets the eye.As she battles against buried secrets, Iris unearths harrowing and heart-wrenching atrocities that span almost a century.But is it too late to serve justice?Woman on Ward 13 is a captivating gothic time-slip novel, the first in the new series, The Iris Lowe Mysteries. Step inside the asylum and get your copy today!
The College Tapes
NOT A BOOK - 2020
Listen in real time as they’re drawn into a dangerous conspiracy—and back into each other’s orbits—learning more about the secret world of Atypicals and the feelings they still have for each other.
The Moon Always Rising
Alice C. Early - 2020
Maybe she’d even have the courage to discover why her estranged mother ran home to Italy thirty years earlier.But when 2000 dawns, Els is mourning her fiancé and her father, and she’s unemployed, broke, and sharing an antique plantation house on the Caribbean island of Nevis with the ghost―or “jumbie”―of Jack Griggs, the former owner. Jack’s jumbie wangles Els’s help in making amends for wrongs committed during his Casanova life, and in exchange he appoints himself Cupid on behalf of a charter captain who’s as skittish about vulnerability as Els. Meanwhile, Els lures her mother to Nevis in hopes of unraveling the family secrets―but will the shocking truth set her free, or pull her fragile new happiness apart?A moving and lyrical novel that transports readers from lush tropics to rugged highlands and back again, The Moon Always Rising explores how the power of forgiveness can help even the most damaged person fix whatever is broken.
History Will Remember When The World Stopped: poems from a pandemic
Donna Ashworth - 2020
I Should Have Worn A Curtain: A Novella (Book 1 of 2)
Samyra Alexander - 2020
Showing public affection was the way he rewarded her when the numbers on the scale went down, but when her weight loss stalled, so did his affection. Food has been there for her ever since her mother walked away from Shaena and her father. But now, as she struggles to fit into her jeans, suppresses the urge to be sick in the mornings, and sits silently in Overeaters Anonymous meetings, she has one question: Is food really her only source of comfort?I Should Have Worn A Curtain: A Novella follows Shaena's struggle to accept her childhood trauma, learn self-love, and get honest about an illness that has kept her silent for too long.
American Madness: The Story of the Phantom Patriot and How Conspiracy Theories Hijacked American Consciousness
Tea Krulos - 2020
But what happens when the harbingers of “inside knowledge” go too far?Author Tea Krulos tells the story of one man, Richard McCaslin, who’s fractured thinking made him the ideal consumer of even the most arcane of conspiracy theories. Acting on the daily rants of Alex Jones and his ilk, McCaslin takes matters into his own hands to stop the unseen powers behind the world’s disasters who congregate at conspiracy world’s Mecca- The Bohemian Grove. It all goes wrong with terrible consequences for the man who styled himself-The Phantom Patriot.McCaslin is not alone, as conspiracy-driven political action has bubbled its way up from the margins of society to the White House. It’s no longer a lone deranged kook convinced of getting secret messages from a cereal box, now its slick videos and well-funded outrage campaigns ready to peddle the latest innuendos and lies in hopes of harnessing the chaos for political gain. What is the long term effect on people who believe these barely believable stories? Who benefits, and who pays the price?Krulos investigates and explains the power of conspiracy and the resulting shared madness on the American psyche.
Heroes in Love
David C. Dawson - 2020
Billy’s aging client Chuck has a dark and sad secret to reveal. As Billy and Daniel fight to help Chuck reunite with the love of his past, their own fledgling relationship is threatened. Who will remain the heroes in love?
The South Carolina State Hospital: Stories from Bull Street (Landmarks)
William Buchheit - 2020
Founded in 1821 as the South Carolina Lunatic Asylum, it housed, fed and treated thousands of patients incapable of surviving on their own. The patient population in 1961 eclipsed 6,600, well above its listed capacity of 4,823, despite an operating budget that ranked forty-fifth out of the forty-eight states with such large public hospitals. By the mid-1990s, the patient population had fallen under 700, and the hospital had become a symbol of captivity, horror and chaos. Author William Buchheit details this history through the words and interviews of those who worked on the iconic campus.
This Is My Brain in Love
I.W. Gregorio - 2020
Then Jocelyn's father tells her their family restaurant may be going under, and all wishes are off. Because her dad has the marketing skills of a dumpling, it's up to Jocelyn and her unlikely new employee, Will, to bring A-Plus Chinese Garden into the 21st century (or, at least, to Facebook).What starts off as a rocky partnership soon grows into something more. But family prejudices and the uncertain future of A-Plus threaten to keep Will and Jocelyn apart. It will take everything they have and more, to save the family restaurant and their budding romance.
The Complete Hate
Peter Bagge - 2020
Bagge combined his cartoony drawing style with uncomfortably real Gen X characters, and the comic books resonated with readers. Book One (Hate 1-15), focuses on young Buddy Bradley's travails in early 1990s Seattle. Book Two focuses on Buddy and his girlfriend Lisa Leavenworth's move back to Buddy's native New Jersey (and a switch from black-and-white to full color). Book Three features the final arc of Bagge's magnum opus, as Buddy and Lisa become parents (and buy a garbage dump). Each volume, along with the slipcase, contains new covers, endpapers, title pages, and other surprises by Bagge.
it's all in your head, m
Manjiri Indurkar - 2020
Growing up in Jabalpur with a loving and supportive family, her childhood had been perfect. Why then was her body telling her otherwise? Confronted with the vagaries of her health, Manjiri came to a realisation—her body could contain its secrets no longer. It was time to let go.To make sense of the present, she needs to address the violence of the past, but it is not easy to do while balancing a life and career in an alien city with a demanding relationship. Even as Manjiri grapples with the trauma and abuse she faced as a child, she tries to lead a regular, healthy life. Written with visceral honesty and unapologetic candour, It’s All In Your Head, M chronicles the confidences a female body learns to keep. As much a coming-of-age story as it is an exploration of the author’s struggles with mental health, this reflective memoir speaks to all survivors of abuse, offering up a tale of strength and resilience and the ultimate potion of self-care: love and acceptance.
Marly in Pieces
Cathrina Constantine - 2020
Even though her wrists were slit, Marly knows her beautifully vibrant bestie would never do that.Even though the two had drifted apart, Marly and Rae made a blood promise long ago to always look out for each other. Even in death, Marly intends to honor that vow.Determined to find Rae’s killer, Marly faces a long list of potential suspects. It seems everyone has secrets or lies they are covering up… including the boy she loves. Can Marly uncover the murderer’s identity before she becomes the next victim?
Kind Words for Unkind Days: A guide to surviving and thriving in difficult times
Jayne Hardy - 2020
But here's the thing - you're not alone. From helping us see what strong really looks like, to what to do when you have no energy for self-care; Jayne Hardy shows us that even on our most difficult days, a little kindness can go a very long way.With easily digestible advice and soothing messages to help you find brightness on even the darkest days, this is the book we all need. Perfect for yourself or as a gift to a family member or friend, this book is the message we all need to hear: Be kind.
The Norton Brothers
K.L. Fast - 2020
Professionalism is out the window when the client, Ethel changes all that in an instant. Love comes swiftly for these two. This short story is full of all the sexy goodness you can handle as well as being safe and over the top. Puppy Love by KL Fast Ethan Norton, along with his brother, Jeremy own and operate Top Dog, Michigan's most noted service canine training academy. Rule number one is to never fall for the client. When Genevieve Dubois brings her puppy in for training, all bets are off. Milo, her dangerously cute puppy, plays matchmaker and now sweet Genny is mine. This short story is safe, with all the sexy feels. **These stories were previously in the Must Love Dogs Anthology and now have never before seen bonus content.**
Fuck the Police Means We Don't Act Like Cops to Each Other
Clementine Morrigan - 2020
This zine explores many related issues including: defining cancel culture, how cancel culture perpetuates harm rather than addressing it, what it means to take responsibility when we've harmed someone, the practice of intervening on violent situations, a trauma informed challenge to the 'believe survivors' narrative, the need for dissent and disagreement on the left, nervous system education, and overcoming people pleasing. This zine takes the work of justice and liberation seriously, values the healing and autonomy of survivors, believes no one is disposable, and seeks to build communities that are not punitive or authoritarian. This is a love letter to left we are building together, toward a more just world where we aren't afraid of our friends.
Finding Frances
Kelly Vincent - 2020
She comes home from a night out with friends to find that her whole world has changed, and she has extremely hard decisions to make. Not to mention finding the answers to questions some people would rather she not know. Is she strong enough for what lies ahead?
Tell Me You Love Me
Kathleen Stone - 2020
The life she’d known is forever changed with the addition of a stepfather and a five-year-old stepbrother who terrorizes her on a daily basis. After a family tragedy the young siblings are thrust into the Hollywood spotlight, surrounded by people whose very foundation is based on secrets and lies. Struggling to grow up and find their way in a world where child stars are forever manipulated and exploited, the siblings form an unbreakable bond vowing to always protect each other when the adults entrusted to take care of them fail at every turn. “Tell Me You Love Me” is the story of April and Auggie Fairbanks, the most sought after faces in show business throughout the sixties and seventies, maneuvering their way through the lies and corruption to learn the truth about their parents and searching for the love and acceptance they so desperately crave.
Hello, Old Friend
Elizabeth Bedlam - 2020
She wondered, why did she continue to come here? All the while her doctor drolled on and on about her goals for the week. Her depression lingered over her entire life, like a swarm of flies. Constantly ticking and buzzing in her ears, crawling over her skin, biting her where she couldn’t reach. She thought once she stopped taking chemical medication and moved on to talk therapy things would improve, so far they remained about the same. She just had more homework assignments...Plagued by irrational fears, anxiety, and depression; Eve, a mentally ill eccentric, turns to Dr. Eustace Gish, in hopes of navigating her inner wounds and reuniting her fractured self. She follows his program, a series of six esoteric self-help discs that are designed to help those struggling to ascend to their higher selves.
Stuff That's Loud: A Teen's Guide to Unspiraling When OCD Gets Noisy
Ben Sedley - 2020
And second, you are not crazy. But you might be struggling with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). And while OCD can be difficult, you don’t have to let it have power over you. Instead, you can live a life full of meaning, great relationships and joy with the help of this book.In Stuff That’s Loud, you’ll learn exposure and response prevention (ERP), and ideas from acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) to help you break free from loud, spiralling OCD thoughts and behaviors:You’ll learn to be curious about the world around youYou’ll use willingness to step forward boldly Flexibility skills to practice everywhere, everywhenSo that you can live a life you give a $#@! aboutLife doesn’t have to stay stuck any longer!
Anxious for Answers: The surprising truth about anxiety, and how you can master it for good!
Ilene S. Cohen - 2020
But, sadly, the misconceptions about anxiety, i.e., it’s a “sickness” within an individual — only exacerbates a tough ongoing challenge for those who wrestle with it. But, a refreshing new understanding of anxiety offers the possibility of profound and positive changes for those willing to invest the time. "Anxious for Answers", by psychotherapist “Dr. Ilene” S. Cohen, focuses on chronic anxiety (i.e., when you’re constantly anxious for no obvious reason). Cohen’s years of clinical practice with countless people revealed the importance of putting anxiety in its context. When you see anxiety as a “disorder,” it’s out of context. It’s something within just you that needs to be fixed. When you see anxiety in context, you realize it’s the result of interconnected forces, of which the individual is only one small part. The best news? YOU can actually make real changes in the duration and intensity of your anxiety. "Anxious for Answers" is grounded in Bowen Family Systems Theory, which, when internalized, allows people to view their anxiety through a different lens, and in turn, master it. Cohen’s witnessed firsthand the many possibilities this “radical” approach offers: • Learn to “self-soothe”— finding the serenity within you. • Preserve your inner calm in the face of life’s chaos. • Lead a less anxious, more conscious and more intentional life. • Build better relationships and make better life decisions.• Train yourself to stop reacting to old childhood “programming.” Anxiety may be a fact in your life, but with "Anxious for Answers" as your guide, you’ll learn to better manage it while opening the door to a calmer, richer and more fulfilling life.
Homeland Calling
Ellen Van Neerven - 2020
Written by First Nations youth from communities all around Australia, the powerful words display a maturity beyond their years. Edited by award-winning author and poet Ellen van Neerven, and brought to you by Desert Pea Media, the verses in this book are the result of young artists exploring their place in the world, expressing the future they want for themselves and their communities. These young people are the future, and their passion for their culture, languages and homelands is beyond inspiring. All royalties from the sale of the book will go towards Desert Pea Media’s training and development programs in Indigenous communities.
Stillwater
Mary Jo Hazard - 2020
Twelve-year-old Grace believes that all adults are trustworthy and good. So begins a coming-of-age story full of laughter and tears that takes place one hot summer in upstate New York in the 1950s.On the surface, Stillwater seems an idyllic place, but danger lurks underneath. Grace and her best friends, Maggie and Louanne, grapple with divorce, domestic violence, and mental illness. Grace is devastated when she finds out her father committed suicide when she was eight. Several suspicious fires break out in the area, and Louanne's schizophrenic uncle Tony, the town bogeyman, is accused of setting them. Grace believes he's unfairly targeted because he's mentally ill and convinces her friends to help her find the real arsonist.Hazard weaves themes of loss and recovery in a story filled with quirky characters and invaluable lessons about love, life, and survival.
Girl, Stop Passing Out in Your Makeup: The Bad Girl's Guide to Getting Your Sh*t Together
Zara Barrie - 2020
Party girl meets wise sage. Beauty meets reality. Zara Barrie is the cool older sister you wish you had. The one that lets you borrow her designer dresses and ripped up fishnets, buys you champagne (she loves you too much to let you drink beer), and colors your lips with bright pink lipstick. She'll take you to the coolest parties, and will stick by your side and she guides you through the glitter, pain, danger, laughter, and what it means to be a f*cked up girl in this f*cked up world (both of which are beautiful despite the darkness). Girl, Stop Passing Out in Your Makeup is for the girls that are too much of a beautiful contradiction to be contained. Zara is a gifted writer—one second she'll have you laughing over rich girls agonizing over which Birkin bag to buy, the next second she'll shatter your heart in one sentence about losing one’s innocence. Zara is the nuanced girl she writes for—light, irreverent, snarky, bitchy, funny; and aching, perceptive, deep, flawed, wise, poised, honest—all at once. Perhaps the only thing that can match Zara's unparalleled wit and big sister advice is her candid humor and undeniable talent for the written word. Zara is one of the most prolific and entertaining honest voices on the internet—and her talent is only multiplied in book form. Girl, Stop Passing Out in Your Makeup is for the bad girls, honey.”—Dayna Troisi, Executive Editor, GO Magazine “Reading Zara's writing will make you feel like you're at your cool-as-hell big sister's sleepover party. You will be transfixed by her unflinching honesty and words of wisdom, and she'll successfully convince you to not only ditch the shame you feel about the raw and messy parts of yourself, but to dare to see them as beautiful.”—Alexia LaFata, Editor, New York Magazine “If Cat Marnell and F. Scott Fitzgerald had a literary baby it would be Zara Barrie. She’s got Marnell’s casual, dark, downright hilarious tone of an irreverent party girl. But then she also has Fitzgerald’s talent for making words literally feel like they sparkle on the page. I’ve always been a fan of Zara’s writing but Girl, Stop Passing Out in Your Makeup takes it to the next level. With shimmery words that make her dark stories sparkle, she seamlessly manages to inspire even the most coked-out girl at the party to get her shit together.”—Candice Jalili, Senior Sex & Dating Writer, Elite Daily
Dark When it Gets Dark
Yves Olade - 2020
A must read. —N.L.SHOMPOLEYves Olade on Dark When It Gets Dark— is about desire, about gentleness and grief. The poems think in colors, in shapes, in moods. The collection also speaks to something of honesty, of truth, to the absence of duplicity. What would it mean for something to just be what it was, and nothing else? What if a storm is just a storm, and nothing else? What if it's finally dark when it gets dark? 2020 KINGDOMS IN THE WILD POETRY PRIZE WINNER: YVES OLADE is an ancient history graduate and insomniac who lives on the south coast of England. He's been featured in Kingdoms in the Wild, Glass, The Ellis Review, and the Rising Phoenix Review. He recently became a runner up in the What Are Birds? Transpoetics prize. An avid documentary fan, he loves mobile games, evenings & lemonade. He self-published two chapbooks called Bloodsport (2017) and Slaughterhouse (2020).
The Brother Years
Shannon Burke - 2020
In the Brennan house four kids sleep in a single room, and are indoctrinated into The Methods, a system of achievement and relentless striving, laced with a potent, sometimes violent version of sibling rivalry. The family is overseen by a raging bull of a father, a South Side tough guy who knocks them sideways when they don't perform well or follow his dictates. Rivals, enemies, and allies, the siblings contend with one another and their wealthy self-satisfied peers at New Trier, the famous upscale high school where the family has struggled to send them. Evoking their crucible of class struggle and peer pressures, Burke balances comedy, tragedy, and a fascinating cast of characters, delivering a book that reads like an instant classic--an unforgettable story of the intertwining of love and family violence, and of triumphant teen survival that echoes down through the years.
The Night We Met
Nikole Knight - 2020
Twelve Hours. One Choice.Jethro never planned to sacrifice the future he’d worked so hard for. But life is a funny thing. It’s full of the unexpected, like spotting a broken man standing at the edge of a chasm.Sam never planned to kill himself—at least, not at first. But death is a funny thing. It sinks its teeth in slowly, until no one can escape the inevitable drop.Jethro’s life has always been hard. Sam’s death is supposed to be easy.Then one night changes everything.**The Night We Met is an 18,000 word MM romance short story that tackles the difficult topics of suicide and depression. If you are sensitive to these subjects, please read with caution. Sam and Jethro's story does end HEA!**
In a Haze
Jade C. Jamison - 2020
But why am I here?I begin discovering answers with the help of fellow resident Joe, a man I’m falling in love with. But as I find clues to the mysteries of my past, I wonder if I can trust him or any of the professionals supposedly here to help me as I begin to uncover the ugly truth underneath this haze they’ve submerged me in.Or, when I wake up tomorrow, will this all be forgotten again?
The Burden of Darkness (The Marcie Kane Thriller Collection, #5)
Barry Finlay - 2020
Although part of a series, The Burden of Darkness stands alone. Like the other books in the series, this one tackles a subject of social significance. Marcie Kane's FBI consultant husband, Nathan Harris, is battle weary and suffering from PTSD from previous cases. He eventually seeks counseling with the help of Marcie, but is it too late? He has everything to gain by trying. Owen Strand has nothing to lose. He has been fired from a job, sued by a partner and now he has been handed a death sentence by a doctor. Seeking last minute notoriety, he compiles a list of people he deems to have harmed him and travels around North America picking them off with drones one by one. One person on the list is someone close to Nathan. Nathan and Owen are on opposite sides of a bridge in the most significant battles of their lives. Only one can emerge successful, but both stand to lose far more than they may have to give.
Shadowy Natures
Rebecca RowlandElin Olausson - 2020
Sorting through a deceased relative’s belongings, a family stumbles upon a horrific treasure, as a drifter with a dark secret wanders the Old West.While a military officer spends his days delivering despair, a procrastinator is consumed by guilt after making a deadly mistake, and a businessman stumbles upon a bizarre family photo gallery. Post-partum paranoia and isolation threaten one mother’s sanity until an outside threat pushes her over the edge while another mother picks at her son’s psychological scabs until he scrambles for release.Urban blight bears down on a convenience store owner; a middle-aged man takes a terminally ill acquaintance captive to avenge his lover’s death; a depressed suburban housewife makes a strange new friend, and a neglected teen finds solace and inspiration in a vicious classmate’s company. When her brother moves back into the family home, a woman becomes consumed by what he leaves behind; when a man disappears, his sister considers the warning signs he may have been leaving since childhood. One couple abandons urban life for the isolating wilderness while another plays a dangerous game, hoping to rekindle their relationship. While one son revisits the scene of his father’s horrific crime spree, another returns home to ponder his family’s well-hidden secret.From unique twists on traditional terror tropes to fresh frights found in the most innocuous of places, these tales will surprise and unnerve even the most veteran horror fans.
Noah the Witch Book I
Senovio C. Sparrow - 2020
Tarias. Rising in stages from the valley up the slope, into the high cliffs, and all the way to the Peak is the city of Tarias, home of the Witches. Swept from his turbulent life, Noah Ellis is forced into a world of magik. With his newfound powers rapidly developing, he must quickly learn to control his abilities before he hurts himself or the ones he loves. Young Mr. Ellis has had his fair share of tragedy and hardship but the Witch world is foreign to him, requiring he adapt quickly and subsequently face his own inner demons. However, not all hope is lost, Noah Ellis is able to find family in a few magikal friends and one perfect boy.
From the Abyss: Short Stories and Poems of Descent & Redemption
Tessa James - 2020
The mind is an unknown place that has the ability to reach the darkest corners of the imagination. Its abilities are unfathomable and untested.Mental illness, it affects everyone in different ways. For me it is a very personal thing as I deal with it on a daily basis both outside and inside my own mind. These stories and poems are bits and pieces of my own broken mind and, indeed, of my own pain. Horror has always been my most favorite genre in both films and books. I wrote these stories to be as an homage to those that have come before me and have made this genre the amazing work of art that it is.
Polyvagal Flip Chart: Understanding the Science of Safety
Deb Dana - 2020
Yet polyvagal theory can be challenging and intimidating to explain.This flip chart offers therapists an easy, standardized way to support clients in understanding the role of the autonomic nervous system in their lives. Using a flip chart makes psycho- education an interactive experience. Therapists can feel confident in teaching their clients polyvagal theory by following the chart.With a flip chart visible during sessions, the therapist can:remind clients of the ways the autonomic nervous system has been shaped and is active in their daily living experience,display a page corresponding to the present moment, thus anchoring that experience in the theory,keep a page of the hierarchy visible when working with a client’s habitual response pattern.
The Parable of the Mustard Seed
Lisa Henry - 2020
Caleb Fletcher was the teenager John saved from a cult eight long years ago, and he’s now the young man John wants in ways that neither of them should risk.Eight years after his rescue, Caleb is still struggling with PTSD and self-harm. John has always been his rock, but now Caleb wants more. Can he convince John to cross a line and love him the way they both crave? And when the monsters from Caleb’s past come back seeking to silence him for good, will John’s love be enough to save him?
Captive: A Poetry Collection on OCD, Psychosis, and Brain Inflammation
Madeline Dyer - 2020
While her communication skills and cognitive abilities diminished due to the effects of the inflammation, she was able to share her thoughts and emotions via the written word, a process that gave her great comfort when she otherwise felt possessed.Captive provides readers with a glimpse of her tormented mind during this dark time of loneliness, loss, and fear.PRAISE FOR MADELINE DYER"Madeline Dyer’s poetry collection, Captive, is an invitation to the reader to consider the cost of physical illness on the mind and spirit. The poems are a conversation between the speaker, the outer world, and her inner tormentor: sometimes beetle, sometimes monster, sometimes friend, of her mind. Dyer’s speaker, who sees herself as one “among all the crying girls” speaks mantras in triplicate and escalating parallels, pausing over the heartbreak of good days, the desire to touch and be touched, and the agony of it all."— Sherre Vernon, author of The Name is Perilous and Green Ink Wings.“Brutally honest and brilliant, this collection takes the reader through the experience of living with a crumbling mind. From the first unexplainable visions to the fight within, and the constant struggle to be heard, Dyer’s poetry is a cry out to the world suffused with raw emotion. A captivating and eye-opening experience.”— S.E. Anderson, author of the Starstruck Saga
The Virgin
Wol-vriey - 2020
. . to keep your hymen intact.Hailey Osborne wants to sell her virginity for a hundred thousand dollars. But then she's made an offer she really can't refuse: how about competing to win ten million dollars in a no-holds-barred underground game show, where all she has to do is remain a virgin?There's just two problems:1. Four other women also want that prize money.2. There's ten suitors all contesting to take Hailey and the other virgins' precious hymens . . . by any means necessary . . .But hey, it's just for 3 hours, right? How hard can it possibly be to hold on to something for that short period of time, something you've been trying unsuccessfully to get rid of for years?Hailey Osborne is about to find out.
Sin Bin Series: Box Set
Dahlia Donovan - 2020
Each book features hot rugby players and the men who steal their hearts.Welcome to the Sin Bin.For years, these rugby players have fought side by side—sometimes against one another—on the pitch until their beloved game abandoned them to the sidelines permanently. What happens to those gloried for performances on the field once they’re no longer able to play? Follow BC, Tens, Scottie, and their friends as they struggle through figuring out life post rugby.Can they find themselves?Will they find love?The Sin Bin Series Box Set features every book—seven in total—from The Wanderer to Haka Ever After. Plus, enjoy the three bonus shorts to catch up with the incredible Sin Bin characters.
Yayoi Kusama: Every Day I Pray for Love
Yayoi Kusama - 2020
Highlighting the importance of words to the artist, the book draws special attention to the captivating, poetic titles of her paintings, such as in I WOULD LIKE TO SHOW YOU THE INFINITE SPLENDOR OF STARDUST IN THE UNIVERSE and FIGURE OF THE MIDNIGHT DARKNESS OF THE UNIVERSE THAT I DEDICATED ALL MY HEART. These visionary titles are a quintessential part of Kusama’s eye-catching artworks, but also hold their own as unique aphorisms and appealing statements of cosmic spirituality. The poetry also collected here touches on Kusama’s personal trials, her human ideals, and her heroic pursuit of art above all else. Centered around EVERY DAY I PRAY FOR LOVE, Kusama’s acclaimed exhibition at David Zwirner, New York, in 2019, the book features more than 300 pages of new paintings, sculptures, and Infinity Mirror Rooms. It also includes photographs of Kusama over time, offering a unique visual timeline of this iconic artist.