Book picks similar to
My 9/11—Through inflight Eyes by Terry Horniacek
mental-health
short-stories-and-collections
transportation
local-history
Mad Girl
Bryony Gordon - 2016
It's caused alopecia, bulimia, and drug dependency. And Bryony is sick of it. Keeping silent about her illness has given it a cachet it simply does not deserve, so here she shares her story with trademark wit and dazzling honesty.A hugely successful columnist for the Telegraph, a bestselling author, and a happily married mother of an adorable daughter, Bryony has managed to laugh and live well while simultaneously grappling with her illness. Now it's time for her to speak out. Writing with her characteristic warmth and dark humour, Bryony explores her relationship with her OCD and depression as only she can.Mad Girl is a shocking, funny, unpredictable, heart-wrenching, raw and jaw-droppingly truthful celebration of life with mental illness.
Bittersweet: Lessons from My Mother's Kitchen
Matthew McAllester - 2009
In this beautifully written memoir, the Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist chronicles the journey he took to forgiveness, which brought him straight to the place that evoked his happiest memories of his mother: the kitchen. Recounting the pleasures of his early days, culinary and otherwise, McAllester weaves an unforgettable tale of family, food, and love. BITTERSWEET: LESSONS FROM MY MOTHER’S KITCHENAt first, Matt McAllester’s childhood was idyllic, a time when his mother placed heavenly, delicious food at the center of a family life brimming with fun and laughter. Then came the terrible years, years when he had to watch helplessly as his warm, quick-witted mother succumbed to an illness that was never properly diagnosed or understood. Desperate to escape, he eventually found work as a foreign correspondent, hiding in the terrors and tragedies of other people as he traveled to the most dangerous places in the world, from Beirut to Baghdad. But nothing he saw on the battlefield prepared him for his mother’s death—and his own overwhelming grief.In the weeks and months that followed, Matt found himself poring over old family photos and letters, trying to reach out for the beautiful, caring woman who had now vanished for the second time. But as he looked anew at her long-cherished collection of cookbooks, it occurred to him that the best way to find her was through something they both loved: the food she had once lovingly prepared for him, food that introduced him to a thousand sources of joy—from spare ribs to the homemade strawberry ice cream that seemed in memory the very essence of happy times.With a reporter’s precision and a storyteller’s grace, McAllester guides us through a long season of grief—cooking, eating, and remembering—at the same time describing his and his wife’s efforts to conceive and nourish a child of their own. Complete with recipes to delight body and soul, Bittersweet is a memoir of extraordinary power, at once a moving tribute to his mother and a dazzling feast for the senses.
Nobody Ever Talks About Anything But the End: A Memoir
Liz Levine - 2020
But it turns out, I’m not alone. In November of 2016, Liz Levine’s younger sister, Tamara, reached a breaking point after years of living with mental illness. In the dark hours before dawn, she sent a final message to her family then killed herself. In Nobody Ever Talks About Anything But the End, Liz weaves the story of what happened to Tamara with another significant death—that of Liz’s childhood love, Judson, to cancer. She writes about her relationship with Judson, Tamara’s struggles, the conflicts that arise in a family of challenging personalities, and how death casts a long shadow. This memorable account of life and loss is haunting yet filled with dark humor—Tamara emails her family when Trump is elected to check if she’s imagining things again, Liz discovers a banana has been indicted as a whistleblower in an alleged family conspiracy, and a little niece declares Tamara’s funeral the “most fun ever!” With honesty, Liz exposes the raw truths about grief and mourning that we often shy away from—and almost never share with others. And she reveals how, in the midst of death, life—with all its messy complications—must also be celebrated.
Green Vanilla Tea: One Family's Extraordinary Journey of Love, Hope, and Remembering
Marie Williams - 2013
With literary finesse, compassion, and a powerful gift of storytelling, Marie Williams writes poignantly of her husband Dominic’s struggles with early onset dementia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) at the age of 40, and how their family found hope amidst the wreckage of a mysterious neurological condition. As the condition develops and progresses, the normally devoted family man and loving partner seems to disappear beneath an expressionless facade, erratic behavior, and a relentless desire to wander that often leaves him lost. The road to diagnosis is long and confusing, and what starts off as perplexing for the family then becomes frightening. The man they love is changing, and no one seems to know why. He no longer turns up to his sons’ high school events. He falls and bumps into things. He becomes verbally disinhibited, emotionally disengaged, and, at times, belligerent. He doesn’t seem to be able to read the social cues of other people. He gets lost in familiar places, as well as on obsessive work trips overseas. He recklessly spends the family money, leaving them in near financial ruin. Despite this, Williams and her children strive to find new ways to keep him safe and to connect with the husband and father they love so dearly. While the family learns to cope with Dominic’s illness—which they call the Green Goblin—Williams is determined that her children reclaim the dad of their memories. She finds creative ways to make visible the stories of the man beyond the illness, and helps them remember him as the engaged, healthy, and loving man she fell in love with. She humanizes the experience through storytelling and assembling a quilt made up of transferred photographs, painted artwork, family footprints, and personal inscriptions from family and friends. This, along with tea rituals, music, and stories of fatherhood, love and value, support them as fierce advocates for Dominic’s dignity and give the family new ways to be together as they journey through his decline. Spanning between moments of intense joy and incredible sadness, this book is a passionate testament to one family’s unconditional love for one another. It is, “a tale of a strange place—the real world— in which green goblins and hope find a way to live together.” Above all, it is a love story.
Detach and Survive: A Book of Self-Care for the Wives of Midlife Crisis Men
Midlife Maze - 2012
You may fall into the trap of trying to "fix him" or "fix" your marriage. Unfortunately you can't fix him and, despite many claims to the contrary, you can't fix this marriage all by yourself either. All you can really do is take care of yourself. This little book aims to help you get through this difficult time by focusing on yourself, taking care of your own wants and needs and letting go of that which you cannot control.If you are looking for a book to help you understand the Midlife Crisis Man or to tell you what you can do to attempt to save your marriage, then Detach and Survive is NOT the book for you.However, if you are ready to start taking care of yourself and want to survive his crisis with a little self respect and not destroy yourself in the process.If you are ready to take responsibility for that which you can control and let go of that which you can't,then buy this book. Learning to Detach and Survive can help you through.
Tea & Honesty: Heartfelt conversations. Lessons learned. Stories shared.
Jules Sebastian - 2021
These stories range the full spectrum - covering motherhood, relationships, career, lifestyle, health and more - and are at times both raw, moving and poignant. These conversations have shaped Jules' own life, helping her navigate her role as a career woman, mother, daughter and wife of one of Australia's most popular musicians, Guy Sebastian. Like a good catch-up with your girlfriends, Tea & Honesty relays many of these conversations as well as sharing some of the most personal and vulnerable moments of Jules' own journey that she has kept close to her heart - until now. Inspired by these conversations, her book covers the knotty emotions of guilt, comparison and identity to passion, purpose, community, kindness and more.Offering snippets of heartfelt life advice from well-known contributors such as Kate Ritchie, Emma Isaacs, Camilla Franks, Rachel Finch and Neale Whitaker, with beautiful quotes and break out inspiration, this is the perfect treat to curl up on the sofa with, cup of tea in hand, or to give your favourite friend or family member to let them know that they are not alone.
Silent Violence
D.M. Samson - 2008
He had secured a job replacing the outgoing foreman of a secluded farm near Riyadh. Almost two years later she would return. Alone. Broken. In Silent Violence she tells us of her journey: a long downward spiral. From the first inklings of things not being right, a pet killer in the expatriate compound, clandestine excursions by the farm crew, through to the rising hysteria within the expatriate community, then the killings at the farm, the ensuing imprisonment, moral deterioration, government procrastination and eventual deliverance.
Life and Death in Assisted Living
A.C. Thompson - 2013
What she and her family got was an introduction to what many think is the country’s next great health crisis.
Mama Raised Me, Her Demons Changed Me
Denora M. Boone - 2017
Although he didn’t know it, Kiondre Andrews was in a battle that wasn’t caused by the choices that he had made. Incarcerated at the young age of fifteen for taking the life of another, he fought daily with the life that had been chosen for him by his mother. A life that no child should ever face and one that he didn’t wish on his worst enemy. Even still there was that mustard seed of faith that he held on to. Because of that faith, he was granted early release back into a society that he wondered if it would accept him knowing the lifestyle he used to live. But when one devastating secret comes out he feels that it’s only a matter of time before he returns to the cold cell that had become his home. Tayler Crenshaw, a divorced single mother of a fifteen-year-old daughter has had her share of trials and tests of faith. Losing her unborn child after finding her husband cheating, she consumed herself with work, her daughter, and keeping her mother and uncle from killing one another. She didn’t have time for a man nor was she looking for one. Her logic changes drastically when she ends up meeting Kiondre and all of her caution is thrown to the wind. He has her feeling things that her husband never made her feel and she wasn’t sure that she wanted him to stop. Has she finally found a true love or will his past hinder them from sharing something meaningful? Secrets so dark, one would begin to question if God was indeed real. How could He allow so much pain to come to the innocent yet the ones causing the pain walk around unbothered? Kiondre and Tayler learn lessons through unimaginable circumstances as they do their best to come to grips with it all. Will the demons of others change them for the worse or were they used just as another tool by the good Lord Himself?
Trafficked: Two Sisters Lost
Lois Kenna Tripodi - 2014
"Trafficked: Two Sisters Lost," is the story of two vulnerable young sisters, separated from each other, sexually exploited, suffering from inhumane living conditions, and confronted daily with physical and emotional abuse. Erin, a part-time journalist with a weekly newspaper in the San Diego area, is assigned a task to write a series of articles about the brutal industry of human trafficking that, depending on the source, is the second or third most profitable criminal activity in the world. In doing so, she not only becomes aware of the magnitude of the problem, but becomes deeply involved in the efforts to rescue and reunite the two lost sisters. Lois Kenna Tripodi graduated from Boston University with a degree in Sociology, is a Licensed Certified Social Worker, and has received alcoholism and drug substance abuse training from Rutgers University. She holds certificates from California and New Hampshire in "Domestic Violence Support Services" and from the University of New Hampshire in "Social Work Counseling." In addition, she has participated in workshops at the Santa Barbara Writers Conference in Montecito, California. A native-born New Hampshire resident, she has served in the NH House of Representatives, District 8, Hillsborough. In addition to supervising and counseling battered women in domestic violence support shelters, she was a member of the Oceanside, California, Crisis Intervention and Sexual Assault Response Team (SART). She currently resides in New Hampshire with her husband. She is the author of one previous novel, "To Take Shelter."
Heart of Iron: My Journey from Transplant Patient to Ironman Triathlete
Kyle Garlett - 2011
Not just about his health crisis but also about forging a remarkable life around cancer and his career as a sportwriter, the amazing friends and family who supported him, and finding love. After five and half years on the organ transplant waiting list then being gifted with a new heart, Kyle embarks on a challenge of his own making: to compete in the Ironman Triathlon, in which he competed not once but twice. His miraculous recovery and athleticism are recounted, along with the story of how he became an Olympic torch bearer, a devoted Lymphoma & Leukemia Society spokesperson, a motivational speaker, and an author. Heart of Iron is an invaluable companion for those affected by cancer and a breathtaking memoir about one man’s unstoppable spirit and success against all odds.
Polish Girl In Pursuit of the English Dream: INTIMATE & INSPIRING TRUE STORY ON THE JOURNEY TO ENLIGHTENMENT
Monika Wiśniewska - 2018
Finding the SECRET to a happy, peaceful life in self-love was worth the 13- year journey in a foreign country because without it, I may have never found THAT SECRET. Life is about the choices we make. Each choice decides about our destiny. WE are in charge of our destiny, especially when it comes to love and relationships...’Author's dream to live in England came true in 2004 but when she suddenly lost most of her belongings, health, career, money, home and her soulmate, she decided to share the story which led to this tragic moment. Will she find the courage, resilience and determination to start her life abroad all over? Will she make the right choices that life presents her with? How will she deal with poverty, pain, homelessness and betrayals whilst looking for love?Travel to around fifty European locations, fall in love, have your heart broken, fall in love again and find strength to keep going but never, ever give up on life! It truly is a brave record of one woman's relationships and heartbreaks, dealing with depression in the wake of Brexit and her life as a newly named 'immigrant' or simply an EU citizen. Are you truly ready for a journey to feel UNCONDITIONAL LOVE together with one brave 'Polish Girl' ? REVIEW FROM THE DAILY BRUNCH:THE MOST INSPIRING BOOK ON LOVE!'For me, ‘Polish Girl; In Pursuit of the English Dream’ is a true masterpiece of reflections on love and life, making me want to recommend it to everyone who is ready to set off on their own spiritual journey to find out more about their own soul together with one courageous, unique and life-loving Polish girl. I can guarantee that you will relate to at least one thing in her life story, if not a few. I wish there were more stories like this published which millions of people can so easily relate to. After all, the spiritual journey is what we are all here for. If we cannot evolve and learn from the past to have a better future, is life really worth living?'
Zuzu's Petals: A True Story of Second Chances
Lauren Ward Larsen - 2010
Shortly after she entered the ninth month of what had been an easy pregnancy, her husband, Jeff, followed a sudden and inexplicable urge to bring her flowers in the middle of a busy workday. Within hours of his visit, their lives would change forever.The rapid onset of a pregnancy-related disorder nearly claimed the lives of both Lauren and her baby. After more than a month in intensive care, and with years of recovery work ahead of her, Lauren was left with the question: What now? Amidst the wreckage of her near-fatal illness, an opportunity emerged—the chance to rebuild a different life, one that was more personally meaningful and fulfilling. With absolute clarity about their limited time on earth, Lauren and Jeff changed their priorities, their careers, their lifestyle, and even where they lived.As her physical strength grew, so too did Lauren’s understanding of just how many people — nurses, doctors, friends, family, and anonymous blood donors — had contributed to giving her a second chance in life. An overwhelming sense of gratitude emerged and found expression through her fundraising campaigns and national speaking tour. And along the way, Lauren became a shamelessly proud mother, who sought to live as joyfully as possible no matter the circumstances.At times heartbreaking, at times laugh-out-loud funny, Zuzu’s Petals is a story about human resilience, living authentically, and the power of turning gratitude into action.
How Deep Is Your Love?: Coloring Book
Rupi Kaur - 2017
Color these images and recite these poetries together at Sunset/evening. The love quotients between you would increase exponentially.