Book picks similar to
Stars of the Twilight by Mada Scott
historical
memoir
non-fiction
Twenty-Seven Years in Alaska: True Stories of Adventure in the Alaskan Wilderness
Jennifer Hellings - 2015
From canoe camping next to unnamed lakes, to kayaking in Alaska’s pristine waters, she describes her many encounters with the bears, moose and other animals that make this wilderness their home. With her partner David she helped to build a cabin on a remote piece of property, off the grid and accessible only by boat. Illustrated with the photos she took along the way, her story is sometimes comic, and sometimes tragic, but throughout its pages she speaks with the voice of one who loves nature and the wilderness.
White Sheets To Brown Babies
Jvonne Hubbard - 2018
It includes tales of living through a lifetime of dysfunction, violence and terror at the hands of both her father and other nefarious individuals who would seek to perpetuate the cycle. More importantly though, it is also a story of how they did not succeed in this hateful quest, as Jvonne struggled on and through to the other side to embrace love, laughter and the pursuit of personal happiness. Part of this amazing transformation even led to her adoption of a biracial infant, an event that served both as a healing elixir to her soul and a grandiose “!#%& you” to all the ugliness that hate brings.
Unwanted: The true story of a new life grown from love, loss and the ultimate betrayal
Suz Evasdaughter - 2020
Confused, little Suz begins to blame herself for her mother's death. Her father eventually brings them back, but instead of finding a safe haven to rebuild their family, Suz finds herself plunged into a life of misery at the mercy of an uncaring and brutal stepmother.Unwanted tells the story of Suz's struggle to escape from her broken home and leave her fractured past behind her. But lurking in the shadows is a dark family secret...
Breaking The Chain: Drugs and Cycling - The True Story
Willy Voet - 2011
In his car were the drugs the team needed if they were to have any chance of playing a competitive part in the 1998 Tour de France. The car was searched, he was immediately arrested and so the story that has been undermining the sport of cycling since the death of Tommy Simpson in 1967, finally broke. Imprisoned for sixteen days, sacked from the Festina team and ostracised from the sport to which he had dedicated his life, Willy Voet at last was able to tell the truth. His sensational story will change cycling forever.Cocaine, amphetamines, EPO, heroin - all these are now considered not optional but necessary, not to win but just to compete in the Tour de France. Details of how these drugs are obtained, mixed together to make cocktails, administered and concealed are all included in this graphic and uninhibited account of how drugs brought cycling to its knees.
Eleanor Roosevelt's Life of Soul Searching and Self Discovery: From Depression and Betrayal to First Lady of the World
Ann Atkins - 2011
Refusing to cave in to society's rules, Eleanor's exuberant style, wavering voice and lack of Hollywood beauty are fodder for the media.First Lady for thirteen years, Eleanor redefines and exploits this role to a position ofpower. Using her influence she champions for Jews, African Americans and women. Living through two world wars Eleanor witnesses thousands of graves, broken bodies and grieving families. After visiting troops in the Pacific she says:"If we don't make this a more decent world to live in I don't see how we can look these boys in the eyes."She defies a post-war return to status quo and establishes the Universal Declarationof Human Rights within the U.N. She earns her way to being named "First Lady of the World." The audacity of this woman to live out her own destiny challenges us to do the same. After all, it's not about Eleanor. Her story is history. It's about us.
Life After Death: Messages of Love from the Other Side
Sally Morgan - 2011
21 Months, 24 Days: A blue-collar kid's journey to the Vietnam War and back
Richard Udden - 2015
Threatened by the draft in the late sixties, he enlisted in the Army to avoid becoming a grunt, yet ended up one anyway. He endured a grueling war in Vietnam and then returned to a country too angry to care. While his journey took unexpected turns, his choices got him there, so he did his best to react positively and keep moving forward.Udden delivers his story in a comfortable, friendly style. He conveys the experiences of basic training, advanced infantry training, and what it was like to live, work, guard, patrol, and fight in the jungle. The reader will feel the adrenalin rush of a firefight, the thrill of a wild ride dangling below a helicopter, and the humor in celebrating his 21st birthday on a firebase.Through his words and personal photographs, you will live through his journey exactly as he experienced it.
Prisoners Without Bars: A Caregivers Tale
Donna O'Donnell Figurski - 2018
Donna's husband, David, stumbled into their bedroom, his hand covering a blood-filled eye from a brain hemorrhage. Donna called 9-1-1. David slipped into a coma. At that moment, Donna was thrust onto the path of caregiver for her best friend and the love of her life. In her debut memoir, Donna shares how a neurosurgeon said that David would make a "great organ donor." She writes of arrogant doctors, uncaring visitors, insensitive ambulance drivers, and problematic nurses. She also tells of the many compassionate doctors, nurses, therapists, staff, strangers, family members, and friends who helped them on their journey. Donna compellingly describes her ability to appear positive as she experiences the horror of making life-or-death decisions. As her world crashes, she credits laughter as her lifesaver. More than thirteen years later, Donna and David are living a "new normal" together.
Forging North
G.E. Sherman - 2012
A determined young man has left Seattle behind to head north:With the lure of Alaska gold burning bright in his eyes, Thomas Thornton set out on a voyage to find fame and fortune. He left everything behind, with a promise to his girl he would return. Thomas soon learned that Alaska had other ideas about his future. With the grit and determination demanded by those that seek to tame Alaska, Thomas vows to see his dreams come true.
Half Fast: (mis) Adventures in Slowly Sailing around (on) the World
Randy Baker - 2019
With little money and even even less nautical experience they leave their small-town home in Arkansas to embark on an adventure they hope will last for a year or two but which evolves into a quarter-century voyage of discovery spanning half the world. Come along with Randy and Cheryl as they cruise their small boat to intriguing destinations that you won’t find in any tourist brochure. Along the way they discover the best and worst the sailing life has to offer as they visit twenty-nine countries in the Caribbean, Central and South America and the South Pacific. Their adventures and misadventures include encounters with hurricanes, thieves, drug smugglers and a disastrous tsunami as well as lasting new friendships formed with local people and fellow sailors all along their route. Cruising under sail is a lifestyle like no other and though there are sometimes hardships, those who take the plunge will be rewarded with a life of adventure and freedom that may be impossible to find any other way in the modern world.
Silence and Secrets: A Jewish Woman's Tale of Escape, Survival and Love in World War II
Yvonne Carson-Cardozo - 2013
In her courageous memoir, she breaks the chains of silence and reveals an incredible story of evading the Nazis, escaping the threat of annihilation, surviving in strange worlds, and finding love and a new life. This book is a testament to the human spirit.Yvonne Carson-Cardozo was twelve years old when she and her family escaped the German occupation of Belgium. She lost her brother and fifty relatives to the death camps. As a refugee, she traveled to France, Spain, Jamaica, and West Indies. She joined the Dutch Indonesian Army and served in Australia and Indonesia, where she worked in the Netherlands Forces Intelligence Service, deciphering and encoding secret military telegrams. After the war, she eventually settled in the United States, her home for the past fifty-five years. She has two children and lives in California. On Veteran’s Day 2013, Yvonne was honored as Veteran of the Year for the city of Mission Viejo, California.
STARSTRUCK: The most SHOCKING child abuse true story you'll EVER read! (Child Abuse True Stories)
Joey Alvarez - 2013
Today I’m just another thirty-something-year-old guy, living the suburban dream in southern California. But there’s something my neighbours don’t know about me. Something you’d never guess about me. Something, that up until these past couple of weeks, I’d never dream about telling you. Something you wouldn’t believe. I was, in the most horrific of manners, and by the most unlikely of people, sexually abused as a child. Not shocked? Well, wait until you hear the full story… WARNING: This book is based upon a true story of child abuse, and as such contains passages that some readers may find disturbing.
The Joy of Children
Gerry Robinson - 2016
Some quotes and description below: "Wow! I just read this book today. Yes, I read the whole book in one day! It is a wonderful account of the joy of a large family. His writing is hilarious, heartwarming, and inspiring. So many of his stories brought back fond memories of life with our gang. I would highly recommend this book!" See additional endorsements below the description. Description: On their wedding day in November 1998, Gerry and Mary Robinson would never have thought they would have 10 children nine years old and younger before their 11th anniversary. Yet, that is exactly what happened. In what can only be called a miracle, their family grew in record time, and the fun that came along with it is a story for the ages. This is their story. It is a testament to how children bring joy to the family, and how God has a loving part in all of it. The stories are hilarious and the lessons life long. This is a great read for all couples, whether they be dating, engaged, or married. Quote from Dr. Theresa Farnan: The Joy of Children is a candid, funny, first person account of a family that lives the meaning of “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done” and never seem to want for their “daily bread.” Gerry and Mary Robinson and their beautiful family are living proof that God is never outdone in generosity. In addition to being a wonderful tribute to the joy of children, this book is filled with insights about the joy of marriage. The Robinsons' inspirational story illustrates that family life is not always easy but it can be consistently joyous when families commit themselves to complete, trustful surrender to Divine providence. About Dr. Theresa Farnan: Theresa is the Co-Author of the Book: Where Did I Come From? Where Am I Going? How Do I Get There? and Consultant to the USCCB committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth. Quote from James M. Littleton, President and Co-founder of Forming Faithful Families: The Joy of Children, by Gerry Robinson is a beautiful, candid story of heroic parents who overcame the fear-driven popular mindset of the modern culture by faithfully trusting in God's loving Providence by taking perceived risks in being open to a large family which opened the floodgates of blessings and joy to be poured into their lives and their family. The Joy of Children is full of hilarious anecdotes that make it a fun read. It is an important book for these times, jarring our spirit to awaken to the realization that God and family are so much more important and lasting than the things of this world. I highly recommend the Joy of Children. About James M. Littleton: James Littleton is a hope-filled, inspirational national speaker and Evangelist, Co-Founder and Co-Director of Forming Faithful Families and One More Baby For Jesus, Co-Host, Co-writer and Producer of Forming Faithful Families Formational Video & Televisions Series
The Tsars
Alexander Ivanov - 2018
Here, historian Alexander Ivanov reveals their fears and betrayals, privilege and debauchery, conspiracies and rivalries, love and tragedy as they forged Russia into one of the world's greatest empires. No ruler in history has embodied the oppressive domination of these rulers more vividly than Alexander Ivanov's opening subject, Tsar Ivan IV, the first of all the Russian tsars, known to history as Ivan the Terrible. Although a gifted ruler who did much to unite and improve the conditions in his primitive country, Ivan was also a notorious sadist who delighted in torturing and murdering anyone who displeased him. Ivan's death in 1584 ushered in the Time of Troubles, thirty-five years of famine, plague, and war that crippled the nation. A series of rulers attempted to cope with the devastation, beginning with Ivan's successor Boris Godunov. Finally, grasping for stability, Russia's nobles begged young Michael Romanov, the great-nephew of Ivan's beloved wife Anastasia, to take the throne. Michael successfully united the war-torn and ravaged nation and founded a dynasty that would rule for 300 years. The Romanov line produced Russia's most brilliant yet most unconventional sovereign: Peter the Great, a towering figure of a man whose restless, creative mind led him on an inexorable quest to modernize and civilize the still backward nation. The reforms he enacted so enraged nobles and peasants alike that Peter had to quash a series of rebellions to keep his crown. Ruthlessly stifling dissent and massacring rebels, he ultimately cowed the Russian people into submission, achieving a legacy that nearly equaled his ambitions. It was left to a woman - and a foreigner, at that - to lead the nation further out of the darkness. German princess Sophie Friederike Auguste of Anhalt-Zerbst, known to the world as Catherine the Great, absorbed the principles of the eighteenth-century Enlightenment and applied them to a country built on the backs of millions of serfs. However ineffective some of her policies, in the end, she made Russia a major player on the European stage. Serfdom was finally abolished in the nineteenth century, but it would be decades before Russian peasants could own land of their own and learn to farm it productively. The boyars and tsars clung to power until the Bolshevik revolution of 1917. The sad fate of the last tsar, Nicholas II, and his family, marked the end of the absolute power that Ivan the Terrible had so exploited. The abuses would continue but under a new and drastically different form of government.
Life in the Rocky Mountains:: A Diary of Wanderings on the Sources of the Rivers Missouri, Columbia, and Colorado from February, 1830, to November, 1835
W.A. Ferris - 1844
D. 1830. and I have joined a trapping, trading, hunting expedition to the Rocky Mountains. Why, I scarcely know, for the motives that induced me to this step were of a mixed complexion, - something like the pepper and salt population of this city of St. Louis. Curiosity, a love of wild adventure, and perhaps also a hope of profit, - for times are hard, and my best coat has a sort of sheepish hang‑dog hesitation to encounter fashionable folk - combined to make me look upon the project with an eye of favour. The party consists of some thirty men, mostly Canadians; but a few there are, like myself, from various parts of the Union. Each has some plausible excuse for joining, and the aggregate of disinterestedness would delight the most ghostly saint in the Roman calendar. Engage for money! no, not they; health, and the strong desire of seeing strange lands, of beholding nature in the savage grandeur of her primeval state, - these are the only arguments that could have persuaded such independent and high‑minded young fellows to adventure with the American Fur Company in a trip to the mountain wilds of the great west. But they are active, vigorous, resolute, daring, and such are the kind of men the service requires. The Company have no reason to be dissatisfied, nor have they. Everything promises well. No doubt there will be two fortunes apiece for us. Westward! Ho! This pre-1923 publication has been converted from its original format for the Kindle and may contain an occasional defect from the original publication or from the conversion.