Book picks similar to
Confessions of Butterflies: Hidden Truths of Living in Pain by Joanna Dwyer


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The Game of Their Lives: The Untold Story of the World Cup's Biggest Upset


Geoffrey Douglas - 1996
    The Americans were outsiders to the sport, the underdogs of the event, a 500-to-1 long shot. But they were also proud and loyal men -- to one another, to their communities, and certainly to their country. Facing almost no time to prepare, opponents with superior training, and skepticism from the rest of the world, this ragtag group of unknowns was inspired to a stunning victory over England and one of the most thrilling upsets in the history of sports.Written by critically acclaimed author Geoffrey Douglas, and now a film directed by David Anspaugh (Hoosiers), The Game of Their Lives takes us back to a time before million-dollar contracts and commercial endorsements, and introduces us to the athletes -- the Americans -- who showed the world just how far a long shot could really go.

Illness as Metaphor and AIDS and its Metaphors


Susan Sontag - 1989
    By demystifying the fantasies surrounding cancer, Sontag shows cancer for what it is--just a disease. Cancer, she argues, is not a curse, not a punishment, certainly not an embarrassment and, it is highly curable, if good treatment is followed.Almost a decade later, with the outbreak of a new, stigmatized disease replete with mystifications and punitive metaphors, Sontag wrote a sequel to Illness as Metaphor, extending the argument of the earlier book to the AIDS pandemic.These two essays now published together, Illness as Metaphor and AIDS and Its Metaphors, have been translated into many languages and continue to have an enormous influence on the thinking of medical professionals and, above all, on the lives of many thousands of patients and caregivers.

The Deep Places: A Memoir of Illness and Discovery


Ross Douthat - 2021
    It left him sleepless, crippled, wracked with pain--a shell of himself. After months of seeing doctors and descending deeper into a physical inferno, he discovered that he had a disease which according to CDC definitions does not actually exist: the chronic form of Lyme disease, a hotly contested condition that devastates the lives of tens of thousands of people but has no official recognition--and no medically approved cure.From a rural dream house that now felt like a prison, Douthat's search for help takes him off the map of official medicine, into territory where cranks and conspiracies abound and patients are forced to take control of their own treatment and experiment on themselves. Slowly, against his instincts and assumptions, he realizes that many of the cranks and weirdos are right, that many supposed hypochondriacs are victims of an indifferent medical establishment, and that all kinds of unexpected experiences and revelations lurk beneath the surface of normal existence, in the places underneath.The Deep Places is a story about what happens when you are terribly sick and realize that even the doctors who are willing to treat you can only do so much. Along the way, Douthat describes his struggle back toward health with wit and candor, portraying sickness as the most terrible of gifts. It teaches you to appreciate the grace of ordinary life by taking that life away from you. It reveals the deep strangeness of the world, the possibility that the reasonable people might be wrong, and the necessity of figuring out things for yourself. And it proves, day by dreadful day, that you are stronger than you ever imagined, and that even in the depths there is always hope.

The Little Book of Yoga


Chronicle Books - 2014
    Introducing The Little Book of Yoga. This petite hardcover presents all the basics for yoga lovers of every interest and skill level—beginner or advanced, committed or just curious. The contents, broken into five sections for a customizable reading experience, include illustrated pose instructions and practical wisdom that yields rewards on and off the mat. Authoritative yet approachable, compact yet robust, it's a timely offering for a practice that continues to grow. Fans will recognize it as the only fundamental yoga book and gift givers will rejoice in finding the perfect present for the yogi in their life.

Tamales 101: A Beginner's Guide to Making Traditional Tamales


Alice Guadalupe Tapp - 2002
    Alice Guadalupe Tapp has perfected the art of tamale making, and in TAMALES 101 imparts her knowledge and passion for this comforting treat. TAMALES 101 will show beginners how to make masa dough as well as fold and steam tamales to perfection. Then, once you've mastered the basics, you'll be whipping up batches of Chicken Tomatillo, Chorizo Potato, Vegetable Curry, and Greek tamales in no time. With recipes for nearly 100 traditional, vegetarian, vegan, and specialty tamales and sauces, TAMALES 101 will send you on a culinary adventure that's sure to delight and impress your guests.• Includes 60 food and spot photographs and 15 illustrations showing, step by step, how to spread masa and wrap and tie tamales.• At Tamara's Tamales, Alice and her daughter, Tamara, sell hundreds of tamales a day—and have since 1996.Reviews"Graphically the book shouts ‘olé!' with its vibrant colors and fun type."—The Kansas City Star

Carb Back-Loading


John Kiefer - 2012
    Get shredded. The carb back-loading diet could provide the holy grail to packing on mass and losing fat.

Understanding Panic Attacks and Overcoming Fear


Roger Baker - 1995
    This highly authoritative yet practical book helps the reader towards an in-depth understanding of panic. It is essential reading for sufferers, their friends, and family. In clear and concise language it describes a psychological self-help program for panic sufferers.

Sounders FC: Authentic Masterpiece: The Inside Story Of The Best Franchise Launch In American Sports History


Mike Gastineau - 2013
    But what Adrian Hanauer, Paul Allen, Drew Carey, and Joe Roth did when they started the Seattle Sounders FC was no joke. They meticulously planned the launch of the Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise with an eye toward some lofty goals. Then they stood back in amazement as they rocketed far beyond those goals buoyed by a team that ignored its “expansion” label and a fan base that wildly embraced them. Through interviews with key executives, athletes and fans, author Mike Gastineau tells the story leading up to the launch of Sounders FC, the MLS expansion franchise whose seemingly overnight success has captured the attention of the Seattle sports community, sports and entertainment executives, soccer followers across the country and the national news media. In Sounders FC Authentic Masterpiece, readers will learn: * How a money-losing soccer club rocketed from the ranks of the minor leagues to Major League Soccer drawing sell-outs and regularly topping 50,000 fans per match. * The unique relationships between the eclectic group of seasoned sports executives, Hollywood celebrities and bar room soccer fans who came together to build a sports culture that validated Major League Soccer in Seattle and across the country. * The personalities of the players and coaches who took different paths to the team and turned their diversity into a winning team starting on opening night. Gastineau communicates to readers the entire history of events that led to the Sounders FC launch beginning with the role soccer fans played in securing a professional football stadium for the Seattle Seahawks. Also emphasized in the book are the soccer fans, bar owners and soccer subculture that existed in Seattle and was waiting to be acknowledge by mainstream professional sports leaders and media. The book also details how that soccer subculture directly impacted one of the biggest deals in MLS history, the signing of superstar Clint Dempsey in 2013. This is a story of sports, business, culture, timing, and luck. It demonstrates how powerful business people were able to check their egos and embrace their customers all for the sake of the fans, the city, and a soccer culture desperate to embrace a sports team that treated them with respect.

Days from the Heart of the Home


Susan Branch - 1996
    Now, for fall 1997, she's created a new hand-painted book that no fan will want to miss -- the Heart of the Home Address Book. For everyone who loves Susan Branch, it's the ideal gift for holidays, birthdays, and other special occasions -- now and for years to come.Filled with Branch's homespun wit and wisdom and decorated with her signature watercolors, this lovely address book features a ring binding that allows for paper refills as well as special pages for recording birthdays, anniversaries, and other special dates.

Sanatorium


Abi Palmer - 2020
    On her return to London, she attempts to continue her recovery using an 80 pound inflatable blue bathtub. The tub becomes a metaphor for the intrusion of disability; a trip hazard in the middle of an unsuitable room, slowly deflating and in constant danger of falling apart.Sanatorium moves through contrasting spaces - bathtub to thermal pool, land to water, day to night - interlacing memoir, poetry and meditations on the body to create a mesmerising, mercurial debut.

Bronze


Kerri-Anne Weston - 2012
    She and her friends from Nobby’s Beach are the first women in Australia to gain their Bronze medallions for Surf Life Saving. On the eve of the year 1981 on the Gold Coast, Australia, this active teenager’s life is about to shatter and transform her once perfect world into one of despair as she tackles a life of paralysis. Through the support of her friends and family, Kerri will find her way back to the water and into the history books.A memoir filled with joy, tears, letters and poetry of a time when all else seemed lost. A life of hopes, dreams, love and humility learned.

Rescuing Jeffrey: A Memoir


Richard Galli - 2000
    Although his father, Richard, saved him, Jeffrey was paralyzed with a devastating spinal cord injury. In this book, Richard Galli offers a compelling, disarmingly honest account of the decisions and experiences confronted by all such individuals who suddenly find themselves wholly dependant on others to survive—and of the realities that must be likewise faced by their families.A lawyer and former journalist, Galli writes with much intelligence and stark emotional intensity of life as it is really lived by quadriplegics and those who care for them. An unforgettable story about tragedy, love, and the choices we make at the brink of survival, Rescuing Jeffrey is "gut-wrenchingly candid," as Publishers Weekly observed, and "likely to arouse controversy and sharply divided reactions . . . Yet this eloquent story of heartbreak and hope is ultimately life affirming." The book will be must-reading for all students of counseling, rehabilitation, and related disciplines.

The Hunter/Farmer Diet Solution: Do You Have the Metabolism of a Hunter or a Farmer? Find Out...and Achieve Your Health and Weight-Loss Goals


Mark Liponis - 2012
    Other than wanting to perform invasive surgical procedures, most doctors offer little help. Their advice is usually “Eat less, exercise more,” which falls back on the outdated dogma of calories in/calories out. Medical research on dieting is confusing and often contradictory. Not only are physicians unsure about which weight-loss plan is best, but their patients are, too!     It has become an “every one for him- or herself” situation, where we’re forced to experiment, hoping to hit on the magic weight-loss formula by chance . . . and the increasing number of fad diets makes our odds of picking the right weight-loss plan even less likely. Why can’t the medical industry make sense of the overload of information and give us sound advice that actually enables people to lose weight and improve their health?     Fortunately, recent studies have shined a new light on the subject and may finally help us understand a successful way to diet. This research proves what many men and women have learned through trial and error: some do better on a low-carb diet, and others do better on a low-fat diet. This is because some people have the metabolism of a hunter, while others have the metabolism of a farmer.     In this groundbreaking book, Dr. Mark Liponis, a leading expert in preventive and integrative medicine, will show you how to determine which type you are so that you can lose weight and improve your health at the same time.    Once you know your type, you’ll be on the road to successful weight loss and greater health and well-being!

The Bodybuilding.com Guide to Your Best Body: The Revolutionary 12-Week Plan to Transform Your Body and Stay Fit Forever


Kris Gethin - 2010
     Make Your Dream Body A Reality From the world’s leading online fitness site Bodybuilding.com comes a revolutionary 12-week diet and exercise program—supported by two million members and thousands of real-life success stories. The Bodybuilding.com Guide to Your Best Body presents a plan that promotes health from the inside out, starting first with the mental blocks that are holding you back, progressing to the muscles on your body, and finally to the food on your plate. Rather than subtracting things from your life (cutting calories, losing weight, banishing your belly), here’s how to add more of the RIGHT things: more muscle, more support, and more success. On this plan, you will: • GET AND STAY MOTIVATED. Identify your “Transformation Trigger” and create a system of radical accountability in your life—whether your goal is to lose 30 pounds of fat or gain 30 pounds of muscle. • EXERCISE FOR OPTIMUM RESULTS with a fully illustrated, 3-stage exercise routine. By changing your routine often, you will “shock” your body into doing more than you ever thought you could. • EAT CLEAN TO GET LEAN with simple, inexpensive, and delicious recipes. Supercharge your metabolism and keep hunger under control. With this book, you’ll learn the optimal balance of weight training, cardiovascular exercise, and nutrition that have helped people achieve dramatic, lasting results. Join the “Transformation Nation” and create your own story that will inspire others—with The Bodybuilding.com Guide to Your Best Body.

It's All Downhill from Here: On the Road with Project 86


Andrew Schwab - 2004
    His guitarist is trying to get them all killed. Fans are stealing his things. Mechanics are rebuking his lifestyle. Even his own fragile, uptight psyche is antagonizing him. But despite having every odd stacked against him, Project 86's frontman is living the dream and loving it. In It's All Downhill From Here, Andrew Schwab chronicles the highs and lows, the struggles and triumphs of this underground, independent rock band's rocky road to stardom. From a hostage situation on their first day on the road, to a drummer's crushed hand, a haunting female fan and an '80s rocker's halitosis problem, Schwab tells it like it is, with biting wit and rock star charm. This insider's look at the real life of a rock band not only reaffirms that everyone's human, but makes you hungry for a dream of your own to chase after.