Book picks similar to
More To Life by Jacob Lasher
poetry
mental-health
contemporary
empower
Thin
Grace Bowman - 2006
Until one day, aged 18, she went on a diet. That didn’t stop. Then couldn’t stop. That trapped her in ‘a secret world of eating-related happiness and unhappiness’. And saw her weight swiftly drop to below six stone. A grippingly honest account of life with anorexia nervosa, Thin is Grace’s heartbreaking, shocking and, finally, inspirational story. A memoir that is in part insider’s exposé and in part survivor’s testimony, it explains the struggle for self-discovery, and chronicles the devastating battles waged for control over mind and body. Breaking secrets, Grace shatters the myths surrounding this widely misunderstood illness, helping those bound within the rules of anorexia to find a way out, and those on the outside to understand more.Thin also has resonance beyond the world of eating disorders. For in daring to tell the truth, Grace reveals her extraordinary story to be a common one, reflected in the shape of many of our lives. She draws on the universal themes of female self-image and self-determination, which have inspired such classics as The Bell Jar and A Room of One’s Own, to shatter the myths surrounding anorexia. And the powerful insights she brings to overcoming addiction make this an invaluable narrative for all those looking to find hope and renewal in the acceptance of change and growth.Thin is the most eloquent account of anorexia yet.
Terrors and Experts
Adam Phillips - 1996
To understand any psychoanalyst's work--both as a clinician and as a writer--we should ask what he or she loves, because psychoanalysis is about the unacceptable and about love, two things that we may prefer to keep apart, but that Freud found to be inextricable. If it is possible to talk about psychoanalysis as a scandal, without spuriously glamorizing it, then one way of doing it is simply to say that Freud discovered that love was compatible, though often furtively, with all that it was meant to exclude. There are, in other words--and most of literature is made up of these words--no experts on love. And love, whatever else it is, is terror.In a manner characteristically engaging and challenging, charming and maddening, Adam Phillips teases out the complicity between desire and the forbidden, longing and dread. His book is a chronicle of that all-too-human terror, and of how expertise, in the form of psychoanalysis, addresses our fears--in essence, turns our terror into meaning.It is terror, of course, that traditionally drives us into the arms of the experts. Phillips takes up those topics about which psychoanalysis claims expertise--childhood, sexuality, love, development, dreams, art, the unconscious, unhappiness--and explores what Freud's description of the unconscious does to the idea of expertise, in life and in psychoanalysis itself. If we are not, as Freud's ideas tell us, masters of our own houses, then what kind of claims can we make for ourselves? In what senses can we know what we are doing? These questions, so central to the human condition and to the state of psychoanalysis, resonate through this book as Phillips considers our notions of competence, of a professional self, of expertise in every realm of life from parenting to psychoanalysis. Terrors and Experts testifies to what makes psychoanalysis interesting, to that interest in psychoanalysis--which teaches us the meaning of our ignorance--that makes the terrors of life more bearable, even valuable.
The Boy Who Could See Demons
Carolyn Jess-Cooke - 2012
His best friend is a 9000-year-old demon called Ruen. When his depressive mother attempts suicide yet again, Alex meets child psychiatrist Anya. Still bearing the scars of her own daughter's battle with schizophrenia, Anya fears for Alex's mental health and attempts to convince him that Ruen doesn't exist. But as she runs out of medical proof for many of Alex's claims, she is faced with a question: does Alex suffer from schizophrenia, or can he really see demons?
Dr. Bird's Advice for Sad Poets
Evan Roskos - 2013
Always positive. I need to be more positive, so I wake myself up every morning with a song of myself.”Sixteen-year-old James Whitman has been yawping (à la Whitman) at his abusive father ever since he kicked his beloved older sister, Jorie, out of the house. James’s painful struggle with anxiety and depression—along with his ongoing quest to understand what led to his self-destructive sister’s exile—make for a heart-rending read, but his wild, exuberant Whitmanization of the world and keen sense of humor keep this emotionally charged debut novel buoyant.
Self Love and Spiritual Alchemy: Transform your mindset, strengthen your self-worth and manifest the life you desire.
Dani Watson - 2020
Dani Watson, a Self Love and Law of Attraction coach, walks you through a process that will help you get clear on what you really want, ditch the limiting beliefs and negative thoughts that are holding your back and teach you how to raise your vibration so that you can to be, do and have anything you desire. Within the book, Dani shares her story of how she battled with anxiety after years of struggling to figure out her career path, accumulating significant debts and then dealing with heartbreak. Through learning how to love herself again and discovering the world of coaching and spirituality, Dani went on to figure out her purpose and find the confidence to go for her dreams. Self Love and Spiritual Alchemy weaves personal experiences with practical guidance so that you can discover how to unleash your inner goddess and co-create magic with The Universe. You can find out more about Dani via @dani_watson_coaching or online at www.daniwatson.com
Young Americans
Jordan Castro - 2012
Then open up Young Americans, seems obvious what Jordan Castro is doing is revolutionary, he expressing emotions through poetry that have never been done before. The style, the way the subject matter is portrayed, even the meter, are new." - Noah Cicero (author of The Human War, The Insurgent, and more)“If you are a person who doesn’t really know what they are doing and you would like to read about another person who doesn’t really know what they are doing either, I recommend reading this poetry book. I enjoyed reading these poems. Or something.” - Chris Killen (author of The Bird Room)“I read these poems three times in one night, then put the duvet over my head and held my knees for a while. It’s good when something makes sense. I really really liked these poems.” - Ben Brooks (author of Grow Up)
Helium
Rudy Francisco - 2017
Rudy's poems and quotes have been viewed and shared millions of times as he has traveled the country and the world performing for sell-out crowds. Helium is filled with work that is simultaneously personal and political, blending love poems, self-reflection, and biting cultural critique on class, race and gender into an unforgettable whole. Ultimately, Rudy's work rises above the chaos to offer a fresh and positive perspective of shared humanity and beauty.
Self Love Poetry: For Thinkers & Feelers
Melody Godfred - 2021
On the left side of the book are "thinker" poems that light up the analytical, more literal, left side of the brain, and on the right side are companion "feeler" poems that speak to the creative, more emotional right side of the brain. Combined, the poems electrify the mind, body and soul through a completely unique poetry experience that inspires each of us to embrace all parts of ourselves. This empowering poetry book will not only engage you to think and feel, but will make you feel seen, show you how to love yourself, and encourage you to seek out the hope and beauty in the world … and in yourself. It’s the perfect gift for yourself or someone you love, especially after a most difficult year.
My Better Half Forever
Arushi Vats - 2021
Her life once revolved around her brother who later became a memory of the past. With a dysfunctional family and grieving the loss of her brother, Malvika decides to begin a new chapter in life by stepping into the gates of college, not knowing what fate awaits her. One glance at Rahul on the first day and she feels something mysterious. The smart and confident Rahul looks at her and it appears to him like they are soulmates, waiting to have their lives entangled in unconditional love.
Love Story
Megan Benjamin - 2017
Some poems read as conversations, some as internal monologues, others as observations, but they all work together to tell one couple's love story.
(w)holehearted: a collection of poetry and prose
Sara Bawany - 2018
it is the facade that many of us peruse our lives carrying, often neglecting our pain, our mental health, and most importantly, the way we are more prone to hurting others when we lack this self-awareness. (w)holehearted seeks to encompass as many stories as possible, touching on several topics, namely, spirituality, feminism, colorism, domestic violence, intersectionality, mental health and more. it aims to depict that anyone with the darkest past and pitfalls can still save themselves from drowning in the difficulties that not only plague our world, but also plague our hearts.
Shame Is an Ocean I Swim Across
Mary Lambert - 2018
In verse that deals with sexual assault, mental illness, and body acceptance, Ms. Lambert's Shame Is an Ocean I Swim Across emerges as an important new voice in poetry, providing strength and resilience even in the darkest of times.
Honeybee
Trista Mateer - 2014
It’s not something they say. It’s something about their hands, the shape of their mouths, the way they look walking away from you."A collection that will beg you to be dogeared, coffee-stained, & shared.”—Amanda Lovelace, author of the princess saves herself in this oneHoneybee is an honest take on walking away and still feeling like you were walked away from. It’s about cutting love loose like a kite string and praying the wind has the decency to carry it away from you. It’s an ode to the back and forth, the process of letting something go but not knowing where to put it down. Honeybee is putting it down. It’s small town girls and plane tickets, a taste of tenderness and honey, the bandage on the bee sting. It’s a reminder that you are not defined by the people you walk away from or the people who walk away from you."A spine tingling, heart wrenching, goosebumps-across-your-skin experience."—Nikita Gill, author of Fierce FairytalesPerfect for fans of Caroline Kaufman, Atticus, Clementine von Radics, Nina LaCour, Adam Silvera, and Becky Albertalli; or anyone interested in bisexuality, heartbreak, running away from your problems, and coming out.Look for Trista Mateer's other book of poetry, Aphrodite Made Me Do It and her contribution to [Dis]Connected Volume 1: Poems & Stories of Connection and Otherwise.
Staying Strong: 365 Days a Year
Demi Lovato - 2012
Those commitments are the bedrock of her recovery and her work helping other young people dealing with the issues she lives with every single day. Demi is a platinum-selling recording artist whose latest album—DEMI—is already a smash hit. She’s about to embark on her second season as a judge on X-Factor, and just launched The Lovato Treatment Scholarship Program. And she is an outspoken advocate for young people everywhere. Demi is also a young woman finding her way in the world. She has dealt deftly with her struggles in the face of public scrutiny, and she has always relied, not just on friends and family, but daily affirmations of her self-worth and value. Affirmations that steady her days and strengthen her resolve. Those affirmations have grown into STAYING STRONG, a powerful 365-day collection of Demi’s most powerful, honest, and hopeful insights. Each day will provide the readers with a quote, a personal reflection and a goal. These are Demi’s words. Words she lives by and shares with the people she loves and total strangers alike. They are a powerful testament to a young woman standing up and fighting back.
The Little Girl
Thatcher C. Nalley - 2014
Therapist Lindy Wellbrook never answered. Yet if the counselor would have just answered, even in just the simplest of terms, could it have prevented the little girl from suddenly jumping to her death? Lindy could deliberate this over and over, but as she was about to find there was would be no easy answer. The little girl Molly sees her world as being the princess in The Land of Pretty, that she has the power to communicate with dolls, and that her friend Pen protects her though no one can see him. Lindy sees Molly’s world as delusions created from a traumatic childhood. Only one of them is right. Lindy Wellbrook is a new therapist hungry for the challenge to get clients through a speedy recovery. She has no time for those who sit in self-pity. Her approach is to get clients up and on with their lives in the quickest time possible. No matter how deep the wound. Then Molly walked in. Eager to prove that her theories of recovery are accurate, even with traumatic cases, Lindy takes on the troubled 8 year old Molly. Having no idea what she is about to take on. In the easy first steps Lindy quickly first finds herself in the bizarre imaginary world called “Pretty” and that Molly is convinced she can talk to dolls. But when Molly’s volatile split personality Pen surfaces, the therapy turns fierce for he will stop at nothing to sabotage the little girl’s recovery. However, Lindy will stop at nothing to get Molly through a fast track of recovery, not even Pen. Things take a drastic change when Molly suddenly jumps to her death and Lindy is left baffled in wondering where the sessions had gone tragically wrong. In an obsession to find out the therapist relives the past therapy sessions through recorded tapes. This time when Lindy listens her outlook on Molly’s horrific childhood takes a whole different direction. Each tape brings a new twist and turns everything Lindy thought she knew about Molly, Pen, The Land of Pretty, and even herself upside down. The closer Lindy gets to the truth the more she realizes that maybe some things are best left unanswered. Especially the question - “Why does God make bad people?”