Book picks similar to
Landscape without Gravity: A Memoir of Grief by Barbara Lazear Ascher
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Bear Cat
Raland J. Patterson - 2012
Every soldier onboard that flight had one goal in common – come back alive. Captain McKay soon finds himself immersed in a war zone with a few good men and very difficult circumstances. Maintaining an aviation battalion when you’re taking fire daily is no easy task and many will lose their lives. Together these men endeavor to do everything possible to look out for each other and the men on the ground fighting an unpopular war. This is the story of untested men working together under diverse and difficult circumstances to be the best that they can be.
My Crazy World: The Autobiography
Christy Dignam - 2019
Growing up in Finglas, Dublin, there was only one thing Christy Dignam ever wanted to do – and that was sing. By the early 1980s, he had formed the band Aslan, part of a new wave of acts coming out of Ireland. Repeatedly chewed up and spat out in the feeding frenzy to sign 'the next U2', they stuck to their principles. developed a loyal following, and their first album
Feel No Shame
went to No 1 in their home country, showcased by the song ‘This Is’, which Christy proudly acknowledges has become 'part of Ireland's DNA'. But just as America seemed ready to fall for Aslan, Dignam was battling with heroin addiction, perhaps caused by having been sexually abused as a child, and so he was kicked out of the band. In 1993, after five years in the wilderness, he rejoined Aslan, leading the outfit to a triumphant second coming, despite struggling with further drug problems and serious illness. In this compelling memoir, Dignam looks back over his long career, vividly bringing to life the good times and the bad, but always remembering that at the heart of it all are his songs and his family.
Lu-CiFER Memoirs of a MONGOL
Lu-CiFER MONGOLSmc - 2013
Stories of a mans life experiences who goes by Lu-CiFER, a 16 year member of the MONGOLS Motorcycle Club.
A Song for Bridget: The prequel to Finding Tipperary Mary
Phyllis Whitsell - 2018
We journey back to Ireland, to follow the story of a young girl, growing up without her father, who dies before she is born. At the age of 15, she finds the body of her stepfather, a man with a history of mental illness, who has hanged himself in the family home, leaving behind his natural daughter (Bridget’s half-sister, Philomena).Following the death of her mother, Bridget finds love with a local lad, Bill. But when her brother - now head of the household - discovers the relationship, he stops it, threatening Bill – then beating and raping Bridget. Bill is forced to flee to England, while Bridget endures a terrible life at home at the hands of her brother. Finally, after giving birth to her brother’s child at a single mother’s institution, she has her child removed for adoption and she flees to England in search of Bill and a new life. She eventually tracks him down - and they fall into each other’s arms.However, Bill is now married with a child of his own. They begin an affair, and she adopts his surname – but Bill, wracked with guilt, returns to his wife.Now pregnant with Bill’s child, Bridget’s drinkingbecomes worse. As her life spirals out of control – her daughter, Phyllis (named after her beloved young half-sister Philomena) is born. Bridget holds onto the child she has had with the love her life for as long as she can – but is finally forced to let her go. Will they ever meet again...?
Becoming A Son
David Labrava - 2015
David writes from life experience as he has lived more lives than most people ever will, and he did it all over the globe. David is an accomplished Glass artist, Tattoo artist, Five Diploma Harley Davidson Motorcycle Mechanic, Producer, Director and an award winning Writer and Actor. David is a member of the most famous and notorious motorcycle club in the world. David was the Technical Advisor on the hit TV series Sons of Anarchy from the inception to the completion of the series. David was also a series regular on the show, reaching that position after being hired as the technical advisor, then becoming a day player actor, then a recurring character then moving to series regular. All of these things had to be earned, as they were not for sale at any price. Becoming A Son is not about them. It’s about David getting to those spots. It’s about overcoming great odds and coming out alive. David left home at fifteen years old and hit the streets. This is David’s journey of discovery and redemption spanning a course of forty years. From the beaches of Hawaii and California, to the forest of the great Northwest, to years in Amsterdam, San Francisco, New York City, Miami then back to California. David hit some highs and survived severe lows, living years on the streets, in and out of jail only to take his life back, and then squeeze every bit out of it that life has to offer. Becoming A Son is a journey of epic proportion. It’s about realizing your dreams and then against the odds achieving them. Adventuring across the globe David learned many lessons by reaching out and trying everything, making many mistakes and paying the price for it and living through it. Now he wrote about it. David has been writing and getting published for over 14 years. He wrote for the Motorcycle magazine ‘The Horse’ then had his own column in the National Hot Rod Magazine ‘Ol Skool Rodz’ for eight years. He co-wrote Episode ten in season four of SOA which Time magazine awarded an honorable mention to as best of the season. David also won the 2013 Readers Choice Buzz focus award for Best Wildcard Actor. Like great authors before him Labrava takes the reader into some dark places most people would never dare to go. Becoming A Son is a modern day story of living on the street and redemption, it is one man’s journey into the darkness of himself crossing the planet and transcending all levels and then coming back again full circle. It is an inspiration for anyone who is chasing their dreams and making them their reality. Becoming A Son will come to be known as an instant classic.
I'm Not Gonna Lie: and Other Lies You Tell When You Turn 50
George Lopez - 2013
Newly single and ready to embrace life, George was excited to turn fifty. It would be a welcome new phase in his life, a chance to say goodbye to a decade that included a kidney transplant and a divorce. But when he looked around a room full of his childhood friends, all gathered to celebrate his birthday, many now bald or overweight, it suddenly hit him that he was old. What happened? And more importantly, what was he going to do about it? George learns the hard way that when you turn 50, everything changes. You pull a muscle in your sleep. You avoid mirrors at all costs, and always, always wear a robe. You have to schedule an appointment to have sex. You have to dye your hair and buy a bathtub with a door. As George learns to embrace life after fifty, he invites readers into his world, sharing the ups and downs of getting older—from his relationship with a much younger woman to a bizarre session with a pet psychic, to a trip behind-the-scenes at his tumultuous two years at Lopez Tonight, to an intimate look at his sacred ground, the golf course—and, for the first time, he reveals in moving detail, the story of the battle for his life against kidney disease. I’m Not Gonna Lie will make you laugh at yourself, cry about yourself, and look at turning fifty in a way you never would’ve imagined—through the eyes of George Lopez.
Out of the Dust: Story of an Unlikely Missionary
Avis Goodhart - 2014
She didn’t – and neither should you.Despite a background of childhood abuse, dyslexia, and marital infidelity, Avis took her first international mission trip at age fifty. The church, school, and orphanage she later founded in northern Peru, all products of both her pain and her radical obedience to the Lord, have brought thousands of others out of the dust. This compelling story of an ordinary woman who serves God in extraordinary ways will challenge, inspire, and empower you to: •Eliminate excuses from your life•Recognize that in God’s kingdom, availability matters more than ability•Allow your pain to produce – not prevent – your obedience•Serve the Lord with the same abandon shown by one unlikely missionaryNote: Proceeds from the sale of this book are sent to the author’s orphanage in Peru. About the Authors Avis Goodhart, founder of Go Ye Ministries, is a missionary, Bible teacher, and conference speaker who has blessed audiences across North, South, and Central America. Although she holds a B.S.Ed. and M.Ed. from the University of Arkansas, her primary qualifications include the pain and obstacles she’s encountered along the way. These provide both insight and passion for her work in bringing the lives of countless orphans, volunteers, and others out of the dust. Avis, a widow, has five children and twenty-two grandchildren.Marti Pieper’s prayer involvement moved her to assist Brent and Deanna Higgins in telling their son’s story in I Would Die for You, which became a young adult bestseller. Marti, who has a B.S.Ed. from Ohio State University and an M.Div. from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, has written multiple books and often teaches at writers’ conferences.
Welcome To Hell: Three And a Half Months of Marine Corps Boot Camp
Patrick Turley - 2012
Three and one half months of hellish and seemingly outrageous demands would be made of those who would endure the journey through the fires of boot camp. These young men would find a pride in themselves that would last forever. Those survivors of boot camp training often look back, with a smile and even a laugh, at what they endured from the DI. Patrick Turley, driven to enlist by the events of 9/11, captures these anxious times perfectly in vivid detail establishing an emotional bond with the reader throughout his journey from man to Marine, and John Patrick Shanley said it only as a former Marine and Pulitzer Prize winner could: It's great to have gone to Marine Corps boot camp. It's terrible to be in Marine Corps boot camp. It's fun to read about Marine Corps boot camp.
Torey Hayden Collection (Somebody Else's Kids, One Child, Ghost Girl, Beautiful Child)
Torey L. Hayden - 2011
Four Seconds: A Memoir
Laura Andrade - 2019
“You’ll like it,” she argued. “I know I’ll like it,” I said. “That’s why I’m not going to try it.” “Try it just this once and I’ll never ask you to do it again.” That was a deal. I slipped back into the driver’s seat while Pat corn-rowed two neat lines of the silky white powder on the back of a plastic cassette tape cover. Fifteen hundred dollars every month, an abusive boyfriend, a molested child, a lost family, hotels for houses, a ruined leg, a gun to my head, a knife to my butt, a jail cell all my own. Black eyes, bruised days, broken hours. Looking back, it seems strange what I gave up to get my roommate off my back. It only took four seconds. *** In her debut memoir, Andrade tells of her years with cocaine and crystal methamphetamines—using, then selling—until all she had left of the life she wanted was a chalk outline and a pack of cigarettes. This is the story of her use and recovery, of the people who frustrated and inspired her, of her decision to leave the drug world. It is the story of her slow, often unsteady walk home.
Mommy's Little Girl: On Sex, Motherhood, Porn, and Cherry Pie
Susie Bright - 2003
Bright's stories in magazines like Salon, Playboy, and Bust have drawn cultish followings, and her books are national bestsellers. Mommy's Little Girl contains selected writing since the birth of Bright's now twelve-year-old daughter, Aretha. Challenging the idea that a woman cannot be a mother and sex goddess at the same time, this book positions Bright as a beacon of hope for women who feel that their days of openness about their sexuality must come to an end after they have a child. Bright describes how her daughter and her classmates have made her aware of how sexually charged children are these days, yet dangerously lack a proper education about their own bodies. From reminiscing on her role as "lesbian consultant" to the directors of The Matrix to her hilarious instruction for both men and women on how to ruin their sex lives in twelve easy steps, Bright's always provocative, often hilarious prose is sure to appeal to anyone with a heartbeat, and tops it off with the perfect end to perfect sex — a recipe for lustful cherry pie!
A River Could Be a Tree
Angela Himsel - 2018
The Himsels followed an evangelical branch of Christianity—the Worldwide Church of God—which espoused a doomsday philosophy. Only faith in Jesus, the Bible, significant tithing, and the church's leader could save them from the evils of American culture—divorce, television, makeup, and even medicine.From the time she was a young girl, Himsel believed that the Bible was the guidebook to being saved, and only strict adherence to the church's tenets could allow her to escape a certain, gruesome death, receive the Holy Spirit, and live forever in the Kingdom of God. With self-preservation in mind, she decided, at nineteen, to study at The Hebrew University in Jerusalem. But instead of strengthening her faith, Himsel was introduced to a whole new world—one with different people and perspectives. Her eyes were slowly opened to the church's shortcomings, even dangers, and fueled her natural tendency to question everything she had been taught, including the guiding principles of the church and the words of the Bible itself.Ultimately, the connection to God she so relentlessly pursued was found in the most unexpected place: a mikvah on Manhattan's Upper West Side. This devout Christian Midwesterner found her own form of salvation—as a practicing Jewish woman.Himsel's seemingly impossible road from childhood cult to a committed Jewish life is traced in and around the major events of the 1970s and 80s with warmth, humor, and a multitude of religious and philosophical insights. A River Could Be a Tree: A Memoir is a fascinating story of struggle, doubt, and finally, personal fulfillment.
Fatso: Football When Men Were Really Men
Arthur J. Donavan - 1987
A bright, witty assessment of football in the 1950s.
Crazy Town: Money. Marriage. Meth.
Sterling R. Braswell - 2008
Then he met his high school sweetheart after not seeing her for over ten years. With their love rekindled, they were married. Life was beautiful. They had no real worries, a lovely son, and a bright future.Then she started using meth.The craziness of the next few years would leave Sterling almost completely broke—financially, emotionally, and spiritually—and nearly murdered.The Weekender Raves About Crazy Town!Drugs, violence, sex and betrayal. Sound like the tagline from the newest Megan Fox movie? Maybe, but those components are also the basis for the book “Crazy Town: Money. Marriage. Meth.” by Sterling R. Braswell. Published right in our own backyard by Wilkes-Barre-based Kallisti Publishing, Inc., “Crazy Town” is the true story of a man who thought he had it all, until methamphetamine destroyed the delicate house of cards he didn’t realize he was building. In addition to being based on true events, the book is an exploration of the rise of the meth epidemic in our country, offering some very interesting insight among the twists and turns of Braswell’s tumultuous past.In “Crazy Town,” the author provides a first-person account of his life up to the present. In short, he reconnects with and marries his childhood sweetheart, Lucille. As is often the case in relationships, Braswell is too busy seeing life through his rose-colored glasses to notice all of the glaring red flags in their relationship. Not to mention the fact that his ranch hand Clyde is operating a meth lab right on his property. Eventually, though, the author is forced to face the bitter reality that Lucille is an addict, and with her addiction comes all of the baggage associated with substance abuse. What follows is a devastatingly depressing account of the dissolution of Braswell’s marriage and his personal battle with his feelings for Lucille, as well as some rocky years spent in divorce court.At first, the way the book is organized seems to take away from the personal narrative Braswell is trying to give the reader. The chapters concerning his life seem significantly shorter than those relaying the development and evolution of meth use, and the reader is always left wanting more pieces of the puzzle. After getting a bit more in-depth, however, one can begin to see a direct correlation of the history of methamphetamine use to Braswell’s own story. For example, from the facts he unearthed pertaining to the development of at-home meth labs (a phenomenon with which our generation is now all too familiar), the reader is able to understand how over-the-counter medications came to be used in the homegrown meth operations around our country, and at about the same time the reader also is familiarized with the antics Clyde is up to on Braswell’s property.Braswell also points out some very interesting facts that he discovered in his research. Adolph Hitler, Jim Jones, Charles Manson and Andrew Cunanan (Gianni Versace’s murderer) were all amphetamine users in one way or another. While it’s true that all of these people were probably unstable to begin with, it cannot be ignored that the addition of amphetamine to an already volatile cocktail probably took their degree of violence to an entirely new level.“Crazy Town” is a startling look at how a drug can singlehandedly destroy a person and those who love him. Though depressing at times, this intimate glimpse into Braswell’s life allows the reader a new perspective on the meth crisis in today’s culture. His findings and the way in which he sums up the history of the problem also make it easier to understand how and why it is becoming an epidemic.