Tag: memoir

Book Review: AWAKE: Notes from the Quiet Hours by S.A. Sterling

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Book Details:

Author: S.A. Sterling
Release Date: 26 October 2025
Series:
Genre: Memoir
Format: E-book 
Pages: 70 pages
Publisher: –
Blurb:
2:47 a.m. Again.
For two years, she woke in the quiet hours—when the house slept, when the world felt suspended between night and morning. In that stillness, she began to write.
AWAKE is a collection of sixty nights lived in real time: the hum of insomnia, the weight of perimenopause, the questions that surface at 3 a.m. when defenses are down.
These pages don’t offer solutions. They offer presence.
For anyone who’s ever felt alone in the dark hours, this book is company.

Review

Rating: 4 out of 5.

AWAKE: Notes from the Quiet Hours by S.A. Sterling is a gentle, meditative, and moving memoir.

Told through short entries written during real bouts of insomnia, AWAKE reads like a midnight journal, part memoir, part meditation, part conversation with yourself. Author Sterling’s writing covers drifting thoughts from the small rituals of staying awake to ponderings on motherhood, ageing, marriage, memory, loss, and the strange kind of clarity that only arrives when the world is still.

There’s a beautiful rhythm to the entries. Some nights are fleeting with a single page of observation about her hands or the hum of the fridge, while others open like essays about belonging, identity, or the ache of loving people from afar. The language is spare but lyrical; each sentence feels distilled, honest, and unadorned. What makes it powerful is the intimacy, that rare feeling of being trusted with someone’s unfiltered 3 a.m. thoughts.

Author Sterling’s greatest gift as a writer lies in her ability to turn exhaustion into revelation. She writes of menopause, motherhood, migration, and midlife with a rawness that never feels self-pitying. There’s humour here too, and grace in the smallest acts: warming her feet, watching the rain, whispering “you again” to her reflection at 2:38 a.m. By the end, you realise AWAKE is about awareness, about being fully alive even in the quietest, most uncertain moments.

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Book Review: Unearthed: The Lies We Carry & The Truths They Bury by Chanchal Garg

Categories Autobiography, memoir, noir, Non-Fiction, Surreal FictionLeave a Comment on Book Review: Unearthed: The Lies We Carry & The Truths They Bury by Chanchal Garg

Book Details:

Author: Chanchal Garg
Release Date: 2nd June 2025
Series:
Genre: Autobiography
Format: E-book 
Pages: 282 pages
Publisher:
Blurb:
In this searing memoir, Chanchal Garg reveals the spiritual and sexual abuse that shattered her sense of self and forced her to question a life defined by duty and sacrifice. Raised as a devoted Indian daughter, she was taught never to question authority-until a transformative moment during a yoga class, while pregnant with her daughter, awakened a truth she could no longer ignore.
That realization set her on a solitary journey, as she lost her faith, community, and the life she had always known. Without the support she had once relied on, she had to learn to trust herself, reclaim her bicultural identity, and redefine what it meant to be both Indian and American-on her own terms

Unearthed is a powerful call to every woman who has ever felt silenced-an invitation to trust your inner voice, reclaim your story, and return to yourself.

Review

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Unearthed by Chanchal Garg is a book that doesn not just tell a story but bares a soul. This beautiful memoir is raw and luminous in equal measure. It traces author Garg’s painful yet empowering journey through spiritual and sexual abuse, her loss of faith, and the reclamation of her identity as both Indian and American. The book’s greatest strength lies in its honesty as Garg doesn’t hide behind polished prose or distance herself from the pain. Instead, she invites the reader into her unraveling and rebuilding, offering a voice that feels courageous, vulnerable, and deeply relatable.

Garg’s writing is tender but unflinching. Each chapter feels like a confession whispered into the dark. She shares moments of doubt, grief, awakening, and slow healing stitched together with lyrical precision. What moved me most was her ability to explore trauma without letting it consume the narrative. Unearthed isn’t a story of victimhood; it’s a story of reclamation. Through her awakening during a yoga class, while carrying new life within her, Garg begins to question the doctrines and power structures that once defined her, and in doing so, she creates space for other women to do the same. The narrative feels spiritual, but not in a religious sense, it’s about returning to oneself, trusting that quiet inner knowing that so many of us are taught to suppress.

The memoir also shines in how it navigates bicultural identity. Garg’s experience of being both Indian and American resonates profoundly. Her journey is personal, but her insights are universal. By the end, you’re not just reading about her healing; you’re reminded of your own capacity to listen inwardly and rebuild. Unearthed doesn’t promise easy closure but offers something rarer: authenticity, compassion, and permission to begin again.

Unearthed is a beautifully written, soul-stirring memoir about pain, awakening, and self-trust. Perfect for readers who loved Educated by Tara Westover or When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill, and for anyone seeking a reminder that healing is not linear, but always possible.

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Book Review: Love Without Borders by Ni Wencai

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Book Details:

Author: Ni Wencai
Release Date: 29 July 2025
Series:
Genre: Memoir, Non-Fiction
Format: E-book 
Pages: 229 pages
Publisher: Earnshaw Books
Blurb:
For more than three decades into the early 21st Century, China’s effort to curb population growth through the “one-child policy” created a wave of abandoned Chinese infants, most of them girls. Around 160,000 of these Chinese children found homes abroad, with more than half of them joining American families.
International adoptions should be a beautiful story of familial love transcending national boundaries. However, when the unintended fallout from the one-child policy came to light, it captured Western media attention, making China’s international adoption program a controversial subject.

This book offers a unique blend of Chinese and Western perspectives. The author, a Chinese civil servant who also oversaw a local orphanage, is a scholar with an international outlook. The book explores human relationships: familial bonds that transcend biological links, the continuing connection of the adoptees and their families with their homeland in China, and the special relationship that developed between the author and families who adopted daughters from his jurisdiction.
In an era of unprecedented geopolitical tensions between the United States and China, this book highlights an overwhelmingly positive aspect of the relationship between citizens of these two great nations, offering much-needed inspiration and hope.,

Review

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Love Without Borders by Ni Wencai is a heartfelt and deeply moving story that explores the universal longing for connection across cultures, distances, and emotional boundaries. What begins as a seemingly simple narrative of two people brought together by chance gradually unfolds into something more profound; a meditation on love, identity, and the courage it takes to open oneself up to another person in an unfamiliar world. The author writes with tenderness and sincerity, allowing readers to feel the push and pull of emotion that defines cross-cultural relationships.

What I found particularly moving about this book is how grounded it is in real emotion. It doesn’t romanticize difference or distance but instead portrays love as a complex, evolving force that is beautiful, frustrating, and transformative. The characters feel authentic, their flaws and hopes interwoven with the settings they inhabit. From moments of introspection to scenes of cultural discovery, every page captures the vulnerability of stepping beyond one’s comfort zone for the sake of connection.

The prose flows with warmth and restraint, striking a delicate balance between passion and reflection. The pacing allows readers to breathe, to feel the weight of each emotional beat, and to witness how love reshapes the individuals at its center. There’s a sense of maturity in the storytelling that makes it stick with you after the story is over.

In essence, Love Without Borders is not just a story about romance; it’s about empathy, transformation, and the shared emotional connection that transcends geography. It’s a reminder that while love may begin between two people, it ultimately bridges entire worlds.

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Book Review: Italian by Default by M.J. Walker

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Book Details:

Author: MJ Walker
Release Date: 25 July, 2025
Series:
Genre: Memoir, Women’s Literature
Format: E-book 
Pages: 283 pages
Publisher: –
Blurb:
AN ADOPTION REUNION – based on a true story –
Meet Polly, her Italian husband Joe and his identical twin brother Cicero. Polly is adopted and wants to find her heritage, but the twins’ passion for Italy dominates her life. She gets more style than Gucci, more opera than Verdi and more pasta than she can eat.
If this isn’t bad enough, Polly’s friends insist that she belongs where she is loved – safe and secure in her wealthy Sydney suburb.
What should Polly do?
She has met her birth mother, but not only will that lady refuse to discuss the past, she has barred Polly from ever meeting her siblings. Then one day Polly reads in the newspaper that her mother has been murdered.
Or has she?
Polly’s longed-for adoption reunion finally happens but not in the way she expects.

Review

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Every once in a while, I come across a book that feels less like a neatly packaged story and more like an intimate glimpse into someone’s life experience. Italian by Default by M.J. Walker is very much that kind of book. It reads like a heartfelt exploration of identity, belonging, and cultural duality, written with honesty and warmth. From the very first pages, the narrative establishes itself as personal and genuine, inviting readers to not just observe, but to sit with the author’s reflections and journey.

What stood out to me most was the way the prose blends simplicity with depth. There’s an ease to the storytelling, it doesn’t try to dazzle with overly ornate language, yet the sincerity behind the words makes the book resonate on a deeper level. The pacing feels unhurried, almost conversational, giving space for the cultural observations and personal insights to sink in. This style makes the book accessible while still carrying weight in its themes.

Without delving into spoilers, I can say that what I appreciated most about this book is its exploration of identity, not as a fixed, singular concept but as something fluid, shifting with environment, relationships, and perspective. For anyone who has ever lived between cultures or questioned where they truly belong, Italian by Default will feel especially relatable.

Overall, this book is a thoughtful and respectful meditation on selfhood and heritage. It doesn’t seek to give easy answers, nor does it try to universalize the author’s experiences. Instead, it offers a window into one individual’s journey, while leaving enough openness for readers to reflect on their own. In a world where identity is so often boxed and labeled, Italian by Default reminds us of the richness that lies in nuance, complexity, and authenticity.

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Book Review: Into the Mountains: Exploring China’s Sacred Daoist Peaks by Debra Liu

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Book Details:

Author: Debra Liu
Release Date: 8 July, 2025
Series:
Genre: Nature Writing, Memoir, Philosophical
Format: E-book 
Pages: 232 pages
Publisher: Earnshaw Books Ltd
Blurb:
In a journey of discovery through China’s sacred mountains, traversing the hidden caves of Huashan, freshwater pools where alchemists once lived on Luofushan, and the opulent brilliance of the Gold Palace atop Wudangshan, Debra Liu explores the rich culture and history of the Daoist tradition.
The author was ordained as a Daoist in the Qingsong group of temples, part of the Quanzhen Dragon Gate lineage, in Brisbane, Australia. She seamlessly integrates elements of Daoist philosophy and contemporary practice in this fascinating account, where the past is inextricably entwined with the present, where each step up a mountain is punctuated with magnificent vistas, archaic legends and the chants of ancient scriptures echoing across stone stairways.
Through this book, the reader can ‘enter the mountains’ to find the heart of the Daoism, as a vibrant, modern practice with deep roots in antiquity.

Review

Rating: 4 out of 5.

From the very first page, Into the Mountains by Debra Liu drew me in with its subtle yet powerful storytelling. It’s a narrative that carries the intimacy of lived experiences and emotions as well as the vastness of the land that shapes those experiences. Author Liu manages to capture the pull of the mountains not only as a physical space but also as a metaphor for solitude, and transformation.

What I particularly appreciated was the way the prose balances descriptive richness with emotional honesty. The mountains come alive not just through visual detail, but through atmosphere. The book is at its strongest when it weaves external journeys with internal ones, showing how isolation, challenge, and beauty leave their mark on the human psyche.

The pacing is deliberate, and I found myself savoring it rather than rushing. Author Liu doesn’t force revelations but allows them to unfold organically, much like a climb itself: one step at a time, with effort and pauses to simply take in the view. By the end, I felt I had walked alongside the narrator, sharing in their solitude, their awe, and their gradual rediscovery of self.

Overall, Into the Mountains is a reflective and evocative read that will especially resonate with readers who, like me, are drawn to stories of solitude, inner transformation, and the healing power of nature. It is less about a plot and more about emotional resonance and atmosphere. And for that very reason, it lingers long after the last page is turned.

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Book Review: Job Junky by Rudy Ridolfo

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Book Details:

Author: Rudy Ridolfo
Release Date: 2 May 2025
Series:
Genre: Memoir, Non-Fiction, Humour, Essay
Format: E-book 
Pages: 131 pages
Publisher: –
Blurb:
Job Junky is a bare-bones memoir of work, survival, and everything in between. Told in short, raw chapters, it reads more like a barstool confession than a polished life story.
Rudy Ridolfo worked over 50 jobs while chasing a creative dream—from managing shady bars and moving trucks to airport tarmacs, martial arts dojos, and indie film sets. Along the way, he crossed paths with unforgettable coworkers, chaotic bosses, and even icons like Al Pacino and Robert Redford—learning not from their fame, but from how they worked

There’s no tidy arc or grand revelation here. Just true stories from the grind—gritty, absurd, and unexpectedly funny.
If you’ve ever clocked in, burned out, or wondered what the hell you’re doing with your life—this one’s for you.

“A funny, delightful, and incisive tour of working odd jobs.”
—Kirkus
“Wild… Reading this book is a ride.”
—Independent Book Review
“Fast, matter-of-fact, and full of memorable moments.”
—San Francisco Book Review
“Insightful, humorous, and engaging.”
—The US Review of Books

Review

Rating: 4 out of 5.

There are memoirs, and then there are wild, gut-punched, whiskey-soaked truth bombs like Job Junky. Rudy Ridolfo’s unconventional chronicle of forty-odd jobs spanning decades reads like Hunter S. Thompson and Charles Bukowski got together to document the gig economy before it had a name.

What begins as a sardonic retort to a dismissive remark, “You were in the movie business,” spirals into a fever-dream confession about the absurdities of surviving while chasing a creative life. From sewage trucks and donut shops to nightclubs, acting gigs, and near-death moments, Ridolfo throws you headfirst into scenes that are messy, hilarious, and heartbreakingly human.

The structure is episodic, like reading journal entries dictated by someone who’s part philosopher, part hustler, and part accidental prophet of the working class. And it works. Because Ridolfo doesn’t just tell us what he did—he shows us how it felt to be discarded, desired, disoriented, and ultimately defiant.

There’s something profoundly liberating about this book’s refusal to be polished. The stories are vulgar and vulnerable in equal measure, peppered with gritty humour and surprising emotional depth. As a writer, I found myself admiring how effortlessly he shifts tone—from bawdy to tender, from surreal to sobering. It’s memoir meets street theatre meets a cigarette break in a film noir.

But what elevates Job Junky is that it’s not just about jobs. It’s about identity. About masculinity. About family wounds and inherited violence. About the price of pursuing art when life keeps shoving reality in your face. It’s not merely a working man’s diary, it’s a manifesto of survival with grace, even in degradation.

That said, the book’s rawness may not suit everyone. Some anecdotes push boundaries, and others may come off as overly indulgent or chaotic. But in Ridolfo’s world, that’s kind of the point—there’s no tidy resolution, only a relentless will to keep moving.

Ultimately, Job Junky is a masterclass in lived experience, told by a man who has nothing left to prove and everything to confess. It’s equal parts tragic and triumphant, and if you’ve ever felt like your “real job” was just a myth you’re still chasing, this book is for you.

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ARC Review: Geri o Shimasu: Adventures of a Baka Gaijin by Alia Luria

Categories Cultural, memoir, noir, Societal and Cultural Commentary, Surreal FictionLeave a Comment on ARC Review: Geri o Shimasu: Adventures of a Baka Gaijin by Alia Luria

Book Details:

Author: Alia Luria
Release Date: August 12, 2025
Series:
Genre: Memoir, Cultural, Japanese Culture
Format: E-book 
Pages: 196 pages
Publisher: Unsolicited Press
Blurb:
Geri o Shimasu: Adventures of a Baka Gaijin invites readers on a witty, unfiltered romp through 2008 Japan as experienced by Alia Luria, a self-proclaimed “clueless foreigner.” Luria dives headfirst into the quirks and challenges of Japanese culture, from decoding onsen etiquette and enduring public embarrassment to exploring the oddities of love hotels and the loneliness of bustling crowds. With laugh-out-loud anecdotes and moments of poignant self-reflection, she unpacks the universal hilarity and humanity of navigating the unfamiliar. Whether she’s fumbling through train etiquette, braving bizarre foods, or embracing the messy beauty of cultural exchange, Luria’s candid storytelling is blunt, occasionally cringeworthy, and always unapologetically real. This collection is a hilarious and heartfelt reminder of the chaotic, awkward, and transformative adventures that shape us all.

Review

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Geri o Shimasu: Adventures of a Baka Gaijin by Alia Luria is a brilliant, ballsy, and wildly unpredictable collection that reads like a love letter to Japan written by someone who knows exactly when to laugh, when to cry, and when to just say, “Geri o’shimasu!”—whatever that means in the moment.

This is not your traditional travel memoir. It’s sharp, fast-paced, and unapologetically personal. Through a series of biting, irreverent, and occasionally heartwarming vignettes, O’Shimasu invites us into her Japan — not the glossy, curated version, but a chaotic, intimate, sometimes hilarious, sometimes heart-splintering ride through cultural collisions, language mishaps, and moments of deep insight.

This isn’t a book that plays by the rules. And yet, beneath the humour, there’s a steady current of vulnerability such as reflections on identity, aging, desire, loneliness, and belonging. Author Luria knows when to let the absurdity shine and when to peel it back and show us something raw and real.

Stylistically, it reminded me of a cross between David Sedaris and Banana Yoshimoto — razor-sharp observational humour meets quiet emotional resonance. Each chapter’s accompanying reflections serve as both cultural footnotes and emotional pivots, adding layers of meaning to even the most outrageous tales.

As someone who reads across genres and edits with a focus on voice and tone, I found this collection to be an exceptional example of voice-driven non-fiction. Author Luria’s writing isn’t just fearless, it’s fiercely hers. There’s nothing performative here; it’s messy, it’s real, and it’s electric.

Highly recommended for readers who want to travel, reflect, laugh, and occasionally wince — all in one sitting. Geri o Shimasu: Adventures of a Baka Gaijin is a memoir that dismantles Japan’s culture, devours it, and dances in Japan’s weird little alleys with a bottle of sake in hand.

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ARC Review: My Father is Police Lah!: Memories of 1960s Colonial Singapore by Rowena Hawkins

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Book Details:

Author: Rowena Hawkins
Release Date: June 24, 2025
Series:
Genre: Memoir, Cultural Literature, Asian Literature
Format: E-book 
Pages: 232 pages
Publisher: Earnshaw Books
Blurb:
“The two of us against all of them? How unfair for them.”
Seeker Hokuren’s big break is coming: the prince of Velles hires her to find his missing daughter. Tracking down all those lost pet cats for a pittance has finally paid off.
Together with her eager but raw elven assistant Cinna, Hokuren quickly sees the case spiral into much more than a mere missing princess. There’s an elf kidnapping scheme, magic said to no longer be possible (never trust the wizards), a long lost goddess, and a monstrous captain of the guard in the middle of it all.

Review

Rating: 5 out of 5.

My Father is Police, Lah! is an absolute delight of a memoir that dances between personal anecdote, cultural snapshot, and a rich, layered historical narrative. Author Rowena Hawkins invites us into her childhood in 1960s colonial Singapore, painting each memory with wit, honesty, and a keen eye for detail that only someone deeply immersed in the literary craft can achieve.

What struck me most was the authenticity of her voice. Author Hawkins achieves that rare balance: a conversational, often hilarious tone that is deceptively light, yet beneath which runs a profound undercurrent of nostalgia, family dynamics, colonial politics, and cultural intersections. The book isn’t simply about her father, a Malay prince-turned-police officer, but about a sprawling community of characters: the richly drawn servants, eccentric neighbours, and Singapore itself, captured at a very particular moment in its evolution.

The episodic structure works beautifully, each chapter reading like a self-contained story that contributes to a greater mosaic. From run-ins with supernatural forces to harrowing moments during the racial riots, from family feuds to hilarious childhood escapades, every vignette is vibrant and alive. The prose flows with effortless clarity, peppered with cultural nuances and linguistic texture, Singlish, Malay, Cantonese, and Tamil, woven organically into the narrative.

And yet, under the humour lies a deeply affectionate portrait of a father’s dedication, a mother’s resilience, and a nation’s complex colonial legacy. Hawkins doesn’t shy away from the messy, the awkward, or the painful, and renders them with such grace and candour that you come away feeling both entertained and oddly moved.

For readers who love richly detailed memoirs, cross-cultural narratives, or intimate histories of Southeast Asia, this book is an absolute must-read. As someone who reads and edits memoirs regularly, I found myself admiring Author Hawkins’ ability to maintain both levity and depth, and her mastery in capturing the sensory world of her childhood so vividly. I highly recommend this book to all the readers not just as a memoir, but as a literary time capsule of Singapore’s multi-ethnic, post-colonial identity. This book is an absolute gem!

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ARC Review: Stolen: Love and Loss in the Time of COVID-19 by Elizabeth Jaeger

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Book Details:

Author: Elizabeth Jaeger
Release Date: September 16, 2025
Series:
Genre: Memoir, Non-Fiction
Format: E-book 
Pages: 282 pages
Publisher: Unsolicited Press
Blurb:
When the world first went into lockdown, on a lark, Jaeger started a blog. Then, on Day 12, the unimaginable happened. Her dad got sick and she rushed him to the hospital. What followed was a close look at what it was like to watch a loved one suffer from COVID. After a nineteen day battle, her father died and the family was stricken with grief. But grieving during the pandemic was drastically different than in a time of normalcy. There were no funerals. No religious services. No ability to mingle with friends. Just the heavy feeling of loss, which at times was suffocating. Stolen: Love and Loss in the Time of COVID-19 captures life in New York City – the constant sound of sirens, the new graves dug daily, the eerie silence and desolation of local playgrounds – the epicenter of the virus. In flashbacks throughout the narrative, vignettes illustrate her dad in happier times-a doting father, an adoring grandfather, a man who always put family first. It depicts encountering COVID up close and places it in a political and personal context. While the story is about one family, it is not unique. COVID touched everyone’s lives and many endured a similar experience.

Review

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Stolen: Love and Loss in the Time of COVID-19 by Elizabeth Jaeger is an exceptionally intimate, unflinching memoirs I’ve read in recent years. In a world oversaturated with distant, clinical accounts of the pandemic, Elizabeth Jaeger offers something heartbreakingly rare: a deeply personal narrative of loss that is both sharply detailed and universally resonant.

The book talks about the author’s father who fell gravely ill during COVID-19 lockdowns. What follows is a searing account of not just a man’s rapid decline due to COVID, but the implosion of a family’s entire emotional infrastructure in a time when even mourning was regulated and restricted. What struck me most is the clarity and honesty in author Jaeger’s voice. There is no melodrama here, just truth—raw, painful, and exquisitely observed. The way she balances the clinical with the poetic, the fear with the memory, the personal with the political, is nothing short of masterful. She weaves in flashbacks that breathe life into her father’s character—a man full of love, idiosyncrasies, and integrity—making the eventual loss even more gutting.

The depiction of New York City as both a ghost town and a siren-laced epicenter adds a haunting backdrop to her narrative. I found myself stopping multiple times, just to sit with the weight of it. And yet, this is not just a story about death—it’s about love. Fierce, unwavering love. It’s about remembering someone wholly and refusing to let their narrative be reduced to statistics.

Author Elizabeth Jaeger has not only chronicled her experience; she’s captured the grief of a generation. Stolen is a time capsule, a testimony, and a reminder that behind every “case” or “death toll” is a family forever changed.

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Book Review: History Rules My Tomorrow by Bernt Erik Bjontegard

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Book Details:

Author: Bernt Erik Bjontegard
Release Date: May 12, 2023 12/5/23
Series:
Genre: Memoir, Biography
Format: E-book 
Pages: 366 pages
Publisher:
Blurb:
A question to ponder: are we as humans pre-programmed to “follow in our father’s footsteps?” Is there something inherent in our heritage? Do we repeat what our forefathers and mothers did?And if so, can we apply these inherited cross-generational learning methods as we invent the next generations of intelligent systems? Rather than creating AI that is artificial and intended to replace human work, can we create intelligent systems that AUGMENT the human’s work and support him or her? Can we invent intelligent systems that learn and improve themselves with the mind of creating betterment for all humans as well?

Erik Bjontegard left Norway when he was 18 to study in the UK, then moved on to California. Not realizing until later in life, his actions and behavior, his quests for new discoveries, and his desire to invent followed his father and grandfather on his mother’s side. Now an accomplished inventor, former NASA rocket scientist, deep sea robotics, and submarine explorer, he is now navigating the new Phygital realms connecting the physical and digital.

In this engaging and inspiring autobiography, Bernt “Erik” Bjontegard narrates his life filled with the stories of his grandparents’ sacrifices during WWII, his own mistakes and discoveries, and poses important questions on how to engage the listeners and their families to assist in creating and inventing better human-technology interfaces. Learning from his history, he is embarking on the journey to make his tomorrow better than today.

Review

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Bernt Erik Bjontegard’s History Rules My Tomorrow is not your average business memoir or self-help manifesto. It’s a deeply personal and intellectually invigorating journey across time and innovation. As someone who appreciates the power of a strong narrative, I am always on the lookout for the books that don’t just inform but transform the way we perceive the world—and this book does exactly that.

Author Bjontegard blends storytelling with big-picture thinking beautifully in this book. Whether he’s reflecting on his family’s multigenerational legacy of innovation—from submarines to space shuttles—or questioning the future of AI, every chapter invites the reader into meaningful introspection. I loved the fact that this book was not just about the technology we’re building but who we are as builders of the future.

The author doesn’t shy away from complexity, especially in discussions about augmented intelligence, legacy programming, and whether we are pre-wired by generations past. But he always grounds it in personal anecdotes, warm humor, and a startling level of vulnerability.

History Rules My Tomorrow is forward-thinking fuelled by hindsight and a call to action for creators, parents, and dreamers alike. Author Bjontegard is an inventor as much as he is a philosopher; this makes his voice very grounded and galvanizing.

This is a book you work with, not skim through. And the reward is well worth the time. For anyone interested in systems thinking, legacy, intelligent tech, or simply making their time on Earth count—this book is the perfect read.

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Book Review: Made of Iron: The Dina Jacobson Story by Adam Knight

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Book Details:

Author: Adam Knight 
Release Date: September 1, 2024
Series:
Genre: Memoir
Format: E-book 
Pages: 259 pages
Publisher: –
Blurb:
Made of Iron: The Dina Jacobson Story 1939, Southern Poland. Dina was a young Jewish woman. She anticipated getting married and raising a family in the same small town where she had grown up. War broke her life. But it would not break her. Dina endured years of suffering in Auschwitz concentration camp, then more years of homelessness after the war. She finally settled in America where, after finally raising that family, she dedicated her life to sharing her story with young people. I was one of them.

Review

Rating: 5 out of 5.

As a writer and editor who scrutinises stories for their emotion and authenticity, Adam Knight’s Made of Iron resonated deeply with me. This is not just another Holocaust survival memoir—it’s a multi-layered narrative that blends history, memory, and creative reconstruction into something incredibly powerful and, at times, soul-stirring.

Author Knight approaches Dina Jacobson’s life story with the sensitivity of a memoirist and the precision of a journalist. What I admired most is his transparency—he doesn’t pretend that every moment can be captured with historical certainty. Instead, he leans into the gaps, the fragility of memory, and what emerges is a narrative that feels deeply profound. He handles the framing of memory as both limitation and liberation beautifully, an editorial decision I found both courageous and honest.

Dina’s voice shines through, and the way author Knight reconstructs her life—from her warm, hardworking childhood in Poland, through the devastation of Auschwitz, and into the quiet rebuilding of life in America—makes you feel like you’re walking every painful and powerful step with her. There’s reverence here, but also realism. Dina is portrayed not as a flawless saint, but as a woman who endured unthinkable horror and still chose to live, speak, bake cookies for strangers and smile at children.

The author’s narrative structure—interweaving interviews, research, and recreated scenes—feels innovative and deeply respectful. And the chapters with Kalman, Dina’s husband, added an unexpected depth to the book that made the entire narrative feel like a shared legacy, not just a singular survival story.

For anyone looking for an unforgettable and deeply emotional reading experience, Made of Iron is it. It’s raw, intimate, and a vital piece of history told with literary grace.

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Book Review: Eyes of A Different Color: Memoir Of Love From Israel To America by Robert Jaffee

Categories memoir, Surreal FictionLeave a Comment on Book Review: Eyes of A Different Color: Memoir Of Love From Israel To America by Robert Jaffee

Book Details:

Author: Robert Jaffee
Release Date: December 21, 2024
Series:
Genre: Memoir
Format: E-book 
Pages: 289 pages
Publisher: Robert Jaffe Publishing
Blurb:
Oy vey! It’s 1979 and a young Israeli girl finds love with an American doctor during a brief visit and risks it all to get married after a brief romance. Now the young couple must really get to know one another post-nuptials while trying to survive as fish-out-of-water in rural Texas. This true love story will have you laughing and crying through life’s ups and downs while experiencing a marriage story like no other.

What could Bob, a newly minted New York physician, and a 18 year-old Israeli woman, Iris, have in common? From New York to Tel Aviv and finally of all places, Odessa, Texas they develop a mutual love. While struggling to outline the boundaries of a marriage Iris is determined to find her own identity, apart from just a doctor’s wife. She must master a new language, face antisemitism and fight the loneliness of being away from family and friends in a new land. Both see a new culture in Texas meeting boots, the Texas two-step and differing religious views.
Follow Bob and Iris as they travel from the skyscrapers and mountains of New York to the hills of Jerusalem and on to the desert of Texas. Meet the people they knew, New Yorkers, Israelis, Texans, and situations of marriage, culture and self-identity that many of us share. This true story is of hard-won triumphs and unexplained tragedy.

Review

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Eyes of a Different Color by Robert Jaffee is an intimate and disarming exploration of a connection that defies easy categorization. Author Jaffee writes with the honesty of someone unafraid to examine the messy, uncomfortable corners of desire, identity, and self-worth, and that’s exactly what makes this book so compelling.

At the heart of the story is Iris, a fiercely independent 18-year-old Israeli woman whose presence challenges and revitalizes the life of the narrator, a somewhat reserved and introspective ophthalmologist. Their conversations, which are sharp, vulnerable, frustrating, and at times hilarious, form the backbone of a relationship that never really settles into a comfortable shape, and that’s the point. This is not a traditional love story. It’s more of a reckoning. A snapshot of a relationship that’s as fleeting as it is formative.

As a writer and editor, I admired the boldness of the narrative choices. Jaffee doesn’t clean up the emotional mess for the reader, he lets us feel it. The dialogue feels genuine, and the inner reflections often hit a little too close to home in the best possible way. There are moments of poetry here, hidden in the mundane.

What held me back from giving it a full five stars were a few lulls in pacing and some scenes that could’ve benefited from a tighter narrative lens. But those are small quibbles in what is otherwise a deeply resonant, character-driven piece of literary storytelling. If you’re a fan of books that lean into emotional honesty over plot, that explore relationships that don’t follow a perfect arc, and that leave you thinking about the “what-ifs” long after turning the last page, then this book is for you.

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Book Review: Surviving Chaos: How I Found Peace at A Beach Bar by Harold Phifer

Categories memoir, Non-FictionLeave a Comment on Book Review: Surviving Chaos: How I Found Peace at A Beach Bar by Harold Phifer

Book Details:

Author: Harold Phifer
Release Date: February 18, 2021
Series:
Genre: Memoir, Non-Fiction
Format: E-book 
Pages: 318 pages
Publisher: Rise & Read Free Press
Blurb:
For more than fifty years, Harold Phifer’s childhood living conditions remained a secret, even from those who thought they knew him best. No one knew about his past growing up with a mother who suffered from mental illness; a greedy, controlling aunt; a mindless and spoiled older brother; an absent father. It wasn’t until an explosion in Afghanistan that his memory blasted back into focus. This book is the result of a long, cathartic chat with a stranger at a beach bar, where Harold finally found some peace.

Review

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Surviving Chaos: How I Found Peace at A Beach Bar by Harold Phifer is a raw and poignant memoir that delves deep into the author’s tumultuous past and his journey towards healing and self-discovery. In this candid account, author Phifer bravely reveals the hidden scars of his childhood, marked by the challenges of growing up with a mother battling mental illness, a dysfunctional family dynamic, and the aftermath of a life-altering event in Afghanistan.

The narrative is both harrowing and inspiring, as the author navigates through the complexities of his past with honesty and vulnerability. The author’s willingness to confront painful memories and share them with readers is commendable.

Overall, Surviving Chaos: How I Found Peace at A Beach Bar is a compelling and deeply moving memoir that resonates long after the final page. The author’s journey towards healing and self-acceptance serves as a testament to the strength of the human spirit, offering hope and inspiration to readers facing their own struggles.

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Book Review: Lipstick on a Pig: A Memoir by Rebecca Butt

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Book Details:

Author: Rebecca Butt
Release Date: June 30, 2023
Series:
Genre: Memoir, Non-Fiction
Format: E-book 
Pages: 276 pages
Publisher: Bowker
Blurb:
Candid and poignant, humorous and heart-wrenching, in nomadic fashion, the directionless Butt Family chaotically relocated throughout the city of Laconia, New Hampshire, like a ship, adrift and lost at sea without a captain.
Encumbered by night terrors, hauntings, and scraps of memories that spoke to a cruelty beyond her mother, Becky sneakily devoured her way into young adulthood and developed a crippling, yet all too comforting, binge-eating disorder.
Morbidly obese, visited often by a seething presence, and drowning under the smothering symptoms of childhood trauma, Becky is sure she’s the defective link in her broken family-until her ghost relative provides her a life jacket of hope that may just keep her afloat.

Review

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Rebecca Butt’s “Lipstick on a Pig” is one of those rare memoirs that grabbed me by the heart and refused to let go. It’s a story told with such raw honesty and sprinkles of humour that I found myself laughing one moment and reaching for tissues the next. The chaotic journey of the Butt family through Laconia, New Hampshire, is portrayed with such vividness that I felt like I was right there with them, navigating their turbulent life.

The core of this memoir is Becky’s own battle with a binge-eating disorder and the haunting shadows of her childhood. Reading about her struggles and the way she bared her soul was both heart-wrenching and inspiring. It’s not just the story of her challenges but also about finding small joys and laughter in the darkest of times. Becky’s journey from a confused, troubled child to a young woman grappling with her demons resonated deeply with me.

This book isn’t just a recounting of a difficult past; it’s a story of survival, of finding light in the darkness, and of the incredible strength of the human spirit. “Lipstick on a Pig” isn’t just a memoir; it’s a journey of pain, laughter, and, most importantly, hope.

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Book Review: Loving & Leaving by Jack Lucci

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Book Details:

Author: Jack Lucci
Release Date: March 28, 2023
Series:
Genre: Memoir, Non-Fiction
Format: E-book 
Pages: 92 pages
Publisher: Koehler Books
Blurb:
The first installment of Jack Lucci’s living memoir, Loving & Leaving spans five years, touching on themes of gratefulness and regret and stories of love for people, places, narcotics, and the effort it takes to sustain that love. Far from stable and rather turbulent, Lucci chronicles his life as he oscillates between hero and anti-hero, sharing lessons learned in the Italian countryside, mistakes made in America’s Second City, the angst and constriction of southeastern Washington, and observations on the miserable Oregon coast. Whether you find yourself rooting for or against him, Loving & Leaving is the result of bleeding over the keyboard.

Review

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Jack Lucci’s “Loving & Leaving” is a raw and candid reflection on a life lived at the extremes. This first installment of Lucci’s living memoir takes readers on a tumultuous journey through love, regret, and self-discovery. Lucci’s narrative is as captivating as it is unsettling, chronicling his experiences with unflinching honesty and a profound sense of introspection.

The memoir spans five eventful years of Lucci’s life, touching on themes that resonate deeply with the human experience. His stories of love – for people, places, and even narcotics – are told with a visceral intensity that draws the reader into his world. Lucci has a unique ability to capture the essence of his experiences, whether they’re set in the rustic Italian countryside, the bustling streets of Chicago, the oppressive atmosphere of southeastern Washington, or the bleakness of the Oregon coast.

What makes “Loving & Leaving” stand out is Lucci’s portrayal of himself as both the hero and anti-hero of his story. His journey is riddled with contradictions and conflicts, making him a complex and relatable character. The book is a rollercoaster of emotions, from moments of deep gratefulness to intense regret. Lucci’s writing style is engaging, his prose bleeding with emotion, making it feel as though every word is a piece of his soul laid bare on the page.

In essence, “Loving & Leaving” is not just a memoir; it’s an exploration of the human condition. Lucci’s ability to share his life lessons and mistakes in such a raw and honest manner is both brave and commendable. This book is a compelling read, sure to evoke a range of emotions in its readers. Whether you end up rooting for Lucci or not, one thing is certain – his story will leave an indelible mark on your heart.

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Book Review: Unwanted: Fighting to Belong by Mary Beth Moore

Categories memoir, Non-Fiction, Parenting, satireLeave a Comment on Book Review: Unwanted: Fighting to Belong by Mary Beth Moore

Book Details:

Author: Mary Beth Moore
Release Date: September 8, 2022
Series:
Genre: Memoir, Disability, Parenting, Non-Fiction
Format: E-book 
Pages: 218 pages
Publisher: New Degree Press
Blurb:
“He is my son. A person. He is not a condition or a statistic. He’s my son.”
Mary Beth Moore chose to have hope in a situation experts deemed hopeless. She was encouraged to abort her son when an ultrasound revealed the presence of multiple disabilities. Years later, experts education said the limitations of the school system could not be changed to meet her son’s needs. Again, Mary Beth chose to have hope.

Unwanted is a powerful story about one mom’s journey to make the world a better place for her son. Full of heartbreak, grit, and triumph, it raises awareness for disability rights and advocates for the human right to belong.
The presence of disabilities is a natural part of humanity, and in no way makes someone less worthy of living a full, inclusive life. Children with disabilities face pervasive discrimination and systemic segregation in school systems across the United States and around the world. Unwanted explores the evolution of special education law, research on creating inclusive classrooms, and real-world stories of families and teachers actively fighting to protect the rights of children with disabilities in our education system.

Review

Rating: 5 out of 5.

“Unwanted: Fighting to Belong” is a heartrending and deeply personal journey of a mother’s unwavering determination, resilience, and advocacy for her son’s right to belong. Mary Beth Moore’s narrative is both a testament to a mother’s love and a powerful call to action for the rights of individuals with disabilities.

From the onset, Moore’s emotional recounting of being encouraged to abort her son due to detected disabilities is both heart-wrenching and evocative. This crucial moment sets the tone for the entire book, showcasing a mother’s fierce determination to protect her child in a world that might not readily accept him. Moore’s persistence in the face of adversity is commendable, and her narrative is charged with raw emotion and palpable passion.

One of the book’s strengths is its ability to intertwine personal anecdotes with an exploration of the evolution of special education law. Moore’s detailed examination of the history and present state of the education system in relation to disability rights is both enlightening and alarming. Through her eyes, readers gain an intimate understanding of the pervasive discrimination and systemic barriers that many children with disabilities face daily.

Moreover, “Unwanted” is not just a memoir but also an educational tool. Moore delves deep into research on creating inclusive classrooms, offering insights and solutions for a more accepting education system. The real-world stories from families and educators actively challenging the status quo add depth and dimension to Moore’s narrative, presenting a holistic view of the challenges and triumphs in the realm of disability rights.

In essence, “Unwanted: Fighting to Belong” is an inspiring tale of hope, persistence, and advocacy. Moore’s story is a clarion call for society to recognise and uphold the rights of individuals with disabilities, emphasising that their presence is an intrinsic part of our shared humanity. The book is a beacon of enlightenment, urging readers to rethink and reshape perceptions about disabilities, inclusivity, and the inherent right of every individual to belong. Highly recommended for those seeking a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by families with children with disabilities and for educators and policymakers striving to make a positive change.

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Book Review: Not Nicholson: The Story of a First Daughter, An Adoption Search and Reunion Memoir by Ann M. Haralambie 

Categories memoir, Non-Fiction, satireLeave a Comment on Book Review: Not Nicholson: The Story of a First Daughter, An Adoption Search and Reunion Memoir by Ann M. Haralambie 

Book Details:

Author: Ann M. Haralambie 
Release Date: July 28, 2023
Series:
Genre: Memoir, Non-Fiction
Format: E-book 
Pages: 364 pages
Publisher:
Blurb:
This is a story about family, adoption, heritage, and identity. It is also about place and people. Haralambie invites you to accompany her on her search for her biological roots, the hurdles and misdirections, and what happens when she finally finds out who her biological family members are. Every adoption search and reunion are different. The results, and how each adoptee deals with them, are also different. But everyone who has been touched by adoption—whether directly or through friends, professional clients, or patients—can learn from others’ experiences. Haralambie’s journey will intrigue readers and may make them laugh and cry. It will surely get them thinking about their own identity and heritage. Her message for readers is to approach the quest with kindness and understanding.

Review

Rating: 4 out of 5.

In “Not Nicholson,” Ann M. Haralambie crafts a poignant and deeply personal narrative about her quest to uncover her biological roots. The memoir is more than just an adoption story; it’s a profound exploration of identity, heritage, and the intricate bonds of family. Haralambie’s heartfelt recounting of her journey, filled with its challenges and revelations, is both riveting and emotionally charged.

What stands out in Haralambie’s memoir is her genuine and raw portrayal of the rollercoaster of emotions that accompany such a profound personal quest. Her experiences, ranging from moments of elation to heart-wrenching obstacles, provide a candid look into the complexities of adoption searches. This journey, while unique to Haralambie, serves as a beacon of understanding for anyone touched by adoption.

As readers navigate through Haralambie’s experiences, they’re prompted to reflect on their own sense of identity and heritage. The narrative, while evoking a spectrum of emotions, consistently carries a message of kindness and empathy. “Not Nicholson” is not just a memoir but a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the enduring quest for self-understanding. It’s a deeply moving read, one that resonates long after the final page is turned.

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Book Review: La Finca: Love, Loss, and Laundry on a Tiny Puerto Rican Island by Corky Parker

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Book Details:

Author: Corky Parker 
Release Date: January 26, 2023
Series:
Genre: Memoir
Format: E-book 
Pages: 208 pages
Publisher: Trinity University Press
Blurb:
At age forty, Parker surrendered to her Swept Away meets Swiss Family Robinson fantasy of running an inn far from her home in the Pacific Northwest. For the next twenty-plus years Parker ran La Finca Caribe, an eco-lodge in Vieques, Puerto Rico. What started as a rough-and-tumble dream grew into a paradise enjoyed by guests from around the world. Sketchbook in hand, Parker chronicled her daily adventures living with the land. La Finca is a lively graphic memoir about a woman creating a new life amid countless challenges, including hurricanes that led her to reconsider everything. It is a story about trusting oneself, self-discovery, accepting disappointment and loss, and falling in love with a place.

Review

Rating: 4 out of 5.

“La Finca” by Corky Parker is a beautiful tapestry of dreams, resilience, and the enduring spirit of adventure. Parker’s graphic memoir, chronicling her two-decade journey of running an eco-lodge in Vieques, Puerto Rico, is as much an ode to the island’s captivating beauty as it is a testament to the tenacity of a woman driven by a dream.

Parker’s decision to embrace a life far removed from her Pacific Northwest roots is portrayed with a mix of vulnerability and courage. Through her vibrant illustrations and evocative prose, readers are transported to La Finca Caribe, feeling the warm tropical breeze and witnessing the ebb and flow of life in paradise. The trials and tribulations, from the initial rough beginnings to the devastating hurricanes, are depicted with raw honesty, making Parker’s journey deeply relatable and inspiring.

Beyond the picturesque landscapes and daily adventures, “La Finca” delves deep into the themes of self-discovery, trust, and acceptance. Parker’s narrative is a poignant reminder that true fulfillment often lies beyond our comfort zones, and that even in the face of adversity, one can find beauty and purpose. This memoir is not just a travelogue or a chronicle of running an inn; it’s a profound exploration of what it means to truly live and love a place. A must-read for anyone seeking inspiration and a renewed sense of wonder.

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Book Review: Lifeline to a Soul: The Life-Changing Perspective I Gained While Teaching Entrepreneurship to Prisoners by John K. McLaughlin

Categories John K. McLaughlin, memoir, Non-FictionLeave a Comment on Book Review: Lifeline to a Soul: The Life-Changing Perspective I Gained While Teaching Entrepreneurship to Prisoners by John K. McLaughlin

Book Details:

Author: John K. McLaughlin
Release Date: 4th April 2023
Series:
Genre: Memoir | Non-Fiction
Format: E-book 
Pages: 237
Publisher: Lifeline Education Connection
Blurb:
The Victories and Challenges One Man Faced as a First-Time Teacher in the Strange World of Prison Life
After devoting half of his lifetime transforming his start-up business into a multi-million dollar industry leader, author John McLaughlin set out in a new direction: to teach what he had learned to others.
Due to a lack of teaching experience, his only job offer was to teach entrepreneurship to prisoners at a minimum-security camp in North Carolina. John gradually builds an effective program until a scandal involving prison officials blindsides his progress and threatens to bring his teaching career to an unceremonious end.
Lifeline to a Soul takes the reader inside the fence and chronicles the victories and challenges one man faced as a first-time teacher in the strange world of prison life.

Review

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Lifeline to a Soul: The Life-Changing Perspective I Gained While Teaching Entrepreneurship to Prisoners by John K. McLaughlin is a very unique memoir that gives readers insights into the one-of-a-kind perspective of the author who had to teach entrepreneurship to prisoners in order to gain teaching experience. Put in a very difficult, awkward and un-envious spot, the author showed grit and determination and made the best out of his situation which in turn gave him the experience of a lifetime.

This book’s perspective is so unique and refreshing that it kept me engaged throughout the story. The author has done a wonderful job in narrating his adventurous and enthralling tale in a way that made it feel all the more interesting and gave it the warm quality of a story that is being told by a friend to a group of his close friends.

I would recommend this memoir to all readers as it packs a lot of details that are very interesting, unique in their own right and extremely intriguing. This book deserves to be read!

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Book Review: Brothers and Strangers: A German-Iraqi Memoir by Junis Sultan

Categories Humor, Junis Sultan, memoir, Non-Fiction, Paul FlanaganLeave a Comment on Book Review: Brothers and Strangers: A German-Iraqi Memoir by Junis Sultan

Book Details:

Author: Junis Sultan
Release Date: 11th January 2022
Series:
Genre: Memoir, Non-Fiction
Format: E-book 
Pages: 330
Publisher: Brandylane Publishers, Inc.
Blurb:
Born in Mosul, Iraq, to a wealthy intercultural family, Junis Sultan’s happy, privileged childhood is abruptly cut short by the start of the Gulf War in 1991. With their home destroyed, Junis’s family flees to Germany, settling in a small conservative town near Frankfurt. As his family struggles to adapt to their new circumstances, Junis finds himself increasingly torn between two worlds—fighting to carve out an identity for himself between his family’s expectations and a culture that demands his assimilation. After the 9/11 terror attacks, Junis begins to keep a diary, in which he reflects on questions of family, friendship, religion, and politics. These deep insights gradually expand beyond cultural borders, as Junis begins to explore the universal human needs for bonding and freedom.

Brothers and Strangers is a unique, heartfelt memoir of endurance, forgiveness, and self-actualization, offering a timely message about the importance of acting with openness and love in a global reality.

Review

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Brothers and Strangers: A German-Iraqi Memoir by Junis Sultan is a beautifully written memoir that will take you on a roller coaster of emotions. This book is full of emotional ups and downs and has a great payoff in the end. The author presented a unique perspective in the book, making readers consider the era and issues raised in the book.

I would recommend this book to all readers as this is a story that EVERYONE must read.

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Book Review: The Ordeal by Josephine Walden

Categories Autobiography, Josephine Walden, memoir, Non-FictionLeave a Comment on Book Review: The Ordeal by Josephine Walden

Book Details:

Author: Joesphine Walden
Release Date: 20th August 2022
Series:
Genre: Memoir
Format: E-book 
Pages: 401
Publisher: –
Blurb:
After two major floods with their financial, physical, and emotional ramifications, a car accident, several dangerous encounters while traveling and family deaths, I spiraled down into a life-changing, nursing-career ending illness.  Diagnosis:   Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, a little understood illness at the time.  A single mom, I struggled to work but the symptoms slowly overtook me:   debilitating fatigue, flu-like symptoms, a pre-leukemic blood dyscrasia and a slow loss of memory.  Then a beloved sister and I inherited two estates.  She took care of probate.  As I descended into the throes of the illness, she invited me to stay with her and her husband.  While there, fun times were punctuated by unpleasant encounters and accusations of family neglect and other short comings.  Unable to respond due to memory loss and slow thought processes, I kept silent.  As probate progressed, my daughter began to warn me about my sister’s behavior in dealing with the probate issues.  I couldn’t comprehend her concerns as I trusted my sister implicitly.  I was blissfully unaware of game playing, creative manipulations, plots, thefts and acts of revenge.

Finally, there was some improvement and I returned to work.  That attempt failed after only four months.  With trepidation I eventually returned to my sister’s due to her persistent coaxing.  While there, she did all she could to make me physically, as well as emotionally, uncomfortable.  I left.  Once away her behavior became overly hostile and aggressive.  She seemed to be a combination of Baby Jane’s sister and Virginia Wolff!  My ex-husband, a state policeman, guided me through a two-estate, nine-year ordeal.  Julie’s actions would almost financially break me, deprive me of some of my inheritance and cause family members to turn against me. 

Eventually I had to retain an attorney.  He had been a former prosecutor and said it was the worst case he had ever handled.  Finally, after trying to deal with her, the attorneys asked me to meet with her.  Still ill but with some improvement I pulled myself together.  My attempted intervention wasn’t successful.  She was evasive, less than honest, accusatory and walked out of the meeting to avoid answering my questions.  The lawyers made the decision to hold a judicial inquiry so the judge would know how to rule.  Sadly, court would be the next step.

In court the findings influenced the judge to put Julie on supervision to finish the probate business and had her escorted from the parental home and out of town by a Sheriff’s Deputy.  He followed her to the next town.  My lawyer called it “Frontier Justice.”  The home was sealed, and contents and home were sold.  This final resolution brought peace and financial stability to my life.  Estranged family members were reunited with me.

Review

Rating: 4 out of 5.

The Ordeal by Josephine Walden is a touching memoir about the author’s story of having been betrayed by someone she held very dear to her heart and how she had to confront the hard realities of life. But thankfully, the author is later saved with the help of her own wits and her dear daughter.

This book is a memoir that deeply resonated with me even though I still cannot understand why; I think may be because it talks about the basic fear we all harbour in our deep subconscious and unconscious minds about being betrayed by the ones we love the most. This book is a very well-written account of the author’s plight and brings out all the situations she had to endure in great detail making the reader understand the situations well and in a very engrossing way.

I would strongly suggest everyone to read this book as this book is a moving story and would make you emotionally involved in it rewarding you with a great payoff too in the end.

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Book Review: The Women in Me: How They Helped Me Survive and Thrive by Nancy Maloney-Mercado & Jackie J O’Donnell

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Book Details:

Author: Nancy Maloney-Mercado & Jackie J O’Donnell 
Release Date: 6th December 2022
Series:
Genre: Memoir, Inspirational
Format: E-book 
Pages: 166
Publisher: Sunflower Press
Blurb:
Are you caring for your chronically ill husband? Did you grow up with suicidal, alcoholic parents? Are you searching for a loving relationship? Have your efforts at starting a fulfilling career been thwarted by someone determined to hold you back? Maybe you’ve postponed your own dreams in order to keep from making waves with a significant other. Does your life seem to be heading a long wat from where you’d wish it to be? Any of these can steal your happiness or keep you from achieving your potential. All can crush your hopes and dreams.This is the story of a woman who grew up in a dysfunctional family, was trapped by a predator at age 8, was suffocated by an abusive marriage, grappled with being a single mother, finally found her soulmate, struggled with a blended family, juggled the incompatible roles of wife and caregiver, yet maintained her faith, at least most of the time. She did it thanks to some special women who supported her in ways she didn’t recognize until she unconsciously drew upon their influence. We hope you’ll learn to call on the influencers in our own life. Possibly you’ve drawn on them in your past and can now appreciate their impact on you.

Review

Rating: 4 out of 5.

The Women in Me: How They Helped Me Survive and Thrive by Nancy Maloney-Mercado & Jackie J O’Donnell is a beautifully written inspirational memoir that is extremely thought-provoking and very emotional.

The author’s writing is very simple, yet speaks straight to the reader’s heart. The author’s struggles are extremely relatable and one cannot help but feel drawn into the book right from the beginning, finding themselves rooting for the author and even the other characters in the book.

All women should read this beautifully written work by two new authors as it strongly resonates with the problems faced by women. This book can provide equal enjoyment for men, too. I would strongly recommend it to readers of women’s fiction and to those who like reading inspirational memoirs.

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Book Review: Me and My Shadow: Memoirs of a Cancer Survivor by John Walker Pattison

Categories John Walker Pattison, memoir, Non-Fiction1 Comment on Book Review: Me and My Shadow: Memoirs of a Cancer Survivor by John Walker Pattison

Book Details:

Author: John Walker Pattison
Release Date: 29th October 2022
Series:
Genre: Memoir, Non-Fiction
Format: E-book 
Pages: 233
Publisher: –
Blurb:
Me and My Shadow – Memoirs of a Cancer Survivor is a brutally honest account of one teenager’s struggle to understand and deal with the most feared diagnosis known to society: cancer. At 18 years of age, John Walker Pattison was thrust onto a roller coaster ride of emotional turbulence – his innocence cruelly stripped from him; his fate woven into the tapestry of life. After years of failed chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatments that ravaged his physical frame and almost destroyed his psychological stability – his parents were told that he would not survive. Yet, today, he is one of the longest surviving cancer patients in the UK.

Eight years after his unexpected recovery, the news that all parents fear, his daughter is diagnosed with terminal leukaemia. Yet like her father, she too would defy the odds and go on to become an international swimmer.
Pattison turned his life full circle and became a cancer nurse specialist at the same hospital that made his diagnosis decades earlier. He prescribes chemotherapy and cares for individuals with the same cancers experienced by both him and his daughter.
Throughout his journey, Pattison’s inspirations were the space rock legends, Hawkwind. He would get to play on stage with his heroes at the Donnington Festival in 2007.
More significantly, he found solace throughout his cancer journey in the history and spirituality of the Lakota Sioux Nation. In 2018, he would spend time on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation with the indigenous people of South Dakota. The same people who, unknowingly, supported him through life’s greatest challenge: cancer.

Review

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Me and My Shadow: Memoirs of a Cancer Survivor by John Walker Pattison is a gut-wrenching, eye-opening and heart-melting read from the author who shares his experience of not only living with cancer but also overcoming it, having been through seeing his daughter having it and seeing her overcome it. This book is an emotional roller-coaster of ups and downs that the author had experienced throughout his life, since his teenage years when he was diagnosed with terminal cancer.

This book serves as s tremendous source of information and inspiration because it has a lot to offer to all its readers. The emotional turmoil in the book conveys the hardships and predicaments that the author had to suffer many times in his life and makes the readers connect with the author on completely another level.

This book would be best for anyone suffering from cancer or any other terminal illness, a survivor of one, or the family member of anyone suffering from a terminal illness or anyone really who wants to read about how it feels to be stuck in such a situation and yet not to lose hope and in fact come out of it stronger. Really, everyone should give this book a read as there are so many takeaways for each reader in this book.

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Book Review: Love The Dark Days by Ira Mathur

Categories Ira Mathur, memoir2 Comments on Book Review: Love The Dark Days by Ira Mathur

Book Details:

Author: Ira Mathur
Release Date: 1st September 2022
Series:
Genre: Memoir
Format: E-book 
Pages: 232 pages
Publisher: Peepal Tree Press Ltd.
Blurb:
This frank, fearless and multi-layered debut centres on a privileged but dysfunctional Indian family, with themes of empire, migration, race, and gender. The Victorian India elephant in the room in Ira Mathur’s silk-swathed memoir Love The Dark Days is in chains. By the time calypso replaces the Raj in post-colonial Trinidad, the chains are off three generations of daughters and mothers in a family in their New World exile. But they are still stuck in place and enduring insecurity and threats, seen and unseen.

Set in India, England, Trinidad and a weekend in St Lucia, with Nobel Laureate Derek Walcott Love the Dark Days (Peepal Tree Press) follows the story of a girl, Poppet, of mixed middle-class Hindu and Elite Muslim parentage from post-independent India to her family’s migration to post-colonial Trinidad.
Profoundly raw, unflinching, layered, but not without threads of humour and perceived absurdity, Love the Dark Days reassembles the story of a disintegrating Empire.

Review

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Love The Dark Days by Ira Mathur is an emotionally gripping, complex, hard-hitting yet beautiful and creatively written memoir exploring familial ties in a dysfunctional setting. In this remarkable book, the author also explores the labyrinthine effects of migration and racism as the main story unfolds making it a remarkably complex, and thus, a very engaging read.

I loved reading this book because it had so much to offer to its reader in terms of emotional depth, varied perspectives on the problems that are faced by many and, in the end, a ray of hope, that we all are unwittingly looking for.

I’d strongly recommend this book to all memoir readers because this book is one of a kind and the writing is absolutely brilliant.

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Book Review: 28 Disastrous Dates: A (Mostly True) Humourous Memoir by Poppy Mortimer

Categories Humor, memoir, Non-Fiction, Poppy MortimerLeave a Comment on Book Review: 28 Disastrous Dates: A (Mostly True) Humourous Memoir by Poppy Mortimer

Book Details:

Author: Poppy Mortimer
Release Date: 10th May 2022
Series:
Genre: Memoir, Non-Fiction
Format: E-book 
Pages: 276 pages
Publisher: Poppy Mortimer
Blurb:
Poppy Mortimer is hungry for love. Will she find The One, or lose her appetite for men, forever?
Smart, attractive, and fueled by wide-eyed optimism, Poppy Mortimer leaves rainy England to start a new life-and find the perfect man-in exotic Australia. Surely somewhere out there, a Chris Hemsworth impersonator is just waiting to whisk her off her feet and show her the real charms of ‘Down Under’.
But as Poppy launches into 28 dates, ranging from the outright hysterical to borderline traumatic, it becomes clear she’s going to have to kiss a few frogs-assuming she doesn’t croak first. From the seven-foot giant with a disturbing workout practice, to the exclusive party that turns out to be a lot more than just cocktails and canapes, Poppy starts to wonder if she should sue Disney for giving her false hope.

With gusto, humour, and a lot of heart, Poppy digs deep into her past as a child of divorce, and her ongoing journey as a modern woman and devoted romantic. Through laughter, tears, and characters that are truly stranger than fiction, Poppy won’t stop until she finds true love-or something even greater.
Fans of Bridget Jones’s Diary and Sex and the City (or any person who wants to feel better about their own dating life) will love this book.

Review

Rating: 4 out of 5.

28 Disastrous Dates: A (Mostly True) Humourous Memoir by Poppy Mortimer is a funny account of the author’s troubled yet exciting and often amusing love life. In this book, the author pens down her disastrous dates, the things she learned from each of them, and how she went on to the next, thinking she won’t be making the same mistakes but ending up somehow on another disastrous first date.

I liked how the author used her sense of humour to keep the tone of the book light and made it funny and thus more relatable as well as easily palatable for the readers. The author’s writing style is good and the writing had a good flow which made this book a really easy and fast read.

I’d recommend this book to all readers of humorous non-fiction as I’m sure this book has a lot to offer to all its readers whether they are men or women.

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ARC Review: Destiny Lives on Fairhaven Street by C.J. Hudson

Categories C.J. Hudson, memoir, Non-Fiction, RomanceLeave a Comment on ARC Review: Destiny Lives on Fairhaven Street by C.J. Hudson

Book Details:

Author: C.J. Hudson
Release Date: NA
Series: The Fairhaven Series (Book #1)
Genre: Romantic Memoir
Format: E-book 
Pages: 242 pages
Publisher: NA
Blurb:
Destiny Lives on Fairhaven Street is the story of one man’s eight-year journey to get back to the girl next door.

Review

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Destiny Lives on Fairhaven Street by C.J. Hudson is a touching memoir about how author found love.

I liked this book because it feels like a very honest book as the author as not shied away from pouring out his heart. The writing is simply yet the flow of it makes reading this book effortless. The concept of this book is beautiful and the emotions are raw and sincere.

This book is an exceptional emotional read and I would definitely recommend it to all the readers of memoirs and romance genre.

Book Review: To the Survivors: One Man’s Journey as a Rape Crisis Counselor with True Stories of Sexual Violence by Robert Uttaro 

Categories memoir, Mental Health, Non-Fiction, Psychology, Robert UttaroLeave a Comment on Book Review: To the Survivors: One Man’s Journey as a Rape Crisis Counselor with True Stories of Sexual Violence by Robert Uttaro 

Book Details:

Author: Robert Uttaro 
Release Date: 20th December 2021
Genre: Memoir, Mental Health, Psychology, Non-Fiction
Series:
Format: E-book 
Pages: 251 pages
Publisher:
Blurb:
To the Survivors is about one man’s journey as a rape crisis counselor with true stories of sexual violence shared by survivors in their own words. Gently and beautifully constructed, To the Survivors is moving, tender, sharp, and piercingly true all at once. Readers will encounter uncensored written stories, poems, and interviews from women and men who have experienced rape and sexual assault, plus the advocate-author voice that weaves their experiences together. The survivors are diverse in age, gender, and ethnicity, yet each gives a similarity raw and heartfelt account of his or her victimization and recovery. The authenticity and vulnerability with which survivors speak resonates profoundly. But this book is not just for survivors of sexual violence. Robert Uttaro believes anyone can benefit from the words in these pages, rape survivor or not.

Review

Rating: 5 out of 5.

To The Survivors by Robert Uttaro is a heartfelt memoir about rape survivors. Each and every chapter in this book is a different survivor story written by the author, lending it a voice that could be heard by everyone. It wasn’t always easy to read these stories, but I felt that it was important, in some way, to read them all, and to spread awareness about this book because the more the people read this book, the more the victims and survivors will feel heard.

I would recommend this book to every reader, though I would also like to caution them about a plethora of triggers that this book has. So read the blurb carefully before starting this book. If you are okay with the triggers then this book is a beautiful one that will open your eyes to the many things women are subjected to in the world and will help you broaden your perspective when it comes to feminism and why it is needed in the first place among many such misunderstood concepts.

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Book Review: Tiny Yellow Hat by J. Michael Chamberlain

Categories Humor, J. Michael Chamberlain, memoir, Non-FictionLeave a Comment on Book Review: Tiny Yellow Hat by J. Michael Chamberlain

Book Details:

Author: J. Michael Chamberlain
Release Date: 13th April 2019
Genre: Memoir, Non-Fiction, Humor
Series:
Format: E-book 
Pages: 202 pages
Publisher: Quinn-Hill Publisher
Blurb:
This wildly entertaining book is laced with wicked concepts, cheap shots and a few bright ideas; a feast of funny words and clever notions without once mentioning vampires or zombies. J. M. Chamberlain created the perfect blend of madcap rants and true life experiences guaranteed to put a never-ending smile on your face. Actually, a never-ending smile might be cause for alarm; if your smile lasts longer than four hours, please call a doctor. In a nutshell, this extraordinary slice of life is almost too good to read, but I suggest reading it anyway. I also suggest telling forty or fifty of your closest friends to read it, because www.peopleneedtolaugh.com (less)

Review

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Tiny Yellow Hat by J. Michael Chamberlain is a witty, heartfelt memoir that is as entertaining to read as it is relatable.

I enjoyed reading this book because, unlike most memoirs, the author uses his amazing sense of humour to lace even the simplest aspects of life and presents them with so much passion that one can’t help but relate to them while at the same time laughing their butts off. The fact that the author covered topics from his life and career that most people can relate to only adds to the appeal of this surprisingly quick read.

For me, the best part is that the author presented some important life lessons and anecdotes in such a light way that the readers can take away a lot from this book without actually feeling burdened by their weight.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes reading memoirs and enjoys a good dash of humour.

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ARC Review: What Lurks In The Woods – Struggle and Hope in the Midst of Chronic Illness by Nicole Bell

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Book Details:

Author: Nicole Bell 
Release Date: 23rd October 2021
Genre: Memoir, Non-Fiction
Series:
Format: E-book 
Pages: 250 pages
Publisher: –
Blurb:
Russ and Nicole Bell were an upwardly mobile happy couple: two kids, big house, fun hobbies, marvelous life. But something wasn’t quite right—with Russ. He started forgetting things, he got lost, he became enraged, he was harsh with the kids. And he could no longer be trusted with minor responsibilities.
They visited doctor after doctor after doctor to try to determine what was wrong, to no avail. “Alzheimer’s,” they were told, but that didn’t make sense. Russ was too young for that. As the formerly brilliant engineer literally lost his mind and his self, the answer finally became clear—but was it in time?
In this beautifully written but tragic memoir, Nicole Bell documents their journey through the medical minefield as they searched for answers and treatments. This book will inspire people who are suffering from chronic, symptom-based illnesses to dig deeper, so they can find and treat the root causes of their disease before it’s too late.

Review

Rating: 5 out of 5.

What Lurks In The Woods by Nicole Bell is a heart-wrenching and emotional memoir that is hard to read but even harder to put down.

This book is a very realistic and harsh reminder for the reader about how tragic chronic illness is and how it affects everyone including the patient and the caregiver. The author has bravely shared a deeply personal as well as emotionally taxing and psychologically jarring experience of her husband’s descent into dementia and how they struggled with finding answers that were crucial to their lives, especially to her husband’s health.

This book is very well-written and I would definitely recommend it to everyone because it is a treasure trove of lessons for each and every single reader, no matter what you do, where you are from or who you are.

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ARC Review: When Love Sticks Around by Danielle Dayney

Categories Danielle Dayney, memoir, Non-Fiction1 Comment on ARC Review: When Love Sticks Around by Danielle Dayney

Book Details:

Author:  Danielle Dayney 
Release Date: 15th November 2021
Genre: Memoir
Series:
Format: E-book 
Pages: 156 pages
Publisher: Belle Isle Books
Blurb:
Hand-me-down pants that don’t quite fit, twilight bike rides down sleepy neighborhood streets, sweaty family camping trips, the things that almost break you, and the things you barely notice-it’s hard to see the shape of your life until you’re looking back on it.
In this collection of short essays, Danielle Dayney recounts her experiences as an awkward child in the piecemeal family that raised her. From her biological father’s absence to her mother’s battle with cancer to the birth of her daughter, Dayney’s stories venture beyond anecdote to nest safely among the tangled experiences that shape the people we become. With a keen eye for the pebbles of humor and glimmers of beauty along the rough roads of her life, Dayney has crafted a book that feels as familiar as a home-cooked meal and as exciting as the first night in a new city.
When Love Sticks Around is a memoir of love, loss, humor, identity, and above all, family-the one you’re born into and the one you gather along the way.
Those are the things worth sticking around for.

Review

Rating: 5 out of 5.

“…it’s hard to see the shape of your life until you’re looking back on it.”

Danielle Dayney

When Love Sticks Around by Danielle Dayney is a beautiful memoir that is an ode to her past life and her beautiful family. This book is in the form of essays that will not only tell you about the author’s life and her experiences but will also make you relieve your own past because her writing is very relatable.

I am so glad that I got the opportunity to read this book because When Love Sticks Around is one of those books that feel less like a story (stories in this case) and more like an experience that is whole in itself. The author’s nostalgic reminiscence of her life, which was so filled with love and sometimes heartbreak, made me deeply connect to her on a level that is hard to explain. And these kind of feelings can only be evoked in a reader when the book is written from the heart and with a lot of love – not to mention with exceptional writing skills.

I would like to congratulate the author on penning down such an emotional journey in such an elegant and relatable way. I would definitely recommend this beautiful memoir to every reader as I am sure this book will speak to each and every one of its readers on some level or another. This is not a book to be missed.

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