"e;I always knew that, someday, enthusiasm over a kitchen appliance would mark the beginning of my descent into old age. However, I thought I had at least until the end of my mid-twenties."e;After the dissolution of her carefully set plans, twenty-three-year-old author Laura Nejako finds herself single, living with her parents, and ready for reinvention. Consisting of essays written over the course of two years, Let's Become Strangers examines the nature of desirability, the transiency of life, and the interconnectedness of strangers. By adding humor to the seemingly mundane, Nejako discovers levity and meaning in the unexpected.These essays pose thought-provoking questions like:Does snail mucin smell delicious?Why do dating apps and pet-finding platforms share so many similarities?How does one accept that everything will change?Let's Become Strangers is for anyone wondering "e;So what happens next?"e;
Water entered her throat before she could stop it and she jerked up, coughing and treading water. Her feet searched for the ground, kicking up the muck below her.Showing Teeth Part 1 is about Muriel, an ex-"e;party girl"e; turned linguistic librarian, who is fluent in 3 languages yet has trouble expressing herself and speaking her truth in any of them. After leaving an abusive relationship, she's put through a series of tests involving a mystery man, an old flame, and an international work trip. Terah Kelleher's Showing Teeth Part 1 is a dramatic, quirky, and mystical story about the barriers that hold us back from healthy relationships. We may reach for ephemeral things, aching for them to fill the void. Yet, we crave true and deeper connections. We just have to step into the unknown and heal.
Raw, real, and heartbreakingly honest, Behind the Facade is one woman's journey of overcoming everyday trauma.To the outside world, Lauren Bartleson had it all: her dream job, an award-winning blog, and a picture-perfect marriage. Online and in person, she put on a smile, trying to convince herself as much as others that she was okay. In reality, she was anything but.Behind the facade, Lauren was struggling to manage two autoimmune diseases, insomnia, chronic anxiety, deep depression, debilitating pain, and the long-term effects of extreme bullying, betrayal, and losing her soulmate. In her darkest moments, she considered suicide on a daily, often hourly, basis. No one, not even her family, knew how much she was suffering. In Behind the Facade: A Mental Health Memoir, Lauren pulls back the curtain, giving a glimpse into the memories that she buried deep inside, never to see the light of day. By sharing the stories that are helping her heal, Lauren hopes to do her part in breaking the stigma around mental health and inspire others to feel less alone in their journey.
Nellie Perry has made a life for herself in London. The war touched everyone, but it also gave her a life she never could have imagined. It gave her purpose. The Perrys and the Harlows have suffered. In Reilly Vore's sequel, Send My Love to London Town, Samuel, Lillian, James and John return-attempting to find peace within the walls of their childhood homes. But Nellie finds herself making London her new home, reluctant to return to the time before the war.Familiar faces from the past challenge her, causing her to question everything. New friendships forged in the trenches of the hospital become a new kind of family. The war came for them all, and the end has left them searching for answers.To go back to life before or move forward into something entirely different?To be who she always has been or become who she could be?To seize the life she always wanted or dare to dream of something new? The whirlwind of her new life takes her to Paris, London, and home again. Every step leads her to the realization that the most important journey is discovering who she was always meant to be.
Author Ashraf Nubani challenges you to consider while Islam has often been misunderstood in public discourse, it has a powerful message to offer in the marketplace of ideas. Bridging the Gap: Islam's Challenge for America is meant to do just what the title suggests: build a bridge between Islam and Western principles that leads to a bigger, much needed discussion.Through use of the tenets of Islam, Nubani wants to reframe Western values in a way that can accentuate and foster human dignity. By having a firm grasp of the core beliefs of Islam, Nubani believes we can have a deeper and more realized appreciation of the United States. In this collection of topics, Bridging the Gap addresses and discusses many issues such as:Understanding the root of violence and addressing it with a fresh mindset.Defining the role of men and women in society.Conflict present in the criminal justice system.In Bridging the Gap, Ashraf Nubani hopes to draw attention to both Islam and western values; showing how they can be used to complement each other.
At the age of twelve, Emma awoke one day in a hospital bed with no knowledge as to why she was there. She soon learned she had received a life-saving heart transplant. From then on, Emma was prescribed a new life structure that never felt like her own. Struggling to find balance between being "e;normal"e; and chronically ill, and dealing with issues of body image, guilt, anger and ego, Emma found herself on a long journey to recovery that went beyond her physical health. Navigating family life, school, and being part of the transplant community, she begins to build a new structure for herself as a young adult that revolves more around keeping her heart and body healthy. Over a decade since her transplant, Emma is still learning to manifest and find healing within herself. Things My Therapist Doesn't Want Me to Say, by Emma Rothman, is an intimate, unfiltered conversation between Emma and readers, who will follow along Emma's journey as she tries to let go of finding a reason for all the chaos in her life. Emma explores feeling at home in her body while identifying as chronically ill, and engages readers by questioning the narrative of 'anything is over-comeable if you just try hard enough.'
the radical transformation was simple with acceptancethe darkness was a necessary phase in the cycle of changeit allowed her to embody strengthit set her free with truthnothing was more powerful than the moment she succumbed to authenticityand she flew. In Roses and Thorns, a memoir-esque compilation of a beautiful and messy life, author Michelle Goni, MD presents a collection of raw, emotional, and empowering prose poetry. She shares honest, heartfelt, sometimes gut-wrenching stories of fear, failure, and pain as well as warm, inspiring, and relatable poems of love, evolution, and transformation. Her book gives the reader permission to embrace a perfectly imperfect life. Dr Goni's personal journey invites the reader to share their own stories by deeply connecting with her written words, thoughts and feelings. Michelle's poems are humbling and they normalize vulnerability, a tool she uses to overcome shame and fear. Roses and Thorns will spark introspection, inspire empathetic relationships, and help the reader discover authentic self-acceptance.
Who is the greatest teacher in your life?For author Tracy Richards, it is a dog named Asha. When Tracy adopted Asha, a six-month-old Australian Shepherd who was born deaf and blind, she was searching for purpose and meaning in her life. What she found was much more than that. A health crisis for Asha would give Tracy the opportunity to reflect on everything that came before and consider all that may come after. Using the lessons learned from Asha, Tracy found truth and happiness in ways she never anticipated. Together, they worked to transform their dark worlds into light. This book inspires you to realize that...Life's most challenging moments provide our greatest opportunity for growthEach of us have experienced events that bring us to our kneesAll of us have the strength to continue, even when we fail to recognize that strengthAsha: Lessons in Hope and Life is Tracy's moving account of the journey to reclaim her inner light. Heartfelt and honest, her story is a reminder that the lessons that transform us often come from the most unexpected teachers.
"e;Empyreal voices serenade my soul,whisking away my humanity.Cherish our centuries together, my beloved.Someday our vessels will reconveneand we will become everlasting."e;What would you do if mighty gods decided your fate? How would you feel watching your one true love fade away for eternity?Inhale, exhale. Devour souls, accept curiosity, partake in revenge, witness greed, and admire lush scenery. Wake up in a magical forest near playful deer, fragrant flowers, and delicious fare. Crave adoration, slaughter enemies, infuriate celestial beings. Waltz around castle corridors or flee from probable death. Embrace demons, slithering snakes, fluffy animals, and courageous adventurers. Question their motives and morals. Everlasting: Poetry for Whimsical Souls & Wounded Hearts will cause souls to ache, unleash pent-up aggression, and question destiny while tugging at heartstrings.
Hilarious, inspiring, and thoroughly authentic, Sara E. Braca's debut memoir takes readers along on her post-divorce adventures around the world, sharing a life lived fully - if untraditionally - and proving that joy can always be found in unexpected places.When the church burned down a week before her wedding, Sara Braca somehow did not perceive this as an omen. Six years after marrying (in a different church), an errant call from 1-800-Flowers alerted her to her then-husband's affair. And as one unhappy chapter ended, she found herself writing a very different, much happier story.An aspiring globe-trotter, Braca realized this was her opportunity to see the world. Solo travel became her first step to finding happiness, strength, and peace in her new life. From disastrous celebrity encounters to getting naked with colleagues at the Dead Sea to being adopted by a family of Greek hoteliers, Braca blends the everyday and the outrageous as she learns that there's no one-size-fits-all model for a happy life. When the Church Burns Down, Cancel the Wedding introduces a vibrant new voice, chronicling the triumphs, tragedies, and unexpected joys of modern solo living, and offers lessons in creating a unique and satisfying happily-ever-after of one's own.
My memory is a wasp-paper-thin wings, dies in a clap.Dive into Of Wander & Wild, a collection of poems which will submerge you in delight and wonder. Discover yourself through the vast and dynamic phases of nature. See this book as an opportunity to engage with your own journey and escape from the mundane as you travel across magnificent landscapes and find comfort in the simple joy of living. Find the extraordinary in the everyday and the ordinary in breathtaking moments. Disha Sethi's poems explore the world from the poet's gaze, from Bombay to London, from Jaipur to Boston. These poems take the reader on a journey around the globe yet, at the same time, inhabit smaller everyday spaces like city streets, forests, and doctor's offices. Sethi explores both the daily and the deeply spiritual, the urban and the woodland, traversing nostalgia, wonder, desire, and deterioration. No matter how many times you pick up Of Wander & Wild, you are bound to discover something truly unique.
Have you ever listened to a politician speaking, and thought to yourself: Man, what an idiot! This is the best we got?Well, the short answer is: YES. Because you, me, all of us...we let it happen. Every election, we get duped, either unwittingly or willingly, by a politician who often turns out to be just another Political Buffoon.Schnooks, Crooks, Liars & Scoundrels: A Field Guide To Identifying Political Buffoonery is a satirical look at the absurdity that has overtaken our political discourse, and what we each can do to combat it.Through his experiences as an election attorney, blogger, columnist, and award-winning podcaster, Gene Berardelli has developed a totally made-up, semi-serious, totally hilarious pseudoscience called: "e;Buffoonology"e; seeking to quantify what makes Political Buffoons tick. Featuring a foreword by Evan Sayet, and amazing political illustrations by John Pennisi, each chapter exposes and analyzes known traits and characteristics common to each Buffoon classification. Much like your typical nature field guide, readers are shown "e;case studies"e; from American history and current events that illustrate Buffoons in action. After reading Schnooks, Crooks, Liars & Scoundrels, you'll be ready to spot and call out the next Political Buffoon. Never be fooled again!
Money cannot buy merit, wealth is not a substitute for esteem, and power is not an alternative for respect. That is the underlying message of author Madhulina Bandyopadhyay's Yes to Dignity.Yes to Dignity is a quest for acceptance of a first-generation American in an institutional culture of covert racism. As Daniel Kahneman said:"e;A reliable way to make people believe in falsehoods is repetition, because familiarity is not easily distinguished from truth."e; Authoritarian institutions and marketers have always known this fact. Ms. Bandyopadhyay's powerful description of her challenges for acceptance at a premiere institution questions the sincerity of institutional motivation for equality and respect. This book will make us all look beyond the window dressing, posturing, and perception management and understand how the status quo is maintained. We all have the choice of keeping "e;eyes wide shut"e; and go along to get along or accept the risk of speaking truth to power.Yes to Dignity asks the reader: What is your choice?
Judge Not: How Invisible Situations Shape Our Lives by David, J. Y. Combs, PhD explores the vast, and often invisible, power that situations have in shaping our lives. Human beings tend to assume that the behavior we observe in other people is a window into who they are. So, when we see a person engage in a good behavior, we tend to think that they are a good person. If we see a bad behavior... we assume the person is bad, flawed, or defective.But what if we're wrong? What if the behaviors we observe are often driven not by some core element of a person but, rather, by the invisible situations and context a person exists within?Research tells us that human behavior is shaped by context and situation far more than we assume. As a result, our judgments are commonly misguided and incomplete (at best) and catastrophically wrong (at worst). In many cases, we try to engage a person to fix their behavior based on our flawed or incomplete understanding of what's actually causing their actions... with a potential for devastating results.Judge Not explores these fundamental human challenges-and offers a path to a better way.
It's exhausting working to be the ideal version of yourself, but not realizing that person already exists inside you. For the early part of Lotus' life, she worked hard to be the obedient, acquiescing daughter, the giving sister, the ambitious yet conforming public servant, the devout Bible thumping Christian. But as Lotus pursued the perfect version of these identities, she got further away from the person who made her the most proud, seen, and whole - herself. In Of All the Lives I've Lived, This is My Favorite: An Inspirational Memoir, Lotus accounts stories of making life defining decisions to reclaim the parts of her life she compromised and left behind to receive the approval of those around her. Of all the lives I've lived inspires reflection and fruitful dialogue, and allows readers to wrestle with: How do I show up for myself and be in community?How do I come into my own understanding and relationship with who the world says I'm supposed to be versus who I want to be?Do I trust myself to make the best choice and stand by it no matter what? Even on your most trying day, you're already living your favorite life.
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