So many genres, so little time
Poland, 1944 The train slowed and halted with a squeal of the brakes. It felt like we waited in the carriage for an eternity, but eventually, the heavy doors opened, directly into the chaos outside. Sara Leibovitz, a 16-year-old Jewish girl, was a passenger on the train with her family. They spent their final moments together… Continue reading The Girl Who Survived Auschwitz by Eti Elboim and Sara Leibovits
It's hard enough to escape human trafficking, but how does someone survive the aftermath of continually being hunted for years to come? I was young when the abuse started. It came from every angle. Struggling for many years, I wasn't sure I'd ever have a chance at a normal life with real love and true… Continue reading Custom Justice by Amanda Blackwood
I started my book review blog in 2009 and I have read so many outstanding books that I wanted to share them again with my followers on #SegueSaturday. I first posted this review in July 2010. It is an unforgettable memoir. Enjoy! Ms. Kersh shares her memories, including those of the historical figures who inspired… Continue reading Suitcase Full of Dreams by Hoy Kersh
I started my book review blog in 2009 and I have read so many outstanding books that I wanted to share them again with my followers on #SegueSaturday. I first posted this review in November 2009. While fans knew Chris as the sweaty, swaggering Motivational Speaker and the hyperkinetic Chippendales stripper, his family knew him… Continue reading The Chris Farley Show by Tom Farley, Jr.
I started my book review blog in 2009 and I have read so many outstanding books that I wanted to share them again with my followers on #SegueSaturday. I first posted this review in April 2009. It is an inspiring memoir of the late Byron Nease, who originated the role of Raoul in the Canadian production of… Continue reading Behind the Mask…No More by Byron Nease
All of us have something about our childhood that stands out and Andie Mitchell is no exception. Food was her comfort and she found out at the age of 13 (weighing in at 200 lbs) that if she kept eating the way she had been, she would weigh close to 300 lbs by the time… Continue reading It Was Me All Along by Andie Mitchell
"I will not become my mother." These were famous last words from Domenica (Nikki) Ruta. It was touch and go for a while. Nikki's mom, Kathi, was a drug addict who wanted her daughter to have more than she did. This book is not only about Nikki's fight to try and find a "normal" life,… Continue reading With or Without You by Domenica Ruta
In a family so large that it tumbled and stretched to the edges of comprehension, every one of us came knocking on Aunt Jannie and Uncle Artus's front door eventually, looking for refuge. Mary "Beth" Ditto grew up in Judsonia, Arkansas, where there was no dancing allowed in public, sexual abuse was common, and being… Continue reading Coal to Diamonds: a Memoir by Beth Ditto
"I guess sometimes the search for freedom is enough to keep one alive." Melitta and her family's experience in Nazi Germany in WWII was something that no one wants to contemplate, but it happened and she has written a short, but stirring memoir about it. In Weimar, Germany, Melitta was born on September 3, 1944… Continue reading Hey Kids, Want Some Chocolates?: My Family’s Journey to Freedom by Melitta Strandberg
Thom Bierdz is an actor, artist, author, and loving brother who reaches into his own psyche to tell a heart wrenching and raw account of his life that will leave you breathless. Not only does Thom write about his struggle to understand why his brother murdered his mother, but he writes about his struggles with… Continue reading Forgiving Troy: A True Story of Murder, Mental Illness, and Recovery by Thom Bierdz