We receive more wonderful books than we can possibly review. Here is a selection of titles, briefly described, that represent the wide range of recently-published memoirs written by strong women who have been there, done that, and lived to tell the tale. Recommended!
Orange is the New Black "Relying on the kindness of strangers during her year's stint at the minimum security correctional facility in Danbury, Conn., Kerman, now a nonprofit communications executive, found that federal prison wasn't all that bad. In fact, she made good friends doing her time among the other women, many street-hardened drug users with little education and facing much longer sentences than Kerman's original 15 months. Convicted of drug smuggling and money laundering in 2003 for a scheme she got tangled up in 10 years earlier when she had just graduated from Smith College..."
The Middle Place "Newspaper columnist Corrigan was a happily married mother of two young daughters when she discovered a cancerous lump in her breast. She was still undergoing treatment when she learned that her beloved father, who'd already survived prostate cancer, now had bladder cancer...in that middle place, being someone's child, but also having children of her own. Those learning to accept their own adulthood might find strength.and humor.in Corrigan's feisty memoir."
The Wife Who Walked Away By the time Sharon realizes how bad the situation is, however, she already has children. Instead of leaving, she endures twenty-three years of abuse. Despite her patience, Patrick turns marriage and fatherhood into something sick and twisted. Whether you are an abuser trying to change or a victim suffering from abuse trying to escape, you'll discover the courage to seek a better life with The Wife Who Walked Away.
Unthinkable "First shocked with horror and despair after her son's traumatic brain injury, Dixie Fremont-Smith Coskie and her family grow to find hope, healing, and even greater love.This book is about perseverance, filled with universal lessons of struggle and triumph. Dixie follows each chapter of the harrowing journey with vital insights to assist others through their tragedies. A Companion for Caregivers - Powerful tips and tools to help any parent faced with a child's traumatic injury or illness".
My Fair Lazy "Readers have followed Jen Lancaster through job loss, sucky city living, weight loss attempts, and 1980s nostalgia. Now Jen chronicles her efforts to achieve cultural enlightenment, with some hilarious missteps and genuine moments of inspiration along the way. And she does so by any means necessary: reading canonical literature, viewing classic films, attending the opera, researching artisan cheeses, and even enrolling in etiquette classes to improve her social graces."
Postmortem "In this thoughtful memoir about childhood idealism, the art world, and mental illness, Saville documents her stormy relationship with her mother, gifted artist and designer Ann Ford, who socialized with the likes of Marlon Brando and Claes Oldenburg, but whose schizophrenia, drinking, and drug use led to homelessness and a tragic end."
After the Murder of My Son "The details of Peter's murder are chilling. But the years long pursuit of justice proves downright maddening. What redeems this tragedy and makes this book a page-turner of a story is Mary Westra's sustained and ultimately successful effort to discuss much more than her son s murder ... [She] has given readers a living, breathing, authentic, gutsy, and unforgettable demonstration of how to endure and survive the unthinkable."
