BookAwards.com
Award-Winning Books from Today's Best Authors
A Free Resource for Book Lovers, Authors, Agents, Publishers and Journalists
Recommend this book:
The Amazing Afterlife of Animals
Messages and Signs From Our Pets On The Other Side
Karen A Anderson
2018 Silver Medal
178 Pages
Check current price
Non-Fiction - Grief/Hardship
Reviewed by Joel R. Dennstedt for Readers' Favorite
In this age of heightened psychic understanding and awareness, animal communication and its practitioners have gained both increasing credibility and respect. Consequently, a genre previously devoted to the afterlife of humans has expanded to include the afterlife of animals, and in her book titled on this theme, Karen A. Anderson brings to the ranks of Dr. Doolittle successors a variety of uniquely warm and pleasing stories regarding our furry pets and friends. In a rather condensed and anecdotal format, Ms. Anderson offers examples of afterlife communication precise and detailed enough to comfort any semi-skeptical reader, such as passed-over cats and dogs helping to solve cold case murders, as well as reassuring interactions with human family members who have also transitioned to the other side.
The description of the afterlife dimension, as told by the deceased animals in Karen A. Anderson’s The Amazing Afterlife of Animals, is fully compatible with that related by such famous mediums and psychics as John Edward and Annie Kagan, and one will feel quite uplifted by their revelations. Ms. Anderson pays due respect to these, her predecessors, including an authenticating Foreword by the author of The Afterlife of Billy Fingers by Ms. Kagan. Such anointing and referral by an illustrious author in this genre should calm any reservations an interested reader might have regarding Ms. Anderson’s contribution. And while this book does leave one wanting a bit more information and background on the stories and their interpretations, a bit more storytelling as it were, these marvelous snippets are truly quite unique, and they are as fun to read as they are too quick to end.
In this age of heightened psychic understanding and awareness, animal communication and its practitioners have gained both increasing credibility and respect. Consequently, a genre previously devoted to the afterlife of humans has expanded to include the afterlife of animals, and in her book titled on this theme, Karen A. Anderson brings to the ranks of Dr. Doolittle successors a variety of uniquely warm and pleasing stories regarding our furry pets and friends. In a rather condensed and anecdotal format, Ms. Anderson offers examples of afterlife communication precise and detailed enough to comfort any semi-skeptical reader, such as passed-over cats and dogs helping to solve cold case murders, as well as reassuring interactions with human family members who have also transitioned to the other side.
The description of the afterlife dimension, as told by the deceased animals in Karen A. Anderson’s The Amazing Afterlife of Animals, is fully compatible with that related by such famous mediums and psychics as John Edward and Annie Kagan, and one will feel quite uplifted by their revelations. Ms. Anderson pays due respect to these, her predecessors, including an authenticating Foreword by the author of The Afterlife of Billy Fingers by Ms. Kagan. Such anointing and referral by an illustrious author in this genre should calm any reservations an interested reader might have regarding Ms. Anderson’s contribution. And while this book does leave one wanting a bit more information and background on the stories and their interpretations, a bit more storytelling as it were, these marvelous snippets are truly quite unique, and they are as fun to read as they are too quick to end.
Recommend this book:
Frock Off
Living Undisguised
Jo Dibblee
2018 Bronze Medal
320 Pages
Check current price
Non-Fiction - Grief/Hardship
Reviewed by Carine Engelbrecht for Readers' Favorite
The saying goes that clothing maketh the man, but all too often, clothing serves as armor and disguise, hiding the pain and heartbreak of derailed human lives. Jo Dibblee knows all about hiding. As Frock Off: Living Undisguised chronicles, some of her earliest lessons in life revolved around hiding her dysfunctional family's doings from the outside world and protecting her flawed and damaged parents from the interference of social workers. At times, an 'earth angel' offers a respite from the tension. At times, hurtful family secrets are uncovered. With grim determination and an occasional lucky break, she is able to turn her life around.
Frock off: Living Undisguised is ultimately a well-written and uplifting tale of survival - both physical and emotional - against great adversity and against all odds. The book graphically illustrates exactly what potential dangers are faced by youth at risk, (especially when parents are incapable of providing adequate support) as well as the potential for damage that is realized when society turns a blind eye. I liked the honesty and introspection with which the author tackles her own past. I enjoyed her voice and her fighting spirit - people who have faced a struggle or two in their lives make worthier role models than overachievers born with the proverbial silver spoon in their mouths. I think this book can serve as great inspiration for anyone who strives to turn a damaged life around. It could also provide greater insight into the dynamics of dysfunctional families. Jo Dibblee should be praised for sharing her past with such courage and integrity.
The saying goes that clothing maketh the man, but all too often, clothing serves as armor and disguise, hiding the pain and heartbreak of derailed human lives. Jo Dibblee knows all about hiding. As Frock Off: Living Undisguised chronicles, some of her earliest lessons in life revolved around hiding her dysfunctional family's doings from the outside world and protecting her flawed and damaged parents from the interference of social workers. At times, an 'earth angel' offers a respite from the tension. At times, hurtful family secrets are uncovered. With grim determination and an occasional lucky break, she is able to turn her life around.
Frock off: Living Undisguised is ultimately a well-written and uplifting tale of survival - both physical and emotional - against great adversity and against all odds. The book graphically illustrates exactly what potential dangers are faced by youth at risk, (especially when parents are incapable of providing adequate support) as well as the potential for damage that is realized when society turns a blind eye. I liked the honesty and introspection with which the author tackles her own past. I enjoyed her voice and her fighting spirit - people who have faced a struggle or two in their lives make worthier role models than overachievers born with the proverbial silver spoon in their mouths. I think this book can serve as great inspiration for anyone who strives to turn a damaged life around. It could also provide greater insight into the dynamics of dysfunctional families. Jo Dibblee should be praised for sharing her past with such courage and integrity.
Recommend this book:
I Know It in My Heart
Walking Through Grief with a Child
Mary E. Plouffe Ph.D.
2018 Honorable Mention
296 Pages
Check current price
Non-Fiction - Grief/Hardship
Reviewed by Christian Sia for Readers' Favorite
I Know It in My Heart: Walking Through Grief with a Child by Mary E. Plouffe Ph.D. is a powerful, heart wrenching memoir that takes a visceral, somewhat clinical look at loss, grief, and healing, the journey of a woman and a child through devastating loss. Mary had thought that her sister’s last and desperate treatment for breast cancer could offer a final solution to her condition, but she was wrong. Her sister, Martha, died unexpectedly because of the treatment, leaving behind a three-year-old daughter, Liamarie.
How can Mary explain the situation to the young child? How can she fill the void left by a loving mother in her child’s tender heart? In this captivating memoir, the reader follows the story as the loving sister navigates the path of recovery from grief with her niece and a father who seems as terrified of the loss as he is broken. The memoir starts with the phone call in which Martha informs her sister, Mary, of her decision to undergo treatment, asking her to take her daughter for a short period that would last only for about three to four weeks. Things change, and Mary soon finds herself with a loss that she never saw coming.
The pathos comes out strongly in this narrative and the reader is pulled into the hearts of the characters, feeling the contours of their grief and their pain. Mary E. Plouffe Ph.D. writes with expertise on the subject and the reader has no doubt that she is one of those authors who write from experience, from what she’s felt. I Know It in My Heart: Walking Through Grief with a Child offers great wisdom in dealing with loss and what people with children suffering from grief need to know. This story is both entertaining and inspiring.
I Know It in My Heart: Walking Through Grief with a Child by Mary E. Plouffe Ph.D. is a powerful, heart wrenching memoir that takes a visceral, somewhat clinical look at loss, grief, and healing, the journey of a woman and a child through devastating loss. Mary had thought that her sister’s last and desperate treatment for breast cancer could offer a final solution to her condition, but she was wrong. Her sister, Martha, died unexpectedly because of the treatment, leaving behind a three-year-old daughter, Liamarie.
How can Mary explain the situation to the young child? How can she fill the void left by a loving mother in her child’s tender heart? In this captivating memoir, the reader follows the story as the loving sister navigates the path of recovery from grief with her niece and a father who seems as terrified of the loss as he is broken. The memoir starts with the phone call in which Martha informs her sister, Mary, of her decision to undergo treatment, asking her to take her daughter for a short period that would last only for about three to four weeks. Things change, and Mary soon finds herself with a loss that she never saw coming.
The pathos comes out strongly in this narrative and the reader is pulled into the hearts of the characters, feeling the contours of their grief and their pain. Mary E. Plouffe Ph.D. writes with expertise on the subject and the reader has no doubt that she is one of those authors who write from experience, from what she’s felt. I Know It in My Heart: Walking Through Grief with a Child offers great wisdom in dealing with loss and what people with children suffering from grief need to know. This story is both entertaining and inspiring.
Recommend this book:
Molding My Destiny
A Story of Hope That Takes One Child from Surviving to Thriving
Patrice M Foster
2018 Finalist
392 Pages
Check current price
Non-Fiction - Grief/Hardship
Reviewed by Romuald Dzemo for Readers' Favorite
Molding My Destiny by Patrice M Foster is an inspirational story that is as relevant to this time and age as it is encouraging, and there is no doubt that many readers will resonate with the message of the book. This memoir tells the story of an immigrant, a Jamaican girl who leaves her native home, reminiscent of the sounds of reggae, to travel to the land “of milk and honey,” where dreams are fulfilled. But would the America of her dreams be the solution to all her problems? With beauty and subtlety of language, Patrice M Foster takes readers through her heartaches, deceptions, abuses, and rejection to ultimately underscore a powerful message of hope, a message that she translated into her own life and one that helped her transform her depression into a beautiful experience — we are the architects of our own destiny. Readers get a feel of life in Jamaica. Writing about her childhood and her irresponsible father who drove his Volkswagen around, “the love buggy,” picking up women or getting into debt, allows her a beautiful social commentary of her milieu and she does so with detachment and humor.
Patrice M Foster’s memoir, Molding My Destiny, is a book that every immigrant should read, a book that can stop millions from surrendering to the river of depression. It will help many people to stand up for themselves. The prose is simple and eloquent, and as one reads, one can feel the current of energy impregnating every word. This book, slim as it may be, was able to help me identify some of the illusions I have carried with me for many years. Life doesn’t just happen. We create it. We can use every negative experience to steer us towards the place we want to be. This is an incredible memoir written to give hope and strength to the despairing. A highly recommended read for the start of a new year.
Molding My Destiny by Patrice M Foster is an inspirational story that is as relevant to this time and age as it is encouraging, and there is no doubt that many readers will resonate with the message of the book. This memoir tells the story of an immigrant, a Jamaican girl who leaves her native home, reminiscent of the sounds of reggae, to travel to the land “of milk and honey,” where dreams are fulfilled. But would the America of her dreams be the solution to all her problems? With beauty and subtlety of language, Patrice M Foster takes readers through her heartaches, deceptions, abuses, and rejection to ultimately underscore a powerful message of hope, a message that she translated into her own life and one that helped her transform her depression into a beautiful experience — we are the architects of our own destiny. Readers get a feel of life in Jamaica. Writing about her childhood and her irresponsible father who drove his Volkswagen around, “the love buggy,” picking up women or getting into debt, allows her a beautiful social commentary of her milieu and she does so with detachment and humor.
Patrice M Foster’s memoir, Molding My Destiny, is a book that every immigrant should read, a book that can stop millions from surrendering to the river of depression. It will help many people to stand up for themselves. The prose is simple and eloquent, and as one reads, one can feel the current of energy impregnating every word. This book, slim as it may be, was able to help me identify some of the illusions I have carried with me for many years. Life doesn’t just happen. We create it. We can use every negative experience to steer us towards the place we want to be. This is an incredible memoir written to give hope and strength to the despairing. A highly recommended read for the start of a new year.
Recommend this book:
The Gifted Storyteller
The Power is in the Story You Tell
Gregg Korrol
2018 Gold Medal
128 Pages
Check current price
Non-Fiction - Grief/Hardship
Reviewed by Anne-Marie Reynolds for Readers' Favorite
The Gifted Storyteller: The Power is in the Story You Tell by Gregg Korrol is an inspirational story. Michael did everything he thought he should do for a successful life. He had a good job, he had money in the bank, friends and a few decent dates too. It wasn’t all he expected it to be though; something was missing. That was until he walked into a bar, hoping beyond hope that tonight would be the night he met someone special. That fateful night he met Jeannie. Jeannie is about to change Michael’s life forever when she introduces him to the Gifted Storyteller. Jeannie is the woman who will introduce us all to our inner Genie, the storyteller within us who gives us the power to change our lives, the way she did with Michael.
The Gifted Storyteller: The Power is in the Story You Tell by Gregg Korrol is one of the stories that make you sit back and consider your own life, look at it in a new light and assess whether the place you are now is the place you truly want to be. Gregg Korrol has written a truly inspirational story, a tale that makes us explore our lives and minds, and makes us think more clearly about everything we have done or will do. It is written in motivating language, it flows well and it is, to be honest, riveting. We all need encouragement in our lives, we all need that little push every now and again to wake us up and make us smell the coffee, as it were. If anyone is looking for that push, this is the book to do it and I defy anyone who reads it not to reflect on their own lives. This is exceptionally well written and I enjoyed every page of it.
The Gifted Storyteller: The Power is in the Story You Tell by Gregg Korrol is an inspirational story. Michael did everything he thought he should do for a successful life. He had a good job, he had money in the bank, friends and a few decent dates too. It wasn’t all he expected it to be though; something was missing. That was until he walked into a bar, hoping beyond hope that tonight would be the night he met someone special. That fateful night he met Jeannie. Jeannie is about to change Michael’s life forever when she introduces him to the Gifted Storyteller. Jeannie is the woman who will introduce us all to our inner Genie, the storyteller within us who gives us the power to change our lives, the way she did with Michael.
The Gifted Storyteller: The Power is in the Story You Tell by Gregg Korrol is one of the stories that make you sit back and consider your own life, look at it in a new light and assess whether the place you are now is the place you truly want to be. Gregg Korrol has written a truly inspirational story, a tale that makes us explore our lives and minds, and makes us think more clearly about everything we have done or will do. It is written in motivating language, it flows well and it is, to be honest, riveting. We all need encouragement in our lives, we all need that little push every now and again to wake us up and make us smell the coffee, as it were. If anyone is looking for that push, this is the book to do it and I defy anyone who reads it not to reflect on their own lives. This is exceptionally well written and I enjoyed every page of it.
Recommend this book:
Heart Medicine
A True Love Story - One Couple's Quest for the Sacred Iboga Medicine & the Cure for Addiction
E. Bast
2017 Finalist
412 Pages
Check current price
Non-Fiction - Grief/Hardship
Reviewed by Romuald Dzemo for Readers' Favorite
Heart Medicine by E. Bast is a powerful memoir that explores love, addiction, and healing. The heart of the message of this book is captured in the sub-title: A True Love Story - One Couple's Quest for the Sacred Iboga Medicine & the Cure for Addiction. Getting clean from an addiction is one of the huge challenges that millions of people are facing across the world. The greatest fear of a “user” is to relapse. This has been the worst nightmare of Chor Boogie, a man who has been clean for over a decade before meeting his wife. This lyrical, brutally honest, and raw narrative takes readers on an odyssey of healing from addiction, a journey to the miracle of the iboga plant. Can one get completely clean from addiction? Yes. Chor Boogie and E. Bast find the answer in the African indigenous plant called the iboga.
E. Bast’s story is a powerful message of hope for everyone who feels trapped in their addictions, suffering from one relapse to another, a book that documents the perils of drug addiction and the secrets to lasting healing. Heart Medicine is well-written; the prose is crisp and polished, and it rings through with vivid imagery and lyricism. Apart from being an inspiring story, it has great potential to entertain readers. The naturally woven dialogues make the story come alive and allow the reader to understand the depth of the psychological conflict and the challenges the characters face. Readers will find the ultimate cure for addiction in this book, but they will also discover the mysterious power of love. I enjoyed every bit of this story — the beautiful prose, the sheer honesty of the narrator, the logical sequence of events, and the transformation that comes along as a result of love. This book is the best I have ever read about love and addictions. It’s magical.
Heart Medicine by E. Bast is a powerful memoir that explores love, addiction, and healing. The heart of the message of this book is captured in the sub-title: A True Love Story - One Couple's Quest for the Sacred Iboga Medicine & the Cure for Addiction. Getting clean from an addiction is one of the huge challenges that millions of people are facing across the world. The greatest fear of a “user” is to relapse. This has been the worst nightmare of Chor Boogie, a man who has been clean for over a decade before meeting his wife. This lyrical, brutally honest, and raw narrative takes readers on an odyssey of healing from addiction, a journey to the miracle of the iboga plant. Can one get completely clean from addiction? Yes. Chor Boogie and E. Bast find the answer in the African indigenous plant called the iboga.
E. Bast’s story is a powerful message of hope for everyone who feels trapped in their addictions, suffering from one relapse to another, a book that documents the perils of drug addiction and the secrets to lasting healing. Heart Medicine is well-written; the prose is crisp and polished, and it rings through with vivid imagery and lyricism. Apart from being an inspiring story, it has great potential to entertain readers. The naturally woven dialogues make the story come alive and allow the reader to understand the depth of the psychological conflict and the challenges the characters face. Readers will find the ultimate cure for addiction in this book, but they will also discover the mysterious power of love. I enjoyed every bit of this story — the beautiful prose, the sheer honesty of the narrator, the logical sequence of events, and the transformation that comes along as a result of love. This book is the best I have ever read about love and addictions. It’s magical.
Recommend this book:
The Two Week Wait Challenge
A Sassy Girl's Guide to Surviving the TWW
Lindsay Fischer
2017 Finalist
71 Pages
Check current price
Non-Fiction - Grief/Hardship
Reviewed by Tracy Slowiak for Readers' Favorite
In a fun guide with lots of good information, The Two Week Wait Challenge: The Sassy Girl's Guide to Surviving the TWW, author Lindsay Fischer has done a great job of providing an easy to read and humorous perspective on what can be a very trying and emotional time for many people. Giving advice on what women and couples can do to keep themselves occupied and, let's face it, sane during the two weeks from when one might have conceived until being able to test for a pregnancy, this guide might just be a life-saver for those dealing with difficulty in conceiving. This book includes areas for readers to record their own thoughts, positive affirmations to focus on, and advice for supporting partners, all of which is quite invaluable.
I very much enjoyed The Two Week Wait Challenge: The Sassy Girl's Guide to Surviving the TWW. Author Lindsay Fischer has done a great job in creating something that her readers will treasure and find themselves coming back to, time and again, in a very difficult period of their lives. The humor and 'sassiness' is a much needed relief to the stress that many find with the conception process, and the glossary and explanation of terms will also be extremely useful to any who are new to the world of fertility issues. I highly recommend The Two Week Wait Challenge: The Sassy Girl's Guide to Surviving the TWW to any reader who is dealing with the frustrating dance that fertility can sometimes be, and I certainly hope to see more on this topic from the obviously talented and insightful author, Lindsay Fischer, in the very near future!
In a fun guide with lots of good information, The Two Week Wait Challenge: The Sassy Girl's Guide to Surviving the TWW, author Lindsay Fischer has done a great job of providing an easy to read and humorous perspective on what can be a very trying and emotional time for many people. Giving advice on what women and couples can do to keep themselves occupied and, let's face it, sane during the two weeks from when one might have conceived until being able to test for a pregnancy, this guide might just be a life-saver for those dealing with difficulty in conceiving. This book includes areas for readers to record their own thoughts, positive affirmations to focus on, and advice for supporting partners, all of which is quite invaluable.
I very much enjoyed The Two Week Wait Challenge: The Sassy Girl's Guide to Surviving the TWW. Author Lindsay Fischer has done a great job in creating something that her readers will treasure and find themselves coming back to, time and again, in a very difficult period of their lives. The humor and 'sassiness' is a much needed relief to the stress that many find with the conception process, and the glossary and explanation of terms will also be extremely useful to any who are new to the world of fertility issues. I highly recommend The Two Week Wait Challenge: The Sassy Girl's Guide to Surviving the TWW to any reader who is dealing with the frustrating dance that fertility can sometimes be, and I certainly hope to see more on this topic from the obviously talented and insightful author, Lindsay Fischer, in the very near future!
Recommend this book:
Role Reversal
How to Take Care of Yourself and Your Aging Parents
Iris Waichler
2017 Honorable Mention
304 Pages
Check current price
Non-Fiction - Grief/Hardship
Reviewed by Mamta Madhavan for Readers' Favorite
Role Reversal: How to Take Care of Yourself And Your Aging Parents by Iris Waichler is a helpful tool to all those who are involved in the caretaking of their loved ones as they grow older. The book encourages everyone to listen to their parents, the stories they have to tell, and find out what they want. The author shares her experiences of taking care of her father, and the importance of identifying and assessing the needs of an elderly parent. She also highlights the skills required, ranging from determination, patience, money, and knowledge, and how to work on them to walk through complicated issues like having a health plan, engaging other family members, and making final decisions. The book will also enable all those who are challenged by helping elderly loved ones in their families face them with renewed vigor, energy, and a fresh insight.
I found the book useful and the tips and techniques shared by the author will guide everyone to be more patient and focused while handling aged parents. She also speaks about the challenges faced by caregivers like her, and advises readers on how to divide their time choosing caretaker responsibilities, choosing a nursing home, and how to manage hospital bills, which are all useful to those handling aged people. She also provides useful links to additional governmental, nonprofit, and private resources. It is an excellent guide for all caretakers and it is also a good book to have in one’s personal collection so that one can be organized when it comes to the needs of their aged parents.
Role Reversal: How to Take Care of Yourself And Your Aging Parents by Iris Waichler is a helpful tool to all those who are involved in the caretaking of their loved ones as they grow older. The book encourages everyone to listen to their parents, the stories they have to tell, and find out what they want. The author shares her experiences of taking care of her father, and the importance of identifying and assessing the needs of an elderly parent. She also highlights the skills required, ranging from determination, patience, money, and knowledge, and how to work on them to walk through complicated issues like having a health plan, engaging other family members, and making final decisions. The book will also enable all those who are challenged by helping elderly loved ones in their families face them with renewed vigor, energy, and a fresh insight.
I found the book useful and the tips and techniques shared by the author will guide everyone to be more patient and focused while handling aged parents. She also speaks about the challenges faced by caregivers like her, and advises readers on how to divide their time choosing caretaker responsibilities, choosing a nursing home, and how to manage hospital bills, which are all useful to those handling aged people. She also provides useful links to additional governmental, nonprofit, and private resources. It is an excellent guide for all caretakers and it is also a good book to have in one’s personal collection so that one can be organized when it comes to the needs of their aged parents.
Recommend this book:
Motherhood
Lost and Found
Ann Campanella
2017 Bronze Medal
Kindle Edition
Check current price
Non-Fiction - Grief/Hardship
Reviewed by Lucinda E Clarke for Readers' Favorite
Motherhood: Lost and Found by Ann Campanella is an autobiography tracing the story of her life after she married, through several miscarriages, the family dynamics of her parents aging, most specifically her mother’s slow and painful decline with Alzheimer's disease. Her love of horses is a constant thread in the book and we have flashbacks to her earlier life, moving from place to place since her father was a colonel in the United States army. Living quite a distance from her parents, other members of the family, and their annual vacation to the ancestral home, requires travelling long distances, but not as many as Joel, her husband, makes as he flies around the world, building his own very successful company.
This was not an easy book to read, although I found it difficult to put down, and the last third saw me totally engrossed, ignoring the rest of the world as I simply had to finish it and find out what happens at the end. On every page of Motherhood I could feel her frustration and anguish. She is torn between her life with her husband, her loyalty towards her parents and, in the later stages, more responsibility for her mentally challenged brother. She despairs as she sees her mother sink further and further into dementia, only to see her rally on many occasions and then once again lose her grip on reality. The author struggles to cope, especially running her riding school on her own while her husband is overseas, and sadly she is forced to give it up. The only joy she finds is in her writing, and the awards she wins for her poetry are the only accolades she receives as she struggles to manage on her own with both her emotions and the day to day practicalities – losing one baby after another, plus her constant worry about her parents. She finds it hard to come to terms with the role reversal, parenting those who were once caring for her. This book is written beautifully, the words flow smoothly, and even if the reader had not been told, the poetic influence shines through. Every word has its place in the narrative and I have no hesitation in awarding it five stars. A really, great read.
Motherhood: Lost and Found by Ann Campanella is an autobiography tracing the story of her life after she married, through several miscarriages, the family dynamics of her parents aging, most specifically her mother’s slow and painful decline with Alzheimer's disease. Her love of horses is a constant thread in the book and we have flashbacks to her earlier life, moving from place to place since her father was a colonel in the United States army. Living quite a distance from her parents, other members of the family, and their annual vacation to the ancestral home, requires travelling long distances, but not as many as Joel, her husband, makes as he flies around the world, building his own very successful company.
This was not an easy book to read, although I found it difficult to put down, and the last third saw me totally engrossed, ignoring the rest of the world as I simply had to finish it and find out what happens at the end. On every page of Motherhood I could feel her frustration and anguish. She is torn between her life with her husband, her loyalty towards her parents and, in the later stages, more responsibility for her mentally challenged brother. She despairs as she sees her mother sink further and further into dementia, only to see her rally on many occasions and then once again lose her grip on reality. The author struggles to cope, especially running her riding school on her own while her husband is overseas, and sadly she is forced to give it up. The only joy she finds is in her writing, and the awards she wins for her poetry are the only accolades she receives as she struggles to manage on her own with both her emotions and the day to day practicalities – losing one baby after another, plus her constant worry about her parents. She finds it hard to come to terms with the role reversal, parenting those who were once caring for her. This book is written beautifully, the words flow smoothly, and even if the reader had not been told, the poetic influence shines through. Every word has its place in the narrative and I have no hesitation in awarding it five stars. A really, great read.
Recommend this book:
Hatching Charlie
A Psychotherapist's Tale
Charles Creath McCormack
2017 Silver Medal
Kindle Edition
Check current price
Non-Fiction - Grief/Hardship
Reviewed by Divine Zape for Readers' Favorite
Hatching Charlie: A Psychotherapist's Tale by Charles Creath McCormack is a memoir with a powerful inspirational message. I was hesitant when I picked up this book, but the author’s promise in the prologue encouraged me and I am happy I read it. He writes: “I write to encourage you to take responsibility for your happiness. If there are two counter-intuitive things I’ve discovered in my wending journey as a man and as a psychotherapist, it’s that it takes great courage to be happy and that most of us are as happy as we can stand.” Writing one’s own journey is one of the therapies that helps to redefine one’s purpose, enhance healing, and unveil ways to determine how one’s life ends. McCormack’s memoir, like Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning, is a memoir that is purpose-driven, a story in which the author answers the universal question: What does it really take to live a happy, fulfilling life?
With unalloyed frankness, the author takes readers on the path to his own darkness, his brokenness, his fears and uncertainties, and weaves a message that points to the light he’d discovered through his own commitment to grow and to help others. Readers will find lessons learned from the author’s personal life experiences and those that come through his practice as a psychologist. The author’s prose flows beautifully, devoid of any professional jargon, and the man whom readers will encounter in these pages will remind them of their own struggles, their own darkness, their own questions about life and happiness. They will understand that they own the key to unlocking the door to immense wealth and happiness. I was touched at how the author shares his struggles with “low self-esteem, the egotism, the mistakes made and then made again, the lessons learned and then forgotten, the failures and successes, the joys and heartbreak.” You’ll read your story in this beautiful book. Then you’ll wake up, determined to embrace life, your life, broken as it is, and to make some meaning out of the broken pieces. Hatching Charlie: A Psychotherapist's Tale by Charles Creath McCormack is a book for everyone, because there is a fragment of each of us in some of the pages.
Hatching Charlie: A Psychotherapist's Tale by Charles Creath McCormack is a memoir with a powerful inspirational message. I was hesitant when I picked up this book, but the author’s promise in the prologue encouraged me and I am happy I read it. He writes: “I write to encourage you to take responsibility for your happiness. If there are two counter-intuitive things I’ve discovered in my wending journey as a man and as a psychotherapist, it’s that it takes great courage to be happy and that most of us are as happy as we can stand.” Writing one’s own journey is one of the therapies that helps to redefine one’s purpose, enhance healing, and unveil ways to determine how one’s life ends. McCormack’s memoir, like Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning, is a memoir that is purpose-driven, a story in which the author answers the universal question: What does it really take to live a happy, fulfilling life?
With unalloyed frankness, the author takes readers on the path to his own darkness, his brokenness, his fears and uncertainties, and weaves a message that points to the light he’d discovered through his own commitment to grow and to help others. Readers will find lessons learned from the author’s personal life experiences and those that come through his practice as a psychologist. The author’s prose flows beautifully, devoid of any professional jargon, and the man whom readers will encounter in these pages will remind them of their own struggles, their own darkness, their own questions about life and happiness. They will understand that they own the key to unlocking the door to immense wealth and happiness. I was touched at how the author shares his struggles with “low self-esteem, the egotism, the mistakes made and then made again, the lessons learned and then forgotten, the failures and successes, the joys and heartbreak.” You’ll read your story in this beautiful book. Then you’ll wake up, determined to embrace life, your life, broken as it is, and to make some meaning out of the broken pieces. Hatching Charlie: A Psychotherapist's Tale by Charles Creath McCormack is a book for everyone, because there is a fragment of each of us in some of the pages.
Contact Author -
