Reviewed by Jamie Michele for Readers' Favorite

Headstrong by JoAnne Silver Jones is a memoir of the author's recovery following a random assault that resulted in a traumatic brain injury. On her way to stay with her daughter to witness the inauguration of the United States' first black president, Jones takes a shortcut down a Washington DC alley and is instantly changed forever. Through shards of memory distorted like a refraction of light, Jones provides glimpses of what she thinks she remembers and what has been filled in by those around her, and those she loves most. Through her own strength and fortitude and the support of her wife and daughter, Jones begins the journey towards a slow and difficult recovery of both the body and the soul.

Headstrong is the first book I've ever read about an individual with traumatic brain injury and I am so grateful to JoAnne Silver Jones for sharing her story. The honesty is clear and raw as she recounts piecing her life back together after the attack. The writing is sublime and a testament to her power as a woman, a survivor, and intellectual, and a mother to her daughter, but also to her own rebirth. The rehabilitation is extraordinary with a great deal emotionally that, without her stating outright, might go wholly unnoticed. Invisible. Some moments are genuinely heartbreaking, such as when she says, “It wasn’t easy to be with me, just as it wasn’t easy to be me.” Others offer a little more levity and a lot of love, primarily in the form of furbabies. This is a really, really special memoir and I'd give it a whole bucket of stars if I could.

Reviewed by A. L. Peevey for Readers' Favorite

The first part of Make Your Mess Your Memoir by Anna David is the story of the author’s life from her childhood to her middle years. Anna’s parents do not take her seriously, nor do they express their love, typically tending to make fun of her. High school is a struggle for social relevancy and genuine friendships. To cope, Anna begins drinking, and when she leaves home to attend college across the country, drug use becomes a constant in her life as does a continuous stream of boyfriends. Faced with what to do after college, Anna begins a writing career in which she becomes a published author and a television personality. Neither is what she thought it would be. The second part of the book is a very detailed how-to manual on writing a memoir of your own, the process of publishing it, marketing it, and establishing a base of fans and readers for future books.

In Make Your Mess Your Memoir, Anna David shares very personal, often painful experiences. This matter-of-fact recounting of formative events in her life is touching, mordant, and truthful, particularly in the details of her addiction, her recovery, and her love life. Her experiences in traditional book publishing are revealing to would-be writers. Through a series of thorough steps, the author goes on to cover everything that writers need to know when it comes to the intricacies of creating and selling a memoir, both traditionally and independently. This combination of an authentic memoir and expert how-to for writing your own memoir and successfully publishing it and selling it is not only useful but also a worthwhile read. It comes highly recommended.

Reviewed by Ankita Shukla for Readers' Favorite

Betrayal comes in all shapes and sizes. After reading Kathryn Taylor's Two Minus One: A Memoir, I am pretty confident that there is no easy way to separate an honest person from a dishonest one. Jim said all the right words and stood by Kathryn and her daughters for many years. He reassured her time and again that he was never going to give up on her. Although Kathryn told him on many occasions that she was not looking for romance in her life, he did not stop pursuing her. Being human and thinking that she deserved another chance at happiness, Kathryn finally gave in and married the guy. For eight years, she believed her life to be a fairy tale with this man in her arms. And then it happened.

With no warning or discussion, Jim simply announced that he was done with the marriage. A sudden end to something beautiful has the power of breaking the strongest of souls, and that's exactly what happened to Kathryn. She could not believe her world had crashed in the blink of an eye. Her health took a toll and she felt as if she had neither desire nor energy left to move on in life. Two Minus One: A Memoir by Kathryn Taylor is the manifestation of everything that you would feel in such a situation. She had left her normal life behind for Jim: she sold her house, moved to a different place, quit her job to support this man, whom she considered to be the love of her life. She suffered the loss of everything that she held close to her, yet with the help of her friends and daughters, she found the strength to move on.

Divorce is not an easy thing to deal with at any age and to be thrown into this process at the age of sixty is really devastating. However, Two Minus One: A Memoir brings a ray of hope into the lives of people who are going through such a phase. In her memoir, Kathryn Taylor has outlined all the tools that helped her become a stronger version of herself. If it weren't for her husband's betrayal, it is quite possible that she never would have tapped into the immense strength and talent that was deep inside her. Written in a first-person narrative, Two Minus One moves at a slow yet steady pace and shows its readers that there is light at the end of the tunnel. We may not always get closure but we can definitely grow from our hurtful experiences.

Reviewed by Divine Zape for Readers' Favorite

Freckled: A Memoir of Growing up Wild in Hawaii by TW Neal is a mesmerizing memoir that takes readers on a somewhat hilarious ride through the life of the author raised by hippie surfer parents. Born in 1965, Toby quickly discovers that her hippie parents are more attracted to the waves along the shores of Kauai, Hawaii than settling down and building something stable. Toby’s parents struggle with mental problems and addiction, living from tent to tent, and occasionally returning to Kauai. The narrative is filled with adventure, with beautiful moments, like when Toby catches an octopus with her bare hands. While there are exciting moments in the narrative, she craves a normal life, but can she find a place in conventional society?

Filled with grit, an enduring sense of resilience, and humanity, this narrative explores the limits of human freedom in a unique childhood set against a fascinating landscape. The author captures beautiful images of the setting right from the start, allowing readers to see the world from the eyes of the child she once was. “Sand. Big yellow mountains of sand. So much, and a long way, a giant tabby cat napping in the sun. Mom's holding my hand and I'm naked because we're going swimming...” The writing is atmospheric, laced with insightful commentaries that capture the spirit of the time. The voice has something intriguing about it, a mixture of knowing and naivety that reflects childhood. Freckled: A Memoir of Growing up Wild in Hawaii is a memoir that reads like fiction; the occasional moments of humor combine with the focused writing and the emotional strength of the narrative to make for a great reading experience.

Reviewed by Jessyca Garcia for Readers' Favorite

Boot Language: A Memoir by Vanya Erickson left me feeling sad. In this memoir, Erickson tells about her childhood. She grew up with an alcoholic father, who seemed to hate her, and a mother who refused to seek medical help for her children due to her religion. It was not an easy life but somehow Erickson got through it. Boot Language is the type of book that makes you look at your own childhood and appreciate what you had. Erickson's story left me feeling unsatisfied. I felt that she too was unsatisfied with how her relationship with her father ended.

My heart hurt for her at how she was treated by her father. I wondered if he treated her badly because somehow she was not his biological daughter. I even thought that her mother would reveal some dark secret during the car ride that they took together. There had to be some reason that she was treated so differently from her siblings. I started off by liking Erickson's mom, but lost all respect for her when she did not handle the stranger touching Erickson improperly. My feelings for her lessened even more with how she treated her children after moving back to the city.

My favorite part of the story was when Erickson finally was able to stand up for herself. I was so proud of her. Overall, I liked this story, even though it left me feeling sad. I am glad that Erickson has had some happiness in her life and was able to have a special bond with horses. I look forward to reading more of her work in the future.

Reviewed by Mamta Madhavan for Readers' Favorite

The Reluctant Hotelkeeper by John Searancke is an engaging memoir that takes readers into the life of the author who ended up reluctantly being a hotelkeeper, and how his rescue mission ended up being a love affair with an old building. His parents had bought the place in the countryside to save their crumbling marriage, and the author was pulled into this venture when he was just 22. The role of a hotelkeeper is not as easy as many think because the reality of life in a hotel is very different, and the hours required to make it a success are punishing. The memoir is also a tribute to all the people who worked behind the scenes and helped in making this grand transformation a huge success.

The memoir is straightforward and honest, entertaining and insightful, and the author opens up about the difficulties he faced, and how he managed to keep his faith in long-term planning. There are a lot of interesting stories about eccentric guests, how many guests who checked in should not have been seen together at all, and how it ended up being one of the favored stops for a number of celebrities. The author goes through the entire process, speaking about transforming the hotel methodically and in detail, taking readers along with him and his experiences while getting the old building renovated to cater to the needs of a modern traveler. There is not one boring moment in this memoir and the positive narration and outlook make this memoir an encouraging and motivating read. The author's story and experiences are enriching, and the ups and downs of his life and the accolades he received for the hotel and its restaurant will encourage many readers out there to become hotelkeepers.

Reviewed by Ruffina Oserio for Readers' Favorite

Invisible Target: Breaking the Cycle of Educator Sexual Abuse by Andrea Clemens is a compelling memoir that brilliantly tells the story of educator sexual abuse, a story that is as emotional as it is enlightening, but one of hope, courage, and a woman’s resolve to protect the lives of innocent children caught in the hands of merciless predators. In this memoir, Andrea describes the abuse she suffered from her middle school teacher. She gives insights into her childhood, takes the reader on the painful journey from the moment she met the teacher to how the teacher groomed her for his insidious and heinous crime, to how she utterly developed trust in the teacher and through to the ultimate ordeal and painful betrayal. It took her a lot of courage after years of abuse and manipulation to break away from her abuser. The entire story is in this book and there is more than the story — there is a whole exposé on how such abuses happen and why most victims never find the courage to speak out.

Andrea Clemens’ book is a wonderful gift to parents, teachers, and children. Apart from telling the story of the author, it explores the psychology of an educator abuser and unveils the symptoms that administrators, students, parents, and society should watch for. Each chapter ends with questions that will help anyone understand if something is wrong with an educator-student relationship. The author offers insights and wisdom that help readers understand why millions of children abused by their teachers remain silent, the part the school system plays, and the levels of trauma the victim goes through. In the introduction she defines her subject: “When I refer to educator sexual abuse, I am referring to the alarmingly inappropriate actions of school employees who abuse their positions of power and manipulate children for their own pleasure and other selfish, misguided reasons.”

Invisible Target: Breaking the Cycle of Educator Sexual Abuse is poignant, flawlessly written, and at times raw. I salute Andrea’s courage and her pioneering work in educating society on the subtle, yet very dangerous and damaging nature of educator abuse. It’s a book that every parent should read and discuss with their children while they are in school.

Reviewed by Joel R. Dennstedt for Readers' Favorite

Memoirs rarely have the ability to make you root for an author and his friends as vigorously and vehemently as the succinctly and appropriately titled Tenacity by Ron Coury. If the reader were to share the author’s military background, instrumental (as attested to by Mr. Coury) in establishing his fundamental integrity and character while still a young man, he would probably just shout “Oorah!” in a declaratory final judgment of this book’s intensely satisfying outcome. We are talking here about good and bad at work in old Las Vegas, the one emerging from the decadence of its rather depraved history, where political corruption and cronyism still lingered and survived, deeply threatening the conscientious efforts of those inclined to honesty and ethics, and where one character trait alone served best to deal effectively with all such potentially lethal aggravations.

Tenacity is the trait, and Ron Coury possesses it in spades. That is what makes his retelling of the Vegas story – rich in its long and infamous tradition of greedy bad guys doing wrong – worthy of a Jimmy Stewart movie where the bad guys pick precisely the wrong man (and his friends) to threaten and harass. Mr. Coury tells his real-life tale with intensely credible authority, leaving no doubt about his own immersion in a time and place where Opportunity ruled (literally), and where some good guys, needing only big white hats to make the picture perfect, ultimately prevailed. A western story for a western town. Tenacity may be categorized as a memoir, but it reads like bad-guy fiction, or like the antidote to Down and Out in Las Vegas. Perhaps Coury could have called his book Up and In in Las Vegas. But Tenacity says it so much better.

Reviewed by Divine Zape for Readers' Favorite

A Tortuous Path: Atonement and Reinvention in a Broken System by Christopher E Pelloski is a memoir that will fill every fiber in the reader with emotion. The memoir begins with the sentencing of the protagonist: “The sentence for accession with an attempt to view child pornography (which I pleaded guilty) was handed down on July 11, 2014. (...) The manner in which most of the local news entities handled the sentencing hearing was predictable.” The author takes readers on his journey from incarceration through house arrest to rebuilding his life, featuring heartbreaking experiences and in a tone that at times can be sarcastic, humorous, or filled with pathos. He navigates imprisonment, divorce, medical board hearings, polygraph interrogations, and court-mandated therapy. As you read through this memoir, you find yourself constantly asking the question: What happened to the system?

This is a story that puts the American justice system on trial and explores the flaws and injustices committed in the name of the law. The memoir is filled with pathos, with scenes captured in a style filled with clarity and poignancy. Christopher E Pelloski’s writing is gripping, eloquent, and in a voice that arrests the reader from the first sentence. He writes with unusual honesty and allows readers to peer into the areas of his life where he feels most vulnerable. In A Tortuous Path: Atonement and Reinvention in a Broken System, the author unveils the real image of the American justice system and allows readers to experience some of the painful encounters the author had. It is both informative and filled with disturbing revelations. A must-read!

Reviewed by Ruffina Oserio for Readers' Favorite

A Year Under Sharia Law: Memoir of an American Couple Living and Working in Saudi Arabia by Alex and Elizabeth Fletcher is a memoir that documents the life of a couple as they navigate the challenging, somewhat dangerous landscape of Saudi Arabia under Sharia law. Alex studied and graduated with majors in marketing and English, and after working for an online casino, nothing could get better. Employment in Michigan was soaring and depression, the kind that can’t be cured by therapy or medication, got a strong hold on Alex. They needed to pay off their student loans and their home, and the only thing to do was what many would consider a crazy idea — go to Saudi Arabia to teach English.

In this memoir, the authors offer telling revelations of the nature of Sharia law, about a society torn between the idiosyncrasies of religious practices and the exigencies of contemporary technological advancement. The reader is introduced to the day-to-day life of the authors, their experience of culture shock as they witness blatant human rights abuses that go unchecked and a lot more. They learn about the abuses that foreigners, especially women who come into the country, suffer under their employers who take their passports and make them work as nannies, often experiencing unspeakable crimes. From the preface, the reader understands that “While the church and state in Saudi have been intertwined for many centuries, the unique culture of the country has added its own idiosyncrasies.” Alex and Elizabeth Fletcher open the eyes of readers to these idiosyncrasies. A Year Under Sharia Law: Memoir of an American Couple Living and Working in Saudi Arabia is a powerful memoir with strong cultural commentaries, the story of a decision that came with huge consequences.