Dr. Bob Rich Falls in Love "Beautiful Hero"

Title: Beautiful Hero: How We Survived the Khmer Rouge

Author Name: Jennifer H. Lau

Author's Web site: http://JenniferLau.net 

ISBN:  978-0-9980798-0-6 Genre: Biographies and Memoirs Link to buy in the USA.

Link to buy in Australia 

Reviewed by Dr. Bob Rich originally for his Bobbin' Around Newsletter

Beautiful Hero, by Jennifer Lau

You’d expect a book with the subtitle “How we survived the Khmer Rouge” to be grim, and it is. At the same time, it is utterly gripping. I was racing through it with a sort of a morbid fascination. Surely, no one could survive this! But, obviously, the author had.

However, the unremitting parade of horrors, hardship, deprivation, death and disease did get to me, and after awhile I didn’t want to read on. I wanted to run away, to escape the story -- but it had caught me. I needed to find out how she’d managed to survive, and to become a highly functioning professional in America. So, I read on, and it gripped me, wouldn’t let me go, to the very end. No, I’ve finished, and it’s still gripping me now.

The story is told by an adult, much later, but there is an immediacy of the small girl as the witness, written in clear, plain language. She takes us into the horror with a matter-of-factness that makes me admire her all the more.

I always enjoy learning about cultures strange to me. From the first pages, Jennifer Lau intrigued me with things taken for granted among ethnically Chinese people in Cambodia, which I considered odd, quaint, ingenious -- or sometimes disgusting. Without info dumps or lecturing, always from within that little girl’s point of view, she taught me about beliefs and practices I hadn’t even imagined.

If you have ever felt sorry for yourself, reading this book will set you right. The worst you have experienced is nothing compared to what this family survived. And what distresses me is that, right now, there are other people suffering as badly, in the same way. They come from Syria, or are Rohingya from Myanmar, or Hazara from Afghanistan, or survivors of one of the many  African conflicts... that matters not, nor does their religion, or skin colour. Like Jennifer’s family, they are people with feelings, thoughts and sense of pain just like you have.

And, if given a chance, they will contribute to a society that adopts them in the exemplary way  Jennifer’s family has.

There is an interesting observation on page 27; one I wish today’s decision makers would note. Cambodia was a peaceful country. Then the Americans decided to cut off supplies to North Vietnam by dropping more bombs in Cambodia than all those in Europe and Japan during World War 2. Half a million people in a neutral country were killed. As a direct result, the terrible Khmer Rouge was born. This is what has been going on in Israel/Palestine from 1948 to the present. It’s what created the tragedy of Syria. The way to induce people to hate you is to attack them. Hate only leads to hate. Love is the only thing that can defeat hate.

One note of warning. Only read this book if you have a strong stomach, or, like me, the Buddhist skill to accept. Reading “Beautiful Hero” hasn’t given me nightmares, but it could well have.

 MORE ABOUT THE REVIEWER

Dr Bob Rich is a multiple award-winning writer, professional editor, and professional grandfather. His Bobbing Around blog will inform, interest, inspire or outrage you — but never bore you.

ABOUT THE NEW BOOK REVIEW BLOGGER

The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Memoir, Athens, New Life! What More Can Be Asked of a Book!

A Room in Athens: A Memoir

by Frances Karlen Santamaria

Tatra Press LLC
ISBN- 978-0-9898352-9-9
Softcover; 174 pgs; $15.00

Review by Karen Chutsky  originally for IndependentPublisher.com

They say artists hover a bit outside of life; too obsessed with observing, contemplating and recording their impressions of it to be one hundred percent involved in it. 

Such is the pensive writing style of Frances Karlen Santamaria, best described through the words of her adoring son: “...she dashed off written watercolor like impressions of people fresh and literary…some sympathetically rendered others verge on harsh caricature.”

And what better subject to render into vivid pictures than her first foreign sojourn at the age of 27, during the midst of the mad dash of the early 60’s in America to soak in the “Zorba the Greek” experience of Greece and other exotic European ports of call, “where your consciousness is stretched each second with total attention.”  

Foreign travel has always been a rite of intellectual passage for the class of thinking Americans to which Frances and her husband belonged.

The synopsis: In 1964, off Frances went with Arno, the Holiday magazine writer and aspiring novelist at her side -- and soon to emerge son inside her for part of the ride -- a child who would become for the last three months of her adventure a gurgling focus more intriguing than that of the life around her in their last and longest stop, Athens, Greece. 

What I find wonderful about diaries and memoirs are the raw emotions and images of life that so often become the dulled and manipulated stuff of fiction, written by those trying to capture the sparks of lives lived by someone else. Frances’ writing offers up her experience like a plate of steak tartar.

Though the book is billed as a comparison of the realities of Greek life versus the idyll of Greece – “eh” -- the main storyline bubbling through her memoir is purely the journey of a woman on the cusp of becoming a mother, as she quips; “the one major event of our grown lives for which we do not have our hair done,” choosing to have her baby at a natural childbirth clinic in Greece; thought of as a rather dubious thing to do at the time, while coming to  grips with marrying a man “with a built-in mistress”: a writing career. She describes it succinctly thus; “he seems about to write something…but whatever it is hasn’t emerged …and he lives around an unseen but felt iceberg lodged in his mind.” Her husband seemed to place a higher value on his own freedom to experience the night life of Greek tavernas with other young sponges dissecting the novelty of Greek life -- while his wife was sequestered to “a room in Athens.”

To quote one of those famous Greek philosophers she admired so, “Without strife, there can be no greatness.” And in the end, France’s wonderfully potent writing speaks its greatness in this memoir clearest to women, through the unique episode of life she and a handful of Greek woman experienced in their journey into motherhood. 

Most notable are her vivid sketches of places and peoples, palpable as if one muddled through the grand tour of Europe -- though sadly, her diary of the months spent touring England, Italy, Spain, and Yugoslavia, pre-birth are reduced to a few paragraphs. They would have blasted open the tunnel of the book into a grander adventure. Hopefully, they will someday be compiled and edited into what would be a very worthwhile book.

Some vibrant excerpts:

         

“At twilight, the sky above Athens turns orange and the light in the streets takes on a purple tones of the bare mountains that semicircle the town.  Men sat drinking in cafes where women never went.  The city had awakened from its long afternoon nap and Athenians were out in their numbers, going back to work, shopping, strolling.  Soldiers―with custom-made uniforms hugging their bodies-- passed by in the twos and threes of soldiers everywhere, there were many of the righteous priests in their black robes, their hair braided in a knot in the back like a matador’s.  They had , without exception, the air of smug landowners…”

“Boys in white aprons ran by, swinging tripodic, long handled trays of coffee and ouzo--messengers of the Greek carry-out.  Occasionally, a cart rumbled by with a handsome young man standing up driving the horse, so like a charioteer I had to smile.”

The greatest compliment I can pay her is that many of her fecund commentaries on life were just as poignant and literary as those penned by the great philosophers of Greek antiquity she so admired. 

And though the reality of her Greek cultural adventure felt far short of her fantasy, as she realized “Ancient Greece is a state of the spirit only to which plane fare can’t take you,” the birth of her firstborn son did not disappoint.   

A Room in Athens or the more befitting title from its first publication, Joshua, First Born, exposes just the tip of the iceberg lodged in the mind of the very talented writer, Frances Karlen Santamaria

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Alessandra Domina: "Hooray for Waking the Bones!"

WAKING THE BONES, by Elizabeth Kirschner, a memoir

www.elizabethkirschner.com

ISBN: 978-1-939739-60-5

Publisher: The Piscataqua Press, Portsmouth, NY

Rated: Five Stars

“Hooray for Waking the Bones”

Reviewed by Alessandra Domina, originally for Amazon

"Waking the Bones" is one of those memoirs one dreams about reading -- a gutsy, shameless, prose poem of the highest lyrical order that leaves one in awe of the process and the talent put out by the author. Kirschner unavoidably raises herself above the masses by layering a kaleidoscope of childhood memories underneath and on top of her present adult self, digging down so deep in some chapters that one is relieved that the subsequent chapter brings her back up into the light. Thank goodness Kirschner is, first, a poet. Then thank goodness she decided to share her survival story. The two have brought us a brilliant expose filled with terror and love on the same page.

"Waking the Bones" is intense with familiar images of everything that ever happened to everybody, or almost did. It is a biography of man and woman, mother and father, daughter and siblings. It is universal in scope even though it is a singular voice. It is ever a chameleon, changing mode, tone and color despite it's diminutive size. It should be required reading for all psychiatrists, counselors, and those afflicted with even the slightest mental illness.

"Waking the Bones" puts salve on wounds just by existing as a literary accomplishment. A very important book for Kirschner, but equally important for readers everywhere. It's a reality show of the highest order. Read it and be changed.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Elizabeth Kirschner’s memoir, WAKING THE BONES,  is the winner of the North Street Book Prize for best work of nonfiction by an Independent author. (Learn more about that prize at http://winningwriters.com).   Kirschner has published six previous volumes of poetry, including, Surrender to Light, 2009, Cherry Grove Editions and Do My Life as a Doll, 2008, Autumn House Press. My Life as a Doll was nominated for the Lenore Marshall Prize and named Kirschner as the Literary Arts Fellow in state of Maine in 2010. She has also published over two dozen essays with The Coal Hill Review and is widely published in other literary magazines, both nationally and internationally. 

Kirschner has been writing and teaching across four decades. Most recently, she taught in Fairfield University’s low-residency Program in Creative Writing. Extensive teaching experience includes Boston College, Boston University and Carnegie-Mellon University. Residency stays include The MacDowell Colony, Yaddo and Gullkistan, Iceland.

Kirschner has collaborated with many classical composers, including Carson Cooman

and Thomas Oboe Lee, resulting in various CDs. She set her own poetry to Robert Schumann’s love song cycle, retitled it The Dichterliebe in Four Seasons. She lives in a cottage named Sea Cabin on the water in Kittery Point, ME, with her old dog, Larka. Kirschner is available for readings, signings, is a dynamic public speaker and loves to lead Memoir Writing Workshops for all populations. 

--

Mentoring & Tutoring to Support the Writer in All of Us

www.writewithkirschner.com

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Interview: Author Student of Gullah and Geechee Cultures

Hi! I am Carolyn Howard Johnson, your trusty New Book Review blogger and author of the multi award-winning HowTo Do It Frugally Series of books for writers. This blog has heretofore been exclusive for reviews but I thought I’d do a special series of interviews after I chatted with Jeanie Loiacono, President of Loiacono Literary Agency – Where ‘can’t’ is not in our vocabulary! I thought sharing the interviews would help the many subscribers and visitors to this New Book Review blog, including authors, reviewers, and, of course, readers who just might find a new favorite author among the featured books and authors.

So, today welcome Stephen Doster.

Stephen Doster was born in England and grew up on St. Simons Island, Georgia. He is a student of history and has extensively researched the Gullah and Geechee cultures of South Carolina and Georgia. He received a degree in Marketing from the University of Georgia and has recently received his Master of Liberal Arts and Science degree with a certificate in history. Doster has appeared at BookExpo, the Southern Festival of Books, the Amelia Island Book Festival, The Southern Kentucky Book Fest and has spoken at colleges, historical societies, and library associations in Georgia, Kentucky, and Tennessee. He has been interviewed on public radio and television in Mississippi, Tennessee, Florida, and Georgia. Currently, he is an assistant editor for a peer-review journal at Vanderbilt University. His other works include: Voices from St. Simons, Lord Baltimore, Georgia Witness, Jesus Tree, Shadow Child, Rose Bush and Her Finest Hour.

1 What is your genre? Is it fiction or nonfiction? All of the above. I’ve written several novels, a couple of oral histories, a book of short stories, and a WWII memoir. I try to write something new and different each time. Probably not the best approach to building an audience, but I sleep well at night.

2 What made you want to be a writer? Living in the South, and especially on the Georgia Coast surrounded by Gullah/Geechee communities. I grew up listening to gifted storytellers. However, I’m not a great raconteur in the oral tradition, so I gravitated to telling stories via the printed word.

3 Of all the authors out there, who inspired you most? Cervantes. He knocked down a lot of walls for future writers. Don Quixote remains a thoroughly modern novel after 400 years.

4 What is your writing style? Do you outline? Linearly? By scene? Why? I start with the seed of an idea and go from there without outlining, at least not on paper. It’s like taking a journey and constantly asking, “What happens next?” and then answering that question. When the journey’s done, the book is finished. When I need to work out a plot idea, I take a long walk. Something about being in motion gets the creative juices flowing.

5 Do you write every day? How much? How long? I have adopted the Ringo Starr approach to writing. He doesn’t practice on the drums. He just lays down a rhythm when it’s time to play. I write a lot in the course of my regular (full time) job. So, when it’s time to write a book on my time, I’m primed.

6 Do you think reading is as important to writing for an author? Why? Most of my inspiration and ideas come from reading (especially historical books). I think this is true for most writers. Otherwise, it’s like asking a musician to create a song without having heard other musical works or asking a painter to create something without having seen other paintings. Without reading, you’re recreating the wheel, and probably not doing a good job of it, regardless of the genre you’re in. Another benefit is that reading provides the research required to be historically accurate or to inspire new ideas for a work in progress. Nothing dislodges a reader from the story—or embarrasses a writer—like inaccuracies, historical or otherwise.

7 What are some of the things you would like to share with budding authors? Write what interests you and trust that it will resonate with others (to paraphrase Emerson). If you have a family to support, write whatever pays the bills. You might have to do the latter to support the former.

8 Do you have any marketing and promotional advice, referrals, tips you would like to share? If you can afford it, hire a good PR person. With the right machine behind you, you can sell a lot more books.

9 Do you think conferences are beneficial? If so, what have you learned? Which ones do you frequent? Leave each conference having learned at least one thing or having made at least one connection that will benefit your writing career. It might be an inspired talk or simply meeting another writer who is now a new friend for life.

10 Where can we find you, your books and when is your next event? You can find me at www.sdoster.com Goodreads Amazon Author Central All books can be found on all the online sites:  Amazon Fish Pond BAM B&N IndieBound Shelfari Powell’s Books Wheeler’s Books  IDreamBooks COPIA Book Depository and more.

Represented by Loiacono Literary Agency, Jeanie Loiacono http://www.loiaconoliteraryagency.com/authors/stephen-doster/

MORE ABOUT THE SPONSORING AGENT

Jeanie Loiacono, President, Loiacono Literary Agency

A facilitator of dreams, Jeanie Loiacono represents over eighty authors. Her forte is mystery, romance, thrillers, historical/military/southern fiction, and all quality fiction/nonfiction. Her passion is to see her authors succeed.
“There is nothing more rewarding than to hold one of my author’s books and know I helped bring it to fruition. I am so blessed and privileged to be able to work with some of the most talented writers in the world.” Jeanie.L@llallc.net www.loiaconoliteraryagency.com

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE MORE INTERVIEWS--TO FIND GREAT READING OR TO NETWORK WITH AUTHORS--PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO THIS BLOG. YOU ARE A WELCOME ADDITION TO THIS FAMILY WHO LOVES BOOKS! YOU'LL FIND A WINDOW TO DO THIS AT THE TOP OF THIS BLOG PAGE.

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Tracey Quintin Admires Memoirists "Incredible LIfe Story"

Title:  6200 Carbon Canyon Road

Author: Terri Lenee Peake

Genre:  Biographies & Memoirs, Memoirs

ISBN-10: 1628680970

ISBN-13: 978-1628680973

Reviewer's Rating: 5 star

Where people can purchase the book:  http://www.amazon.com/Terri-Lenee-Peake/e/B00IC9B2NU/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1448388737&sr=1-1

Reviewed by Tracey Quintin originally for Goodreads

Terri Lenee Peake wrote this story in hopes to save others seeking the life she wished for.

Very candidly Terri writes of the turbulent life she grew up in and hoped to escape only to find the turbulent life follow her in other ways as she aged.

Terri went through so very much growing up, not having great parental influence to help guide her, leaving her susceptible to prey.

She is totally open as she recalls her life, lifestyle, opinions and choices.

I felt for Terri in reading this. She persevered! Even though her life plan didn't go as she had hoped, she survived through so much. She never said a word in her story of feeling like she wanted pity, rather it is what it is attitude. She's got such strength and sweetness that I was able to see in reading this.

I'm really trying not to give away anything that happens in this story so you'll have to read it to find out! I very highly recommend. Kudos Terri for sharing your incredible life story with us readers!

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Terri Lenee Peake connections:

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/teresa.peake.33?fref=ts

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/tlpeake

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7837257.Terri_Lenee_Peake

Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Terri-Lenee-Peake/e/B00IC9B2NU/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1448388737&sr=1-1

ABOUT THE REVIEWER

Tracey Quintin connections:

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/LOVEBOOKSWITHROMANCE/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/ReadingIsOurPas

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/19886187-tracey-quintin

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Family Relationships: Perfect Gift for Father's Birthday of Father's Day

Title: Fathers’ Wisdom –

[A Powerful Collection of Stories from Fathers around the World.]

Author: Jennifer Karin Jordan

Genre: Family Relationships

Publisher: Square Tree

Release Date: June 15, 2015

ISBN-13: 978-0990319054

Available on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Fathers-Wisdom-powerful-collection-stories/dp/0990319059 

Reviewed by Marlan Warren

"I view all my children as angels of God whom He has entrusted to my care."

 —Darwin Bicknell ("Wisdom from a Stepdad") “Fathers’ Wisdom”

 

I could not read Jennifer K. Jordan's “Fathers’ Wisdom” without thinking of my own father. He took his parenting role very seriously, and would have appreciated a book like “Fathers’ Wisdom, ” which sets out to honor all fathers everywhere, and was inspired by Jordan's love for her father. Both her parents were no longer alive when she interviewed her first dad. Now, fourteen years later, “Fathers’ Wisdom” has emerged with over 50 fathers' stories. The California author spoke not only with American-born dads, but sought out men whose roots ranged from Germany to Afghanistan to Japan.

What I expected were sugar-sweet tales told by fathers who would want to put themselves in the best light possible. What I got was impressive honesty, and a nearly anthropological study of what makes good fathers tick.

"It's incredible to see my heart in someone else's body."

 —Gabriel Hall ("Yoga Dad") “Fathers’ Wisdom”

Fathers include a yoga teacher; golf entrepreneur; magazine editor; artist; actor; Holocaust survivor; pastors; as well as Japanese Americans who experienced World War II "internment" and battle. On board are also fathers outside of the nuclear family paradigm: foster dad, divorced dad and stepdad.

One of the most moving moments is when Holocaust survivor Bernard Sayone must explain to his son what happened to his own father at the hands of the Nazis. In a world that often values machismo in all its various forms, it's refreshing to hear tales of male sensitivity, longing and heartbreak.

“I teach my kids to be honest, whether they are alone or someone is watching.“

—Bob Gilder ("Integrity") “Fathers’ Wisdom”

All the fathers speak with admirable candor about their relationship to their children, and their view of fatherhood itself. As different as they are, they all seem to agree on one thing: lead your children by example.

“There isn’t just one way to be a father.”

—Pastor Bayless Conley, Cottonwood Church ("God in All") “Fathers’ Wisdom”

Each chapter concludes with an uplifting author suggestion of how to honor the wisdom shared by each dad, such as: “Today let’s be people that others can count on.”

If I were packing a Time Capsule, “Fathers’ Wisdom” would be one of the first items I'd put into it. For if the world should almost end in fire or ice, it would be nice to show future generations the good that men were once capable of doing.

========================================================================MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Author Website: http://www.amazon.com/Fathers-Wisdom-powerful-collection-stories/dp/0990319059

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Fathers-Wisdom-Book-1468257520134855/

Twitter: @jkjwisdomseries

MORE ABOUT THE REVIEWER
Marlan Warren

Roadmap Communications

Book Publicity by Marlan

1831 Winona Blvd., #104

Los Angeles, CA 90027

(323) 347-6762

roadmap.girl@hotmail.com

Roadmap Girl's Book Buzz

http://roadmapgirlsbookbuzz.blogspot.com/

Book Publicity By Marlan

http://bookpublicitybymarlan.blogspot.com/

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

An Uncomfortably Close Look at the Prescription Drug Abuse Epidemic

THE BITTER TASTE OF DYING

A memoir

by Jason Smith

ISBN-10: 0996402012

ISBN-13: 978-0996402019

Web site: authorjasonsmith.com

Available on Amazon

Available at iBooks

Reviewed by Christa Wojciechowski originally on MySweetDelirium.com

Just a few years ago, Jason Smith was lying in his bathtub, the blood slowly draining from his slit wrists. Now he is here to tell us how he reached the point of suicide after his long, dark descent into prescription opiate abuse. The Bitter Taste Dying is a story of resurrection told by an author who has literally come back from the black grip of death.

Today’s junkies are not just on the street corner anymore. Big Pharma are the suppliers, and doctors are the pushers, cultivating (perhaps inadvertently, but that’s debatable) a massive population of addicts from all demographics.

After a severe car accident, Smith has back surgery and is given a perpetual menu of painkillers and muscle relaxers by his physicians. It doesn’t take long for the high schooler to realize that by taking more than the recommended dosage, he could obtain the warm, euphoric mental and physical comfort only opiates can bring. But all too soon he also discovers the pangs of withdrawal whenever his medication runs out.

If anyone has difficulty understanding what an addict feels like, Smith describes it with painful accuracy.

“You know that feeling of having your head held under water, the last of your oxygen depleted, where very fiber of your being screams at you to get to the surface for more air? That’s the feeling of needing more drugs…”

As Smith grows into a man, his addiction grows to mammoth proportions and he must go through heroic efforts to keep himself in pills and Fentanyl patches. Smith tells the story in an approachable, conversational tone that may have you laughing out loud at some parts. As horrendous as it is watching how far he would go and how morally low he would sink to get more drugs, it’s difficult not to marvel at his ingenuity and boldness.

At the same time, Smith writes with tender honesty and cutting unabashedness that is rare in any writer, much less any human being. The reader immediately feels very close to him, making his shocking confessions feel like blows.

The Bitter Taste of Dying is an important book that underscores the urgency with which society has to address the prescription drug abuse epidemic. It allows us to watch with uncomfortable closeness how easy it is to develop an addiction to pain medication and how quickly and mercilessly it can devour one’s entire life.

From aspiring football star to international criminal, Smith shows us step by step how opiate addiction can happen to anyone you know, and very likely destroy them. Most importantly, The Bitter Taste of Dying reveals the light at the end of the tunnel–even the most hopeless addict can make it out alive.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jason Smith is a graduate of the University of California, Davis, whose work has been published extensively in both online and print media. Jason Smith is also the Creative Director of TheRealEdition.com, a recently launched website that allows addicts, recovering addicts, and their loved ones to publish their stories of addiction. Jason currently lives in northern California with his wife Megan and two children, Jaden and Isabella.

The Bitter Taste of Dying was released July 6th, 2015 by Thought Catalog and available in Kindle, iBooks, and his website http://authorjasonsmith.com.

Jason Smith is available for interviews, contributions, and appearances. To schedule a media event, order books, or request review copies, please contact christawojo at gmail.com.

ABOUT THE REVIEWER

Christa Wojciechowski is an author and freelance internet marketer living in Panama. You can visit her blog at christawojo.com and follow her on Twitter at @christawojo.

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Author Consultant Loves New Memoir

Title: The Crazy Floridan and the Birds...or the Search for
Feather Presents
Author: Jean Williams
Author Website: featherpresents.wordpress.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/featherpresents
FB fan page: https://www.facebook.com/Featherpresents?fref=ts
Book trailer: N/A
ISBN:978-1511489256
Genre: Creative nonfiction (memoir written in 3rd person)

Reviewed by: Teresa Morrow

This book, The Crazy Floridian and the Birds..., gives the reader
insight from a woman whose purpose is about sharing love, pure
and simple. She shares her journey from childhood to adulthood
and seeking who she is and her place in the world while finding
what matters to her. It a heartfelt story that showcases love
for people as humans at its core as she incorporates her
discovering of bird watching and how it fills her with joy.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jean Williams is an autistic woman who grew up the only child of
brilliant parents who never sought a diagnosis for her, seeing
her only as difficult, problematic and an under-achiever.
 Diagnosed as a young adult, Jean struggled for years with
issues of self-esteem, and never even hoped to find self-love.
 An unfulfilling career as a Software Engineer, and difficulties
making and keeping friendships added to her view of herself as a
failure.  Realizing finally that she never had to live up to the
ideals of her parents - and looking to find and live only toward
her own ideals has finally helped her to live her a life of
happiness.


ABOUT THE REVIEWER
Teresa Morrow, The Spiritual Author's Cheerleader, is a writer's coach and online book marketing consultant. She hosts "Inspiration Nation Radio" where she shares inspiration through the world of words. She is also the author of
Life Lessons from the Heart and Healing from Broken Trust: A Journey of Transformation,

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

An Alzheimers Memoir: Pathos, Humor, Helpful

Title: Somebody Stole My Iron

Author: Vicki Tapia
Publisher: Praeclarus Press (2014)  

Learn more        
Paperback: 344 pages
Genre: Memoir

• Family
• Relationships
• Aging
• Eldercare

ISBN-10: 1939807077

ISBN-13: 978-1939807076
Purchase: Amazon Barnes and Noble Praeclarus Press
Available in paperback and Kindle editions

 

A WONDERFUL book!
Reviewed by Susan Zoucha originally for Amazon

 

My mother started having memory issues about seven years ago. I've read a LOT of books on Alzheimer's and dementia and I've gained a lot of knowledge. I've read so much in fact, that when I came across this book I was thinking...No thank you. I was feeling sort of burnt out on the whole topic. Vicki caught my attention with the perfect title "Somebody Stole My Iron." It made me giggle and right away I felt like Vicki SURELY must have met my mother.

 

Now for the reasons I love this book:

 

1. It's not like any of the many others I've read. It reads like a great novel that even people who are not dealing with disease will enjoy. (Vicki, you are an amazing writer. Stick with it.)

2. The tips are wonderful and I didn't feel like I was getting them out of a textbook.

3. It was the first book I've read that actually talked candidly about the not-so-sweet people that end up with this disease! I love my mom with all my heart, but she has never been the sweet little old lady we often hear about. She's opinionated and cranky and it's only getting worse.

4. I felt like I had my own personal support group. I was in my own place with a dear friend (whom I've never met, lol) who understood what I was dealing with. Invaluable.

 

I laughed, I giggled, I sobbed, I softly cried, and I learned a lot.

​ 

One last thing, I loved the list of “Dos and Don'ts” in the back of the book that Vicki shared. I ran copies for all seven siblings and for my dad and had them laminated. They are a great reminder, so don't miss them!  

About the Author:

 

Somebody Stole My Iron is the first book-length publication for author Vicki Tapia, who in a former life, wrote for lactation journals. She retired from her career as a lactation consultant to direct her energies toward full-time writing. She is currently at work on a new book, which will focus on women’s issues at the turn of the 20^th century. 

Find Vicki on Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

True Sobriety Info Done with "Brightness"

Title: Sober is the New Black

Author: Rachel Black
Web site: www.soberisthenewrachelblack.blogspot.co.uk
Category: Self help, Addiction, Alcohol, Memoir
ASIN: B00HZIGNLU
Buy the e-book here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00HZIGNLU

 

Reviewed by Anna Buttimore B.A.Hons Administrator, originally for the spring 2015 issue of Law Care News

 

Sober is the New Black by Rachel Black shows very effectively how alcohol can insidiously, destructively and completely take over a life. Throughout it powerfully juxtaposes events in the author's life--business conferences, family holidays, book club meetings--when she was drinking, and after she stopped. There's always a risk with this sort of personal memoir that it can become egocentric and dull, but this one avoids that on two counts. First, because Rachel will resonate with so many readers as a typical working mother, someone they can relate to. Second, because it doesn't go too deeply into aspects of her life (we never learn the names of her children or her Other Half, or what job she does) and stays firmly focussed on the subject of alcohol.




I particularly liked the metaphor where the author compares lifelong abstinence with her mortgage. Both are burdens which look huge and terrifying when viewed as a whole, but are manageable and life-affirming on a day-to-day basis. The book well written, interesting and not overlong, but for me its best feature is the overriding optimism and delight on every page. If it has one message, it's that the sober life is wonderful. Rachel was evidently taken by surprise to find how much better everything, from social events to Christmas, is when you're not focusing solely on wine and how to drink as much of it as possible without anyone noticing. That brightness and assurance shines throughout the book and lifts it above other "sobriety memoirs”.

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rachel Black is also the author of‘Fashionable and Fabulous’. Read her blog here.

Join her on Twitter @SoberRachel.



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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Lorraine Brodek Channels Erma Bombeck

Title:  A Nobody in a Somebody WorldBy Lorraine Holnback BrodekPublished in 2012 by Tate Publishing & Enterprises, LLC
USA Book News FinalistISBN: 978-1-62147-195-0
Author's Web site: www.LorraineBrodek.com
Available on Amazon

Reviewer: Helen Dunn Frame, first published on Amazon.com, Five Star

Perhaps you, like me, can name a few well-known people you have met. For example, I appeared in MS Pinafore with problem child (according to our 6^th grade teacher) James Cann. Ted Koppel, his future wife, and I attended Journalism classes together at Syracuse University, and Robert Frost read poetry try to one of my elementary classes.

These brief encounters pale when reading Lorraine Holnback Brodek’s book A Nobody in a Somebody World. She recounts her life growing up in Beverly Hills with the offspring of many famous people and counting among her friends Erma Bombeck.

Nobody is an easy read, whether done in one sitting or not. Lorraine finds humor everywhere, even in truly dangerous situations that she survived.  The book provides insight about living among celebs in Hollywood when you are not one, documented by photos. Her chapter titles play on words. To sum it up, it’s an affectionate and funny book to add to your library.

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lorraine was born in Hollywood and raised in Beverly Hills. She was graduated from Harvard-Westlake in 1958. She received her radio/television degree from USC where she met her producer-husband Tom over 50 years ago. In 1971, she started the volunteer program for Public Television in Phoenix, AZ. Back in Los Angeles, she created the award-winning Warner Bros. Catalog featuring celebrities modeling studio merchandise and became VP of Direct Marketing until 1991.

Because of her outstanding accomplishments, she received the City of Los Angeles’ Mayor’s award. She was recognized as Humor Author of the Month by the University of Dayton and the Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop. Published in 2012,  The Tale of Peeky Peeper, is a whimsical Christmas children’s book and game that she wrote and illustrated for Logan. Her hilarious memoir, A Nobody in a Somebody World; My Hollywood Life in Beverly Hills was honored this month as Finalist for Best Humor Book by USA Best Book Awards.

 

MORE ABOUT THE REVIEWER

Helen has written everything from articles, columns, and public relations materials, as well as edited newsletters and others’ books, but when she “retired” to Costa Rica, she was able to focus on writing books other than her  Greek Ghosts, published in 2003. Secrets Behind the Big Pencil, Inspired by an Actual Scandal recently joined Retiring in Costa Rica or Doctors, Dogs and Pura Vida (Second Edition )where you will find references to other books about Costa Rica and lots of data for doing due diligence. They are all available on Amazon.

Learn more about her at:

Website: www.helendunnframe.com 

Author's Page:  https://www.amazon.com/author/helendunnframe.com 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/AuthorHelenDunnFrame


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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Spiritual Memoir Reviews by New Consciousness Review

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Unearthing Venus
Subtitle: My Search For the Woman Within

by Cate MontanaISBN-10: 1780285973
ISBN-13: 978-1780285979
Memoir/womens/spirituality
Authors' Web sites: www.unearthingvenus.com
www.catemontana.comiTo buy the book

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Reviews by Julie Clayton, originally for New Consciousness Review

A true tale, Unearthing Venus reads like a gripping novel filled with outlandish characters and circumstances, interesting locales, and astonishing bravery by an everyday heroine. Readers will be captivated by the humor, raw honesty, heartwarming tone, and unexpected insights along this unconventional journey, which eventually yields  not only personal awakenings, but also universal lessons.
Cate Montana is an ordinary woman, yet she has led an extraordinary life searching for deeper meaning and personal authenticity, allowing the winds of heartbreak and breakthrough to carry her, having faith that the choices she makes will ultimately lead to greater spiritual realization.

This book is “everywoman’s” story revealing the struggles that women in particular, and humanity in totality, endure as a consequence of feminine values being denied and invalidated. And it upholds a greater vision for what humanity is capable of becoming.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.