Personal Memoirs Women

As a farm girl in eastern Oregon, feeding bottles to bummer lambs and babysitting her little sister, Jackie Shannon Hollis expected to become a mother someday. After a series of failed relationships, she met Bill, the man she wanted to spend her life with. But he was a man who never wanted children. Saying I do meant saying I don't to a rite of passage her body had prepared her for since puberty.

Anya Liftig grew up with a foot in two very different worlds: While her mother's upbringing was so rural that the other kids called her "holler rat," her father came from a comfortable, upper-middle-class Jewish family. Anya spent school years in affluent Connecticut and summers in the holler. Shaped by the experience, she would go on to win a scholarship to Yale and become an acclaimed artist, using provocative performances to explore the contradictions and unanswered questions of her life.

In this unflinching, unforgettable memoir, Regina Louise tells the true story of overcoming neglect in the US foster-care system. Drawing on her experience as one of society’s abandoned children, she tells how she emerged from the cruel, unjust system, not only to survive, but to flourish. After years of jumping from one fleeting, often abusive home to the next, Louise meets a counselor named Jeanne Kerr. For the first time in her young life, Louise knows what it means to be seen, wanted, understood, and loved.

This complex memoir shows what it was like growing up in the shadow of a literary father and a neglectful mother, getting thrown out of boarding school after being seduced by a teacher, and all of the later-life consequences that ensue. In 1982, Erika Schickel was expelled from her East Coast...

In Dare to Own You: Taking Your Authenticity and Dreams into Your Next Chapter, Liz Brunner reflects on the risks she has taken, the obstacles she’s overcome, and the lessons learned along the way. Mixing memoir with practical, implementable transformational tools, this book weaves her story about determination, perseverance, resilience, faith, and trust. What emerges is an approach to life that will empower others to dare to own who they are and move into the next chapter of their professional and private lives with courage, confidence, and authenticity.

An inspiring memoir, reminding us that whether life's lessons arrive through illness, trauma or any other unexpected upheaval, life really does love us. As a free-spirited, independent woman, Bronnie Ware was used to donning a variety of hats: singer, songwriter, author, speaker, traveller and adventurer. And as her soul would have it in her mid-40s, she felt the urge to add one more: mother.

Born Again in a Biker Bar depicts the story of a raging codependent and her alcoholic husband. It is centered in the famous Johnny's Bar & Grill in Hollister, California. Johnny's is the bar depicted in the 1953 movie The Wild One featuring Marlon Brando. When Charisse purchased Johnny's in January 1996, she had no idea of its fame. She did however know that her husband was an alcoholic. Within a few months of the purchase, Tommy quit his well-paying job and took his drinking to a whole new level. His health and their marriage deteriorated. On the brink of divorce, Charisse found herself at an Al-Anon meeting.

Ruth's tribe are her lively children and her filmmaker husband, Simon, who has motor neurone disease and can communicate only with his eyes. Ruth's other tribe are the friends who gather at the cove in Greystones, Co. Wicklow, and regularly throw themselves into the freezing cold water just for kicks. The Tragic Wives' Swimming Club, as they jokingly call themselves, meet to cope with the extreme challenges life puts in their way, not to mention the monster waves rolling over the horizon.

Fugitives from a man as alluring as he is violent, Andrea Jarrell and her mother develop a powerful, unusual bond. Once grown, Jarrell thinks she's put that chapter of her life behind her - until a woman she knows is murdered, and she suddenly sees that it's her mother's choices she's been trying to escape all along. Without preaching or prescribing, I'm the One Who Got Away is a life-affirming story of having the courage to become both safe enough and vulnerable enough to love and be loved.

When the Affair Is Over: Untold Stories from the Former Other Woman picks up where the first book left off, with the apex of Gillian’s journey to self-absolution, illustrating the emotional and mental rollercoaster that can take place even on the path of healing and reprieve. Then, we are introduced to Lorynn, a single mother who opens her heart to the wrong one, facing a bitter truth that she didn't even know....One story at a time, different experiences, and journeys, told from the former other woman herself.

Army Wives goes beyond the sound bites and photo ops of military life to bring listeners into the hearts and homes of today's military wives. Biank tells the story of four typical Army wives who, in a flash, find themselves in extraordinary circumstances that ultimately force them to redefine who they are as women and wives.

With four young daughters and a miserably failed marriage, Debra Gwartney moves halfway across the country, to Eugene, Oregon, for a new job and what she hopes will be a new life for herself and her daughters. The two oldest, Amanda, 14, and Stephanie, 13, have a symbiotic relationship so intense they barely know where one begins and the other leaves off. They

A searing memoir that explores the institutions that defined a Puerto Rican woman and what she unlearned to rediscover herself "A lushly written, deeply felt investigation into the meanings of home, lineage and selfhood." —Melissa Febos, bestselling author of Body Work and Girlhood...

Noor Akhter, a Pakistani-British single mother, stands at the crossroads of life, grappling with the weight of a traumatic childhood, toxic marriages, and the daunting challenge of raising three children alone. Yet, Noor’s spirit refuses to break. Amidst the relentless questioning from friends and social workers, and often finding herself isolated in her struggles, she turns to meditation. This practice becomes her lifeline, guiding her on a profound inner journey where she confronts her ego, uncovers her true self, and gains the clarity needed to navigate her trials.

Leslie White knew she wanted more out of life - She found it in an unlikely place. Devastated from the loss of both parents to cancer nine months apart, Leslie vowed to change her life. She bought the neighbor’s old motorhome, found a job as a traveling histologist, and hit the road. But she found she could not trust the one person she was still holding onto.

A new collection of inspiring personal philosophies from another noteworthy group of people This second collection of This I Believe essays gathers seventy-five essayists—ranging from famous to previously unknown—completing the thought that begins the book's title. With contributors who run...

Designing Success offers a fresh perspective on achieving true fulfillment and balance in a world where burnout has become the norm. This book is your blueprint for creating an environment that fosters growth and empowers you to succeed on your terms. Catherine’s journey began at fifteen when she cofounded an early social network, which evolved into a thriving portfolio of dating apps serving millions. Despite fierce competition and rapid technological shifts, her team’s intentional approach to growth and strategy led to two sales: $100 million in 2011 and $500 million in 2020.

In this deeply personal portrayal, Tania J. Wilson peels back the layers of a life lived across continents and cultures. From a childhood in coastal South Africa to decades of reinvention in the United States, she traces the quiet silences, family heartaches, and unexpected joys that shaped her journey.

Everyone has the right to choose, but no one gets to choose the consequences. Sometimes we are unfairly forced to live with the consequences of another person’s actions when facing abuse and domestic violence. Further complications come when the abuser is someone we love. Fortunately, hope and choices are always present for those who look for them.

How did she turn a side hustle into a game-changing business, and at the same time, achieve happiness and fulfillment in her life? For Charlotte, it all came down to one thing - jeong. One of the most important Korean cultural concepts, jeong is a deep and meaningful connection that can be felt between people, places, and things. It goes deeper than love and friendship, and grows stronger with time. In South Korea, jeong encourages generosity, empathy, and the cultivation of lasting bonds.