Tag: memoir

Thunder Dog: The True Story of a Blind Man, His Guide Dog, and the Triumph of Trust at Ground Zero by Michael Hingson and Susy Flory Review

On By authoranthonyavinablogIn reviewsLeave a comment

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

The true story of a man blind from birth and the extraordinary bond between him and his guide dog that allowed them to survive one of American History’s most horrendous tragedies comes to life in authors Michael Hingson and Susy Flory’s “Thunder Dog: The True Story of a Blind Man, His Guide Dog, and the Triumph of Trust at Ground Zero”.

Advertisements

The Synopsis

Faith.  Trust.  Triumph.

I trust Roselle with my life, every day. She trusts me to direct her. And today is no different, except the stakes are higher. Michael Hingson

First came the boom the loud, deep, unapologetic bellow that seemed to erupt from the very core of the earth. Eerily, the majestic high-rise slowly leaned to the south. On the seventy-eighth floor of the World Trade Center’s north tower, no alarms sounded, and no one had information about what had happened at 8:46 a.m. on September 11, 2001. What should have been a normal workday for thousands of people. All that was known to the people inside was what they could see out the windows: smoke and fire and millions of pieces of burning paper and other debris falling through the air.

Blind since birth, Michael couldn’t see a thing, but he could hear the sounds of shattering glass, falling debris, and terrified people flooding around him and his guide dog, Roselle. However, Roselle sat calmly beside him. In that moment, Michael chose to trust Roselle’s judgment and not to panic. They are a team.

Thunder Dog allows you entry into the isolated, fume-filled chamber of stairwell B to experience survival through the eyes of a blind man and his beloved guide dog. Live each moment from the second a Boeing 767 hits the north tower, to the harrowing stairwell escape, to dodging death a second time as both towers fold into the earth.

It’s the 9/11 story that will forever change your spirit and your perspective. Thunder Dog illuminates Hingson’s lifelong determination to achieve parity in a sighted world, and how the rare trust between a man and his guide dog can inspire an unshakable faith in each one of us.

The Review

The authors delivered a truly moving, compelling, and inspiring memoir. The visceral details of the harrowing experience both Michael and his guide dog Roselle had trying to navigate that stairwell and escape the towers that horrific day is chilling and haunting to read about, and is something that many readers around the world will be able to identify with as many experienced the fear and confusion that the news brought from that traumatic day.

The heart of the narrative lies in the bond between Michael and Roselle, as well as the emphasis the authors put on faith and trust as a whole. Whether it is the faith that Michael put into Roselle that day and throughout their lives as a whole or the faith in his belief system that gave him the confidence to face life’s struggles head-on, the theme of faith runs deeply through this book. 

Now I will say I had the pleasure of reading another book on this man’s life story, and you can read my thoughts on that here, but what made this version of his story shine in a different light than the first one was the emphasis the authors put on showcasing blindness as a whole and trying to move readers to look beyond the “handicap” of those who are blind and see the people they are instead, which gave a nice balance to the rest of the events portrayed in this book.

The Verdict

Thoughtful, inspiring, and hopeful, authors Michael Hingson and Susy Flory’s “Thunder Dog” is a must-read memoir and nonfiction book on faith, trust, and loyalty like no other. The emotional connection between Michael and Roselle, as well as the importance of understanding blindness and the connection people make with either their pets or in this instance, their guide dogs, and the shocking details of an experience few could ever put into words made this one book you won’t be able to put down. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!

Rating: 10/10

Advertisements

About the Author

When the World Trade Center was attacked on 9-11, it was as though the world stood still. It was a day that captured our full attention. Michael Hingson and his Guide Dog Roselle were on the 78th floor of Tower One that day, and were able to make their way to safety and survive the attack. The duo was immediately thrust into the international spotlight, becoming well-known representatives of the strength of the human/animal bond and a living example of the powerful partnership that exists between a blind person and their Guide Dog. In 2002 Michael joined the Guide Dogs for the Blind team as the National Public Affairs director, to share his story throughout the world on behalf of the school. In June of 2008 Michael left Guide Dogs to form The Michael Hingson Group to continue his speaking career as well as to serve as a consultent for corporations and organizations that need assistance with Inclusive and Diversity training as well as adaptive technology training.

Michael Hingson is available for speaking engagements, public appearances, consulting and training contract positions and media interviews.

In his own words:

I lived through the 9-11 tragedy and have much to say about my experiences leading up to and escaping from the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. Since that day, I’ve traveled the world with Roselle and her successors; at first to help people heal and hope, and now, to help them find meaning and purpose. As a blind person living in today’s world I want people to see that while there are many different kinds of people, each with their own different gifts, we all can live and work together if we choose to open our minds and hearts and become a more inclusive world. There are positive lessons to be learned from every tragedy, and 9-11 is certainly no exception.

Because I am blind, I have a unique perspective. Because I believe in the power of partnering with my Guide Dog, I can speak from the heart about teamwork and trust. I’ve been a guest numerous times on Larry King Live, have been interviewed on Regis and Kelly, and have appeared on the CBS Morning Show – but I’m looking forward to my next big engagement: as the featured speaker at your event.

I promise to bring my faithful friend and guide dog, Africa – she has her own fan club! If it weren’t for our ability to work together as a team just as I Roselle and I did on 9-11, my story would be much different and I probably would not have learned the lessons I now can pass on to audiences throughout the world.

The events of September 11th changed the world, and they certainly changed my life. There’s something about almost losing your life that makes what really matters in life crystal clear. I left my successful 27-year career in high tech computer sales and management to travel the world speaking about the importance of teamwork and trust in our professional and personal lives.

I would like to bring my story to your audience at your next event or meeting and help you make it a memorable and rewarding experience. And you will have the satisfaction that any dollars you spend will not only cover my speaking fees, but will help others like myself enjoy the independence and companionship that comes from a partnership with a Guide Dog. 

Home

Susy Flory is the New York Times bestselling author or co-author of fourteen books. A graduate of UCLA, she has a background in journalism, education, and communications. She loves reading and writing stories about unforgettable people who are living lives of adventure, courage, hope, redemption, and transformation.

She first started writing at the Newhall Signal with the legendary Scotty Newhall, an ex-editor of the San Francisco Chronicle and a one-legged cigar-smoking curmudgeon who ruled the newsroom from behind a dented metal desk where he pounded out stories on an Underwood Typewriter.

Susy’s first book, Fear Not Da Vinci, was co-written with Gini Monroe with contributions by Ward Gasque, and published in 2006. Other books include So Long Status Quo: What I Learned from Women Who Changed the World (Beacon Hill, 2009); Miracle on Voodoo Mountain (with Megan Boudreaux, Harper Collins, 2015); and The Good, The Bad, and the Grace of God, with Jep and Jessica Robertson (Harper Collins, 2015).

Susy’s runaway bestseller, Thunder Dog: The True Story of a Blind Man, His Guide Dog, and the Triumph of Trust at Ground Zero written with Michael Hingson, hit the New York Times bestsellers list in both hardcover nonfiction and e-book nonfiction the first week of release. Thunder Dog has also been adapted for the stage, optioned for film, and translated into over 15 languages, including German, Dutch, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean, Indonesian, and Chinese.

Her most recent book. The Sky Below, is the story of astronaut Scott Parazynski, the only man every to fly in space and summit Mount Everest. She just finished up Desired By God, a book with Van Moody, pastor of the Worship Center in Birmingham, AL, about a God who yearns for a vital and passionate relationship with us.

Susy is a member of The Authors Guild, Inspire Christian Writers, and INK Creative Collective. She’s a 2017 recipient of the Pacesetter Award from Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference, and now directs the West Coast Christian Writers Conference in the San Francisco Bay Area and her startup, Everything Memoir.

A breast cancer survivor of four gnarly surgeries, Susy celebrates life by chasing great stories in places like Cuba, Haiti, Turkey, Israel, and her own backyard. She’s written with celebrities, heroes of the faith, athletes, explorers, and the girl (and boy) next door She loves riding a crazy ex-racehorse named Stetson, hiking in the High Sierras, and skiing black diamond runs whenever she can. 

http://www.susyflory.com/

https://twitter.com/susyflory

Guest Blog Post: WHY A JOURNALIST WROTE A MEMOIR – ACROSS CONTINENTS by Ira Mathur

On By authoranthonyavinablogIn Blog Tours, Book Events, Guest Post1 Comment

In writing this memoir, I combined my two loves, journalism and creative writing.

The journalist’s task is to find the dark corners of the world of injustice and sadness and illuminate them. The bigger job is to be the watchdog of democracies, to ensure there are checks and balances in governance on behalf of the people.

If there is one thing it taught me is that humans are essentially the same. Everyone is looking for a way to survive the dark days of our mortality and the trials of being human, whether they are gangsters who end up getting shot at 20 and buried with gold chains down to their stomachs; or priests who have lived ascetic lives; or indeed, families around the commonwealth navigating the damage of Empire.

Advertisements

It was with this understanding that I began to write a memoir.

As an immigrant to Tobago, where my parents moved when I was a child, and later to Trinidad, I felt the past was being cut away from me.

My son was born, and I had begun forgetting words in Urdu and Hindi. As an immigrant to Trinidad, I started feeling the past was being cut away from me. I wrote it to remember the past and understand the present of the glittering islands of Trinidad and Tobago, where my parents moved when I was a child. 

As I wrote about my experience as a journalist, somebody who chronicles the events that shape a country, I realised that my past was not unique. My grandmother told me how my ancestor was brought from Uzbekistan to put down the mutiny in India in 1856. As a recruited member of the British Army, he was forced to shoot his fellow Muslims, something he regretted till he died. I began making connections. It was also the story of colonial islands in the new world, where people were stripped of language. The narrative continued with my parents travelling to Trinidad and Tobago, which also has a complicated history of colonisation by the French Spanish and English. That interested me – how the personal can be so political, how the unravelling of one family living under decades of colonialism can echo a crumbling empire.

The overall theme of the crumbling Empire is relevant, especially now; after the death of Queen Elizabeth 11, we can see how similar post-colonial worlds are. The history of brutality was identical. In India, we grew up with stories of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in Amritsar Puja when General Dyer ordered the British 

Indian Army to open fire on over a thousand unarmed, nonviolent protestors, Churchill’s active role in perpetuating the Bengal famine, or the signs my mother remembers in exclusive clubs that read “No Dogs or Indians” and the sly inroads of the East India Company. In Trinidad, as in much of South America, there is the brutal history of slavery, indentureship and genocide of millions of native Indians. In India from 1765 to 1938. the British got an estimated 45 trillion U.S. dollars’ worth of goods like textiles, rice, iron, and timbre, not to mention jewels from the Raj, which are housed in 

British museums today. Similarly, Caribbean islands like ours were looted for sugar and cocoa. It’s a shared history of exploitation.

 When my grandmother left India to join our family in Trinidad, she told me stories about a vanished India of the British Raj. She told me of generations of women born into Muslim Indian princely families of Bhopal and Savanur. I had to infer the calamity upon her life when my mother broke hundreds of years of tradition and understand why my grandmother disinherited my mother for marrying a Hindu army officer.

There were unanswered questions. I wondered why my grandmother ended up alone and penniless despite all her privileges- born a princess into Indian royalty, beauty, and musical talent. 

As I wrote the story, the puzzle came together. I began to understand how patterns are created in how we treat our daughters and how that damages the people we love. At my grandmother’s funeral, I was aware of how incongruous this was, a woman born in colonial India dying in the new world so far from everything she grew up with and knew. It was a way of bringing tother the old and new worlds and introducing the question of how and why this happened. How did a princess of the Raj die in Trinidad? 

Advertisements

The colonial idea that subjugation, cruelty and even corporal punishment can be justified for the greater good filtered down to how people in colonies viewed their children.– how neglect, abandonment or abuse is passed on to their daughters and that pattern is continued. 

Migration is also a very personal issue. At the funeral of the late Queen Elizabeth, dozens of security guards were of South Asian origin. According to an Indian Ministry of External Affairs report, 32 million Non-Resident Indians live outside India, overseas Indians comprise the world’s largest overseas diaspora, and over 2.4 million Indians migrate overseas yearly. Our family was just one in this ocean of movement. So the themes aren’t heavy, but 

illustrates how politics always becomes personal and affects families.  

When I wrote it, I did not expect it to resonate with so many people across continents. Michael Portillo for Times Radio was moved by the story of Poppet, the child in the book. Anita Rani of Times Radio was moved by the story of migration. The Observer found it was reminiscent of the times of the Raj in India, which has connected India and Britain for generations.

Advertisements

About the Author

Ira Mathur is the author of Love The Dark Days – a Peepal Tree published a memoir on the emotional ruins of Empire on three generations of women set in Trinidad, St Lucia, India and the U.K., bookended with a weekend with Derek Walcott. Love The Dark Days was selected as a UK Guardian Best Book of the Year 2022 ( Memoir and Biography)

Mathur is an Indian-born Trinidadian multimedia journalist and columnist with a body of writing that includes over 800 columns over 20 years. (www.irasroom.org) She was longlisted for the 2021 Bath Novel Award for Touching Dr Simone. (Out in 2023)

Mathur studied creative writing in London with The University of East Anglia/Guardian & the Faber Academy with Gillian Slovo, Maggie Gee, and James Scudamore. In 2019 Mathur was longlisted for the Johnson and Amoy Achong Caribbean Writers Prize. She holds degrees in literature, law and journalism. 

Purchase on Amazon U.K.: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Love-Dark-Days-Ira-Mathur/dp/1845235355#detailBullets_feature_div

Purchase on Amazon U.S.: https://amzn.to/3YaoVmH

They Call Me Produce Pete by “Produce Pete” Napolitano and Susan Bloom Review

On By authoranthonyavinablogIn reviewsLeave a comment

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

Authors “Produce Pete” Napolitano and Susan Bloom take readers on an engaging journey into the life and memories of TV icon Produce Pete in the book “They Call Me Produce Pete”.

Advertisements

The Synopsis

Pete Napolitano began his career in the produce industry in the early 1950s at the tender age of five, peddling fruit and vegetables door-to-door to help support his family’s New Jersey-based produce business.  “Discovered” at his store by a TV producer decades later and given the moniker “Produce Pete,” he’s since become a fixture on WNBC’s Weekend Today in New York show, where his tips on selecting, storing, and preparing various produce items – all shared in his authentic, endearing, and plain-speaking style – have captivated viewers in metro New York and other U.S. and international markets for 30 years and rendered him one of the longest-running segments in TV history. 

In They Call Me Produce Pete, Napolitano shares candid memories of growing up poor in post-WWII America, striving to achieve the American Dream, and landing unexpected fame as one of the nation’s leading experts on produce.  Sprinkled with touching stories, photos, and family recipes that have held a special place in his heart throughout his life, They Call me Produce Pete is a nostalgic nod to simpler times and a must-read for anyone who dares to dream the impossible. 

The Review

This was a touching and heartfelt read. The author did an incredible job of writing in a way that made the memoir feel personal and engaging all at once. The author’s story speaks to so many different people, from those who grew up in post-WW2 America to those who have worked in food, in particular with produce, and even those who have worked in the television field. 

The balance the author struck between personal life stories and memories with the behind-the-scenes look at his career and the family recipes that have held a special place in his heart was heartwarming to read about. The honesty and passionate way the author relayed his story to the reader spoke to the author’s storied career, and yet showcased the man behind “Produce Pete” in a brilliant way. I loved how personal and memorable each recipe the author included felt to the tapestry of his life story, and kept me both emotionally and intellectually invested in the author’s life. 

The Verdict

Insightful, memorable, and engaging, authors “Produce Pete” Napolitano and Susan Bloom’s “They Call Me Produce Pete” is a must-read memoir and nonfiction book. An iconic member of the television community and a leading expert in the field of produce, the story of Produce Pete will have readers invested as the author’s life plays out on the pages of this book, and the relatability of the author’s life will have readers feeling connected to the author on a personal level. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!

Rating: 10/10

Advertisements

About the Author

With over 70 years of experience in the produce industry, renowned fruit and vegetable expert, author, and TV personality “Produce Pete” Napolitano has appeared on a highly-popular segment on NBC’s Weekend Today in New York broadcastevery Saturday morning for 30 years.  They Call Me Produce Pete is the long-awaited follow-up to his first book, Produce Pete’s Farmacopeia. 

Susan Bloom is an award-winning writer whose work has appeared in such New Jersey-based publications as The Star-Ledger, The Asbury Park Press, New Jersey Monthly Magazine, and Jersey’s Best Magazine as well as such national mediums as USA Today, The New York Daily News, and Natural Awakenings.  She’s collaborated with Produce Pete on a broad range of articles and monthly columns for over a decade 

producepete.com

Love The Dark Days by Ira Mathur Review

On By authoranthonyavinablogIn reviews2 Comments

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

A woman who has been stuck in a vicious cycle of trauma as her grandmother lashes out after the loss of her former life finds herself fighting to let go of the past and reinvent herself in author Ira Mathur’s “Love The Dark Days”.

Advertisements

The Synopsis

From award-winning journalist Ira Mathur, Love The Dark Days is about accrued intergenerational damage between mothers and daughters in post-colonial worlds.

Set in India, England, Trinidad and St Lucia, Love The Dark Days follows the story of the life of Dolly, of mixed Hindu Muslim parentage in post-colonial India. Dolly, whose privileged family has colluded with the brutality of the British Rule in India, lives with her grandmother, who feels a raging loss at the fading old world. With it, her privilege. Dolly absorbs her grandmothers’ rage, becoming a living memorial of all the pain and injustice the imperious Burrimummy repeatedly hauls back from her past to tell and retell to Dolly. Just as Dolly is constantly pulled into the old wounds, so is the reader. The story is crafted so the reader viscerally experiences how trauma loops around, coming back and back through generations to warp the future.

That damage of unbelonging is repeated when her family migrates to Trinidad, where, in her darkest hour, she meets Nobel Laureate Derek Walcott, who encourages her when she visits him in St Lucia over a weekend to leave the past behind and reinvent herself. Before she can do this Dolly must re-enter the past one last time.

Can Dolly find the courage to examine each broken shard of her shattered family and reassemble it into a new shape in a new world? It is raw, unflinching, but not without threads of humour and perceived absurdity; Love the Dark Days is an intricate tapestry with Dolly’s story at its heart. 

The Review

This was such a well-written and captivating memoir and biography. The balance the author found in the generational stories of her family, including her grandmother and mother, with her own experiences was so impactful and thought-provoking. The rich imagery the author conjured up through her writing really brought readers into the lives of these very different yet connected women through the generations of this family. 

The heart of the author’s story was true in the intricate details of her life experiences and the multi-cultural journey she undertook in her life, as well as the deep look into how Colonialism impacted both her family and the generations that came before. The history of Colonialism is so rarely discussed in detail within nations such as The United States outside of an advanced history course, and so learning of the experiences that came with Colonialism and getting to see it through both her mother’s family’s side and her father’s point of view was fascinating. Yet it was the intimate, heartfelt moments that the author shared of her own life and experiences that really made the deepest impact, even in the opening pages as she confronts a loss of proportionate significance. 

The Verdict

Heartfelt, captivating, and engaging, author Ira Mathur’s “Love The Dark Days” is a must-read memoir and nonfiction book. The rich cultural dynamics both within her family and her own life were so passionately written about and felt in the journey the reader was led on, and the emotional and mental struggles the author and her multi-generational family underwent, including this cycle of trauma, were both tragic in its delivery and yet hopeful in the author’s achievements and experiences in the modern day. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!

Rating: 10/10

Advertisements

About the Author

Ira Mathur is an Indian-born Trinidadian award winning multimedia journalist with degrees in Literature, Law and Journalism. www.irasroom.org .She is currently the Trinidad Guardian’s longest-running columnist , and has freelanced for The Guardian (UK) and the BBC.

IN 2021 Mathur was longlisted for the Bath Novel Award for her unpublished novel ”Touching Dr Simone.”

In 2019 Mathur was longlisted for the Johnson and Amoy Achong Caribbean Writers Prize. An excerpt of her memoir is anthologized in Thicker Than Water, (Peekash Press, 2018).

In 2018 she shortlisted for the Bridport Short Story Prize, the Lorian Hemmingway (short story) and Small Axe Literary Competition.

Mathur gained diplomas in creative writing at the University of East Anglia/Guardian with James Scudamore & Gillian Slovo and Maggie Gee at the Faber Academy. ( 2015/2016)

https://www.irasroom.org/

Full: Overcoming Our Eating Disorders to Fully Live by Melissa L. Kelley and Alayna Burke Review

On By authoranthonyavinablogIn reviewsLeave a comment

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own. 

TRIGGER WARNING: BOOK INVOLVES AND SPEAKS ABOUT THE SUBJECT OF EATING DISORDERS. FOR ANYONE WHO CAN NOT HANDLE A BOOK INVOLVING THIS SUBJECT, READER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.

Authors Alayna Burke and Mellisa L. Kelley share a personal story of anxiety, eating disorders, and the path they took to overcome the odds and find joy in their lives in the book “Full: Overcoming Our Eating Disorders to Fully Live”. 

Advertisements

The Synopsis 

Growing up in the digital age, with the pressures of social media and increasingly competitive academics, Alayna’s perfectionism started early in life. She began to despise her body after a pre-teen wellness check when the physician told her to “lay off the snacks” and watch her weight. At age 16, Alayna was diagnosed with anorexia. She was three weeks from being sent to an in-patient treatment center when she decided to take charge of her life.

Plagued with body dysmorphia beginning at six years old, Melissa came of age in the diet culture of the 1970s and 1980s when fad diets, diet pills, and at-home exercise equipment dominated the golden age of advertising. Melissa was diagnosed with bulimia when she was 16 and her treatment included both inpatient and intensive outpatient programs over five years. After a series of traumatic events, she struggled with anorexia in her thirties.

Burke and Kelley weave their stories of illness and recovery through 12 topics that fed their eating disorders and share how they now manage those challenges to fully participate in life. FULL offers insight and hope to people struggling with eating disorders and those who love them.

The Review

This was such an emotional and captivating nonfiction read. The authors did an incredible job of finding just the right balance between the memoir style of writing and the specific focus on the topic of eating disorders and the impact they have on the person suffering from them. The atmosphere the authors create through their shared experience speaks both to the hardships they endured in their journeys and the hope they found in overcoming those disorders through the help of their families and proven techniques they discovered that helped them.

What stood out to me was both the exploration of each of these authors’ journeys in vastly different eras of history and the focus on personal experience more so than any technical or clinical focus on these disorders. The personal stories these authors share not only reflect their struggles but how the era they grew up in impacted how their disorders arose and presented themselves. This allows a larger group of readers to identify with the book and feel represented by the bravery and courage these authors have shown in writing this vitally important book. 

The Verdict

Thought-provoking, emotionally driven, and haunting yet hopeful all at once, authors Alayna Burke and Melissa Kelley’s “Full” is a must-read nonfiction and memoir-style book. The amount of knowledge and personal experience the authors share about their own journeys and how they related to one another over time, as well as the inspirational tone that the authors struck made this book readers won’t be able to put down. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!

Rating: 10/10

Advertisements

About the Author

Alayna Burke started her idea for Full as an eighteen-year-old senior in high school. She grew up in Saint Charles, Missouri, and always loved to write as a kid. Alayna developed anorexia, stemming from anxiety and depression, as a sixteen-year-old. Outpatient treatment and a strong support system helped Alayna recover in about two years, although the voice of her eating disorder still nags at her every once in a while. Alayna often wished there was a book out there from the voice of a teen who could relate to her, so she’s providing just that for other women. FULL is Alayna’s first published work. She is currently pursuing an undergraduate degree in nutrition and exercise physiology with a minor in psychology at the University of Missouri. Alayna plans to become a registered dietitian.

Melissa Kelley grew up in Saint Charles, Missouri, the third of six children. Her love for writing began in high school and blossomed in her forties when she began blogging and writing a memoir. Full is her first published work.Throughout her career, Melissa has worked in both corporate and civic non-profit organizations. She currently holds a leadership position in a company whose mission is to make the planet better through environmental sustainability services. In 2018, Melissa was named one of Saint Louis’ Most Influential Businesswomen by the St. Louis Business Journal. Melissa holds a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from Truman State University and a Master of Business Administration from Washington University in Saint Louis. She lives with her two children, Athena Robin Kelley and Erin Iris Christine Kelley, and their Cavapoo, Noah, in Saint Louis, Missouri.

Just Another Meat-Eating Dirtbag: A Memoir by Michael Anthony (Illustrated by Chai Simone Review

On By authoranthonyavinablogIn reviewsLeave a comment

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are y own.

Author Michael Anthony takes readers on a journey of love and veganism as he searches for a way to maintain his relationship with his girlfriend as she dives further and further into “The Cause” in the graphic novel “Just Another Meat-Eating Dirtbag: A Memoir”.

Advertisements

The Synopsis 

A rough-and-tumble Iraq War veteran is young and in love, and the last thing on his mind is food and the ethics of eating meat. But when his girlfriend becomes a vegetarian and animal rights activist, suddenly food is all he thinks about.

A true story of how love and vegetarianism can triumph over all else. Love, heartache, and the rest of the ingredients that make a reader laugh, smile, and stop-and-think, are all found in this enthralling graphic memoir. Amidst the stories of love and frustration, there are treatises on food, vegetarianism, and the ethics of the animal rights movement (some of it juxtaposed against Michael’s graphic wartime experiences). Told with Michael’s sardonic perspective and the delightful artwork of debut graphic novelist Chai Simone, this is a journey of true love gone temporarily astray.

The Review

This was such a unique and interesting read. The author did an incredible job of conveying real information and knowledge about the vegan and vegetarian lifestyle and how it can impact relationships while also infusing humor and wit into the narrative. The natural tone and atmosphere the author infuses into the story were great to see come to life. Typically in a memoir, the author has to work to infuse imagery into their stories, but the amazing artwork of Chai Simone did a great job of providing the warmth and depth this narrative held. 

Aside from the excellent utilization of the graphic novel format, what stood out to me was the deep emotional impact that this narrative had as well. The honesty and charm the author infused into the backstories of both himself and his girlfriend and the hardships they each had to overcome that led to their outlook on life (and subsequently the vegan/vegetarian lifestyle as a whole) was so profoundly moving and made the memoir feel more relatable and connected for many readers.

The Verdict

Thoughtful, gripping, and engaging, author Michael Anthony’s “Just Another Meat-Eating Dirtbag: A Memoir” is a must-read graphic novel meets nonfiction memoir of 2022. One of the top memoirs of the year, the author does an incredible job of finding his voice and infusing humor and emotion so seamlessly into the story of his relationship with both his girlfriend and his lifestyle as a whole and made this one book I didn’t want to put down. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!

Rating: 10/10

Advertisements

About the Author

Michael Anthonyis the author of the graphic memoir Just Another Meat-Eating Dirtbag: A Memoir,and the award-winning and acclaimed memoirs: Civilianized: A Young Veteran’s Memoir,and Mass Casualties: A Young Medic’s True Story of Death, Deception, and Dishonor in Iraq.

Michael’s writing has been called “strong … and starkly honest…”-Publisher’s Weekly, “Dark Humored,” –Kirkus, “smart and mordantly funny,” –Milwaukee Journal, and “gut punching…”–Mary Roach. He has appeared in several anthologies, and has written for The Washington Post, Business Insider, Signature-Reads, and The Good Men Project, where he served for a year as chief editor of the War & Veterans section.

He has been featured in several documentaries regarding military service, philosophy, and comedy, and he has worked as a military consultant for award-winning theater and art installations.

A graduate of Bridgewater State University, Michael also holds an MFA in creative writing from Lesley University. A former US army soldier, he currently lives with his wife in Massachusetts and spends his free time working with veterans.

Michael can be reached through his website: MichaelAnthonyAuthor.com

https://twitter.com/M_ichaelAnthony

Love Soars the Skies: A Mother’s Quest to Reach Her Son by Linda Ann Jones Review

On By authoranthonyavinablogIn reviewsLeave a comment

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

A mother must learn not only how to cope with the grief of losing her son, but how to utilize the heartbreak that comes with that loss to see beyond the world we know and understand the hidden world that resides just beyond our perception in author Linda Ann Jones’s “Love Soars the Skies: A Mother’s Quest to Reach Her Son”.

Advertisements

The Synopsis

A mother’s love lasts for all eternity.

Grief struck — paralyzing, debilitating — the day she prayed would never come.

The personal story of how one mother coped, to find answers and to somehow make sense of it. She knew that to reach her son in the place he now resides was her only hope.

This book will not tell you how to deal with the unfathomable grief of losing a child. It invites you to explore a bigger picture.

No one understands the complexities of drug addiction. But what if it was a plan all along? To learn, experience, and grow. Earth and heart have the same letters. What if it’s through heartbreak that we grow the most?

There is more to this world than meets the eye, and new vision is required to see past the paradigms that bind us.

Through her son, the author discovers extraordinary signs and synchronicities, some of which are supernatural.

This much is sure. There is an invisible world that we cannot see with our mere five senses. But we can sharpen our vision, to glimpse the wonders of eternity in all its powerful glory, and realize the mighty bond of love that forever weaves and sustains it. For love is the abiding force that connects the entire universe.

And absolutely nothing will ever diminish the unrivaled magnificence of a mother’s love.

The Review

This is truly an emotional and captivating read. The author’s writing really allows the reader to feel the depth of emotions that she felt and continues to feel after the loss of her son. The imagery and artistry of the author’s writing style really captured the impact of both this loss and the journey that she went on in the wake of that loss, and the subtle tones of hope and meaning lay amongst the waves of sadness that the author had to overcome really captured me as I read further and further into this journey.

Yet for me, the author’s striking balance between memoir, biography, and spiritualism as a whole really made this nonfiction read feel more profound. The way the author delved into the powerful themes of drug addiction, grief, and the meaning of death and life as a whole were perfectly elevated by the study of more supernatural elements in the author’s journey, such as the synchronicities that occurred in the wake of this tragedy and the search for communication on the other side that defined her grieving process.

The Verdict

A memorable, engaging, and heartbreaking story of love, parenthood, loss, and our place in the world, author Linda Ann Jones’s “Love Soars the Skies” is a must-read nonfiction memoir and spiritual book. Bringing the heart and deep impact that the loss of a child gives to parents at any age, the author instantly connects with the reader and allows us all to walk in her shoes on this journey of hers to make some sort of sense of this tragedy, and in that same vein understand the unexplainable nature of our world altogether. If you haven’t yet, please be sure to read this book immediately.

10/10

Advertisements

About the Author

Linda Ann Jones grew up in beautiful upstate New York which probably had something to do with her love for poetry. Quite unexpectedly, that eventually led her to write an award-winning children’s book series titled Alphabet Anatomy. In 2014, she became a grieving mother, which led her on a path to reach her oldest son in the place he now resides. She and her family live in sunny Arizona with three lively dogs and one remarkable cat. Her motto for writing has always been, “Say what’s in your heart, and touch someone else’s.”

https://lajones.allauthor.com/

The Alphabet Anatomy Rap is on You Tube! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxxZsC-70jg

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BH6Y8TNL/ref=x_gr_w_glide_sin?caller=Goodreads&callerLink=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.goodreads.com%2Fbook%2Fshow%2F62882247-love-soars-the-skies%3Fac%3D1%26from_search%3Dtrue%26qid%3DOMm2pKvrk8%26rank%3D3&tag=x_gr_w_glide_sin-20

Good Morning, Sunshine! The Joey Moss Story by Lorna Schultz Nicholson Review

On By authoranthonyavinablogIn reviewsLeave a comment

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

Author Lorna Schultz Nicholson takes young readers on a journey to discover the heart of Canadian icon Joey Moss, a young man with Down’s Syndrome who showed the world that anyone can contribute and bring joy to this world in her book “Good Morning, Sunshine! The Joey Moss Story”.

Advertisements

The Synopsis

Joey Moss first became known to many Canadians because of his work with the NHL Edmonton Oilers hockey team. Joey loved connecting with people. Whether he was singing “Oh Canada” on a jumbotron screen at a hockey game, welcoming a new friend with a playful wrestling match, or dancing on a runway for a charity fashion show, Joey loved making people feel good. But his impact and influence started long before he joined the Oilers. Joey was born with Down syndrome at a time when many children like him were institutionalized. Instead, Joey lived at home, surrounded by his supportive family who was determined that he should receive the same opportunities as others. From this loving environment grew a caring, energetic man who went on to show the world that people like him could do many things and contribute greatly to society. The inspiring true story of Joey Moss, a champion for all to have an opportunity to live a full, purposeful life, comes alive in this heartwarming picture book for young readers.

The Review

This was such a heartwarming and inspiring children’s picture book and memoir. The author did an incredible job of relaying the life story of Canadian icon Joey Moss while also relaying this information to the reader in a way that felt understandable and engaging. The warmth of the imagery used in the book and the hopeful tone that the author struck with the events of the subject’s life made this such an interesting story to get lost in.

For someone who was born in the United States and isn’t as familiar with the cultural scene of Edmonton, the information and atmosphere the author crafted made me feel immersed in this era of history and brought this story to life perfectly. The inspirational message of Joey’s life overall was so emotional and joyous, as his outlook on life and the way he overcame the obstacles life threw at him to make others happy and content was so heartfelt in the author’s delivery.

The Verdict

Magnificent, entertaining, and thoughtful, author Lorna Schultz Nicholson’s “Good Morning, Sunshine! The Joey Moss Story” is a must-read children’s picture book meets memoir that both children and adults will love. The heart and passion for which the author brings this iconic person’s story to life and the hopeful undertones of the story’s message and theme made this a book that readers will turn to over and over again. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!

Rating: 10/10

Advertisements

About the Author

Lorna Schultz Nicholson has written numerous books for children, including the Puckster series. She knew Joey Moss and he was an inspiration to her. Lorna lives in Alberta, Canada.

https://lornaschultznicholson.com/

https://twitter.com/lornasn

Chasing Tarzan by Catherine Forster Review

On By authoranthonyavinablogIn Blog Tours, Book Events, reviewsLeave a comment

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own. 

Author Catherine Forster takes readers on an emotional journey through a turbulent childhood and the pursuit of a new beginning in her book “Chasing Tarzan”.

Advertisements

The Synopsis

In the 1960s, a relentless school bully makes Catherine’s life a living hell. She retreats inward, relying on a rich fantasy life––swinging through the jungle wrapped in Tarzan’s protective arms––and fervent prayers to a God she does not trust. She fasts until she feels faint, she ties a rough rope around her waist as penance, hoping God will see her worthy of His help.

As the second of eight children, Catherine is Mommy’s little helper, and like Mommy, Catherine is overwhelmed. The bullying and the adult responsibilities together foment her anger. She starts smacking her siblings, and becomes her younger sister’s nemesis. Spooked by who she is becoming, Catherine vows to escape for real, before she hurts someone—or herself.

Catherine finds salvation in a high school exchange program: new town, new school, new family, new persona. A passport celebrity. In New Zealand, nobody knows her history or her fears. Except for her Kiwi “mum,” who sees through Catherine’s façade and pulls her out from her inner safe-house.

Exposed, her sense of self implodes. Catherine must finally rethink who she is.

The Review

This was both a heartbreaking and inspiring read all at once. The author’s story truly held an emotional depth that so many readers are going to be able to relate to, and the authenticity for which the author writes captures the intensity of the author’s experiences growing up that led to her behavior and struggles to go into the exchange program. 

The imagery and tone the author struck early on in the book were so passionate and heartfelt and highlighted the anxiety and hardships that the author endured early in life. The themes were the heart of this narrative, as the exploration of the impact bullies has on a child, the cost of trauma on our outlook on life, and the need for changes in our lives to thrive and grow all played a pivotal role in the author’s story.

The Verdict

A moving and captivating coming-of-age meets memoir narrative, author Catherine Forster’s “Chasing Tarzan” is a must-read book filled with emotional storytelling, thoughtful attention to themes, and an honesty that cannot be replicated. The relatability that this story has will compel readers to dive into the story, while the travel and foreign exchange program aspect of the book will have readers invested as the author’s journey continues. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!

Rating: 10/10

Purchase a copy of Chasing Tarzan on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. You can also add this to your GoodReads reading list.

Advertisements

About the Author

Catherine Forster honed her powers of observation early on, and later applied them to artistic endeavors. Although it didn’t happen overnight, she discovered that seeing and hearing a bit more than the average person can be beneficial. As an artist, her work has exhibited in museums and galleries across the United States and abroad. Her experimental films have won accolades and awards in more than thirty international film festivals, from Sao Paulo to Berlin, Los Angeles to Rome, London to Romania. Through her work, she explores the dynamics of girlhood, notions of identity, and the role technology plays in our relationship with nature.

In her capacity as an independent curator, she founded LiveBox, an eight-year project that introduced new media arts to communities at a time when few new what media arts was. For the past four years she has been a member of the curatorial team for the Experiments In Cinema Film Festival held annually in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She received a Masters of Fine Arts from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, a Masters of Business from the London Business School, and a fellowship in writing from the Vermont Studio Center. She is also included in the Brooklyn Art Museum’s Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art.

You can follow her on her website as well as on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Blog Tour Calendar

October 24th @ The Muffin

Join us as we celebrate the launch of Chasing Tarzan by Catherine Forster. We’ll be interviewing the author, sharing information about the book, and hosting a giveaway. 

https://muffin.wow-womenonwriting.com/

October 25th @ Pages and Paws

Join the Pages and Paws blog and read the review of Chasing Tarzan by Catherine Forster.

https://pagesandpaws.com/

October 25th @ Lisa Haselton’s Reviews & Interviews

Join Lisa as she interviews author Catherine Forster about her book Chasing Tarzan.

https://lisahaselton.com/blog/

October 26th @ Author Anthony Avina’s Blog

Visit Anthony’s page and read his review of Chasing Tarzan by Catherine Forster.

https://www.authoranthonyavinablog.com/

October 27th @ Chapter Break

Join Julie as she shares a guest post by Catherine Forster about the role of imagination when children suffer torment.

https://chapterbreak.net/

October 30th @ Rockin Book Reviews

Join Lu Ann as she reviews Chasing Tarzan by Catherine Forster.

Home

November 2nd @ The Mommies Review

Join Glenda as she reviews Chasing Tarzan by Catherine Forster and hosts a giveaway on her blog.

https://themommiesreviews.com/

November 3rd @ Sioux’s Page

Visit Sioux’s blog as she reads and reviews Chasing Tarzan by Catherine Forster.

http://siouxspage.blogspot.com/

November 4th @ The Faerie Review

Join Lily as she reviews Chasing Tarzan by Catherine Forster.

https://www.thefaeriereview.com/

November 5th @ Jill Sheets Blog

Jill interviews Catherine Forster about her memoir Chasing Tarzan.

http://jillsheets.blogspot.com/

November 7th @ Clueless Gent

Join Michael as he reviews Chasing Tarzan by Catherine Forster.

Home Page

November 10th @ Word Magic

Come by Fiona’s blog and read a guest post about the mother-daughter relationship in all its complexities.

http://fionaingramauthor.blogspot.com/

November 12th @ Just Katherine

Jamie shares her thoughts about Chasing Tarzan by Catherine Forster.

https://justkatherineblog.wordpress.com/

November 13th @ Writer Advice

Catherine Forster shares a guest post about how her idea for her memoir came to be and how she turned it into a novel.

https://writeradvice.com/

November 15th @ Choices

Madeline shares a guest post by Catherine Forster about the long-term effects of bullying.

http://madelinesharples.com/

November 17th @ All the Ups and Downs

Join Heather as she features a guest post by Catherine Forster about the role of adults and how they can be the potential savior for the wounded child.

https://alltheupsandowns.blogspot.com/

November 19th @ Boots, Shoes and Fashion

Join Linda as she interviews author Catherine Forster about her book Chasing Tarzan.

https://bootsshoesandfashion.com/

November 19th @ Life According to Jamie

Jamie shares her thoughts about Chasing Tarzan by Catherine Forster.

https://lifeaccordingtojamie.com/