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Barbara Hoffbeck never quite felt she fit into the small farming community of Big Stone City, South Dakota—and as the youngest of seven growing up during the post-Depression era, she struggled to find her place within her large Catholic family. Barbara defied expectations at every turn, determined to prove her worth in a male-dominated time and place, whether it be by joining a "no girls allowed" hunting trip with her brothers, racing to help save her family's burning barn, or moving across the United States to New York City to pursue a career in publishing. Barbara took her experiences in stride, grounding herself in the beauty of her surroundings—an appreciation stemming from her Dakota roots. Lost Without the River is the story of a girl who grows up, leaves home, and eventually discovers an appreciation for the farm she left behind. It demonstrates the emotional power that even the smallest place can exert, and the gravitational pull that calls a person back home. Author: Barbara Scoblic Publication Date: April 16, 2019 -
2016 IndieFab Finalist in Women’s Studies and Finalist in Anthologies 2016 Next Gen Winner in Women’s Issues 2016 IPPY Bronze Medal Winner in Women’s Issues Hillary Clinton’s name is on everyone’s lips as we head into the 2016 presidential election. But as we know from the 2008 presidential campaign, and its outcome, Clinton evokes extreme and varied emotions among voters in a way no other candidate in recent memory has. But why? Love Her, Love Her Not: The Hillary Paradox delves into the nuances of our complicated feelings about one of the most powerful women ever in American politics. In this timely collection, editor Joanne Bamberger gathers a unique and diverse group of writers of all ages, walks of life, and political affiliations, while also providing the narrative framework through which to view the history that’s led us to this moment in time—the moment when voters must decide whether they can forgive Hillary Clinton for not being the perfect candidate or the perfect woman and finally elect our first woman president. Timely and fresh, Love Her, Love Her Not will provoke new conversations and push political and cultural dialogue in the US to a new level. Author: Joanne Bamberger Publication Date: November 3, 2015 -
Love across cultures is tested when Antonio, a penniless university student, and Evelyn, a strong-willed Peace Corps volunteer, succumb to their attraction to one another at the end of her two-year commitment in Peru and Evelyn gets pregnant. Deeply in love, the twenty-three-year-olds marry in Cusco—and decide to begin their married life in Northern California. Evelyn, like most wives of the ’60s and ’70s, expects her husband to support their family. And Antonio tries to take his place as head of the household, but he must first learn English, complete college, and find an adequate job. To make ends meet, Evelyn secures full-time positions, leaving their infant son in the care of others, and they both go on to attend college—she for two years, he for six. Then Antonio is offered a full-time professorship at the university he attended in Peru, and he takes it—leaving Evelyn a single parent. Parenthood, financial stress, the pull of both countries, and long visits from Antonio’s mother threaten to destroy the bonds that brought them together. Clear-eyed and frank, Love in Any Language illustrates the trials and joys in the blending of two cultures. Author: Evelyn Kohl LaTorre Publication Date: September 28, 2021 -
For fans of Jennifer Weiner and Helen Fielding, a debut contemporary women’s fiction novel about a woman in the country music industry navigating the ins and outs of friendship, love, jealousy, and life on tour. Who knew a broken heel can change your life? Though she has her dream job—finding new songs for singers in the booming country music industry—music executive Christine Matthews lives an unexciting life. That is, until a broken shoe sends her sprawling on the street right in front of Nashville singing sensation Austin Garrett’s tour bus, and Austin himself comes to her aid. When Austin recognizes Christine as the woman who pitched him his recent number one hit, he invites her to be his date at the CMT Awards that night, and like that, Christine is catapulted from a life of solitude to the spotlight. Suddenly, she’s the subject of much speculation—and criticism. Some jealous fans think she’s not pretty or thin enough, and they begin to cyber-bully and body shame her. But that’s not the only reason Christine thinks accepting Austin’s invitation to join him on tour and help him find another big hit might be a bad idea. She’s also developing feelings for his tour manager, Matt. And one of her online bullies has turned threatening, bringing up trauma from Christine’s past. Is the turmoil worth it? Or is her only real solution to walk away from all of it—even the man who might just be the love of her life? Author: Lee Adams Publication Date: June 17, 2025 -
Judy Gaman was so busy making a name for herself that she barely took the time to meet a stranger, enjoy life, or simply stop to breathe. Immersed in her job as the director of business development for a high-profile medical practice—a job that required her to write health and wellness books and host a nationally syndicated radio show—she spent every day going full speed ahead with no looking back. That is, until the day she met Lucille Fleming. While writing a book on longevity, Judy interviewed Lucille, an elegant and spirited woman who had just recently turned 100. Lucille had the fashion and style of old Hollywood, but it was all hidden behind the doors of her assisted living center. What began as a quick meeting became a lasting friendship that transformed into an inseparable bond. Lucille brought incredible wisdom and great stories to the table, while Judy provided an avenue for excitement and new opportunities. Together, the two began living life to the fullest, and meeting the most interesting people along the way (including Suzanne Somers). But then Lucille’s life came to an end through unexpected and unfortunate circumstances—and the very first lesson she ever taught Judy proved to be the most important one of all. Author: Judy Gaman Publication Date: April 14, 2020 -
Loveyoubye opens when Rossandra White’s husband of twenty-five years disappears, leaving behind a cryptic, hastily-written note on the kitchen counter, and then returns weeks later, offering few details about where he went. This sequence of events has played out before. Despite knowledge of at least one affair, she trusts he is being true to her and that their tumultuous marriage will endure. But this time is different. A subsequent confluence of crises rattles Rossandra’s core, shedding light on both the dark elements of their marriage and the direction her life must follow if she decides to leave her husband. In South Africa, land of her birth, Rossandra’s younger brother, whose physical and mental disabilities have stricken her with a lifetime of guilt, needs her help, and she answers the call. She returns to California where her dog Sweetpea, who for years has served as a vital emotional link between Rossandra and her husband, has begun to succumb to a fatal illness. Author: Rossandra White Publication Date: April 8, 2014 -
“Atwell’s evocative descriptions provide added depth to the characters, particularly Lindsey, whose voice emanates from the pages. A brutally honest, affecting memoir of family resilience.” —Kirkus Reviews “Linda Atwell is a beacon of light in her book about the richness of raising a daughter with special needs. Lindsey stories are woven into the midst of Atwell’s own very full life, and she truly tells it like it is. She shares her experiences through the lenses of love, humor, and the human condition.” —Diana Dolan Mattick, Special Education Teacher and Learning Specialist Linda Atwell and her strong-willed daughter, Lindsey—a high-functioning young adult with intellectual disabilities—have always had a complicated relationship. But when Lindsey graduates from Silverton High School at nineteen and gets a job at Goodwill, she also moves into a newly remodeled cottage in her parents’ backyard—and Linda believes that all their difficult times may finally be behind them. Life, however, proves not to be so simple. As Lindsey plunges into adulthood, she experiments with sex, considers a tubal ligation, and at twenty quits Goodwill and runs away with Emmett, a man more than twice her age. As Lindsey grows closer to Emmett, she slips further away from her family—but Linda, determined to save her daughter, refuses to give up. A touching memoir with unexpected moments of joy and humor, Loving Lindsey is a story about independence, rescue, resilience, and, most of all, love. Author: Linda Atwell Publication Date: September 26, 2017 -
Born to an abusive mother and a drug-dealer father, Ginelle Testa is not exactly set up for success—and her early years are just as troubled as one might expect. By the end of her thirteenth year, she’s started experimenting with alcohol and drugs, has fallen prey to anorexia, and has been sexually assaulted. And that’s only the beginning of her spiral down into addiction and disordered eating. As Ginelle progresses into young adulthood, she hits several substance-related bottoms. In her senior year of college, after blacking out and ending up naked in her dorm’s community shower, she goes to Alcoholics Anonymous and gets sober. But steering clear of drugs and alcohol, she discovers, is not a cure-all; despite the positive changes she’s made, her sex and dating life continue to be troubled and turbulent. Then she finally finds Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous . . . and begins to truly heal. Raw, relatable, and powerful, Testa’s is a riveting tale of climbing up from rock bottom—and learning to make a home in oneself instead of in substances and other people. Author: Ginelle Testa Publication Date: September 3, 2024 -
Indie Reader Discovery Awards Winner for Parenting Bronze Medal Winner Inspirational Memoir-Female Living Now Book Awards-Books for Better Living When LeeAndra Chergey is told that her son, Ryan, is no longer considered “normal,” she and her family are forced into a new way of handling the outside world. Together, Chergey’s family and a team of carefully chosen therapists put in years of hard work, and eventually teach Ryan to speak and express emotions. Through it all, Chergey follows her heart—and in the process, she learns that being “normal” is not nearly as important as providing your child with a life full of joy, love, and acceptance. Tender and candid, Make A Wish For Me is a story of accepting and tackling a disability stigmatized and misunderstood by society. Author: LeeAndra Chergey Publication Date: November 10, 2015 -
What was it like to survive an illegal abortion, come out as a lesbian, and train to become a doctor in the late 1960s and early ’70s—before Roe v. Wade, before Title IX, and in a largely homophobic nation? In this unflinching and riveting coming-of-age memoir, Patricia Grayhall battles sexism in a male-dominated profession. She plunges into a life that is never boring—and certainly never without passion. Tossed around in the rough seas of medical training, chronically exhausted and emotionally drained, Patricia chafes at the toxic masculinity of the culture of medicine, facing many of the same issues women face in male-dominated fields today. Although the sexual revolution and women’s movement in 1970s Boston celebrate women's desire, one barrier after another prevents Patricia from finding the supportive long-term relationship she yearns for. Will she risk her career to find the love she seeks? “Inspiring, heartfelt, and brutally honest . . . this is a book that will give women and those who care about them the strength and motivation to persevere. . . . ” —Seattle Book Review This book, named one of Kirkus Reviews’s Best 100 Indie Books of 2022, is the inspiring true story of how one woman navigates these stormy seas without signposts to reach her goals—often battered, but never broken. Author: Patricia Grayhall Publication Date: October 11, 2022 -
She left everything behind and risked not only her life, but also the lives of her two small children to escape from Vietnam after the Fall of Saigon. In the middle of the night, Charlie―along with her husband, two toddlers and two young sisters―joined 100 other people on a tiny boat and fled their home country. The journey was long and dangerous, but after almost two years in refugee camps, the family finally made it to America. After emigrating, as many Vietnamese refugee women did, Charlie began working in the booming nail industry. When her path crossed with Olivett, an African American woman, they became business partners―and built an empire together. After only a few years in the US, Charlie was a millionaire and living the American dream. Her tale is one of tragedy and triumph―a true rags to riches story that will amaze and inspire readers from all walks of life. Author: Krista Beth Driver Publication Date: October 8, 2019 -
“Reinhart writes in a conversational tone, as if she’s telling a juicy story to a good friend… A memoir that crafts a neatly resolved narrative.” —Kirkus Reviews When Leah Reinhart was six years old, her family moved to an unlikely neighborhood on a hill much like the country—a place where everyone dressed and lived like they were living a real-life Little House on the Prairie. Yet their new home was in Oakland, California, and everything surrounding Leah’s neighborhood was the polar opposite of their old-fashioned lifestyle. As an already scared little white girl in a predominantly African American city, Leah quickly learned that would have to face many of her fears—or get eaten alive. And in her search for love and belonging, she also found that things aren’t always as they appear. As she got to know her neighbors, most of whom belonged to the neighborhood church, she began to realize that the hood was sometimes much safer than the country. Over the course of her life—learning from the streets, a cult, trial and error, and many years of therapy—Leah developed an eye for patterns. She learned how the belief system she’d absorbed during her childhood manifested in her teenage years and young adulthood. Ultimately, she learned how to change her thoughts and accept herself—and in doing so, she broke free of the cycle she’d been imprisoned by. Author: Leah E. Reinhart Publication Date: June 5, 2018 -
Many Hands Make Light Work is the rollicking true story of a family of nine children growing up in the college town of Ames, Iowa in the ’60s and ’70s. Inspiring, full of surprises, and laugh-out-loud funny, this utterly unique family champions diversity and inclusion long before such concepts become cultural flashpoints. Cheryl and her siblings are the offspring of an eccentric professor father and unflappable mother. Mindful of their ever-expanding family’s need for cash, her parents begin acquiring tumbledown houses in campus-town, to renovate and rent. Dad, who changes out of his suit and tie into a carpenter’s battered white overalls, like Clark Kent into Superman, is supremely confident his offspring can do anything, whether he’s there or not. Mom, an organizational genius disguised as a housewife, manages nine children so deftly that she finds the time―and heart―to take in student boarders, who stir their own offbeat personalities into this unconventional household. The kids, meanwhile, pour concrete, paint houses, and, at odd moments, break into song, because instead of complaining, they sing as they work, like a von Trapp family in painters caps. Free-wheeling and contagiously cheerful, Many Hands Make Light Work is a winsome memoir of a Heartland childhood unlike any other. Author: Cheryl Stritzel McCarthy Publication Date: August 6, 2019 -
Any woman who wants to marry can . . . once she learns how. Marriage Minded's A to Z format, packed with warmth, wisdom, and humor, makes the process fun and informative. You will learn how to overcome obstacles, meet men, and date constructively; you’ll read about single women of all ages who became happily married; and in Marcia Naomi Berger, you’ll have a sensitive guide to creating the lasting, loving union you’ve always wanted. After her parents divorced, Berger became a long-term commitmentphobe who stayed single for many years. Now happily married for more than thirty-three years, this psychotherapist and clinical social worker’s mission is to help others create marriages that fulfill them―emotionally, spiritually, physically, and materially. Author: Marcia Naomi Berger Publication Date: September 14, 2021 -
When recent Harvard grad Helen Zuman moved to Zendik Farm in 1999, she was thrilled to discover that the Zendiks used go-betweens to arrange sexual assignations, or “dates,” in cozy shacks just big enough for a double bed and a nightstand. Here, it seemed, she could learn an honest version of the mating dance—and form a union free of “Deathculture” lies. No one spoke the truth: Arol, the Farm’s matriarch, crushed any love that threatened her hold on her followers’ hearts. An intimate look at a transformative cult journey, Mating in Captivity shows how stories can trap us and free us, how miracles rise out of crisis, how coercion feeds on forsaken self-trust. Author: Helen Zuman Publication Date: May 8, 2018 -
For fans of Breaking Bad and Narcos, a searingly honest and unforgettable memoir that challenges women to rethink everything they know about survival, resilience, and finding their voice. At twenty-one, Brenda Coffee surrendered herself to her marriage and became a woman who would do almost anything her charismatic and powerful older husband, Philip Ray, wanted. Regardless of whether it was dangerous, adventurous, sexual, or illegal, she wanted to be the one woman he couldn’t live without. Brenda and Philip’s life together was a fairy tale until it wasn’t. Until Philip, the founder of two high-profile, groundbreaking public companies, began making real cocaine in their basement and became addicted. Until the Big Six tobacco companies threatened their lives for creating the first smokeless cigarette—Brenda coined the terms vape and vaping—and brutal Guatemalan military commandos forced her into the jungle at gunpoint. A suspenseful, fast-paced memoir that reads like a thriller, Maya Blue will strike a chord with those who’ve lost their voice or had trouble finding their power. It will resonate with those who live with an addict or have grieved the loss of a spouse. But above all, it is an inspiring reminder that as long as you never surrender your voice and always keep your wits about you, you can survive almost anything. Author: Brenda Coffee Publication Date: May 20, 2025 -
“A beautifully written, challenging, and thought-provoking book, one that truly leads us to insights and recognitions that make it possible to contemplate a world that works for all. I haven’t seen anything like it. Trenshaw’s book contributes to helping us see the world at the margins with clarity.” —Margaret J. Wheatley, author of So Far From Home, Perseverance, Turning to One Another, and Leadership and the New Science When Cynthia Trenshaw, recently widowed, moves to Berkeley, she thinks the reason she has transplanted herself is to earn her master’s degree in theology. But when, step by unexpected step, she is drawn into the cultural borderlands where society’s “invisible people” reside, she encounters dispossessed and demanding teachers not listed on any academic roster—and becomes immersed in a heady curriculum of helplessness and joy, wisdom and pain. A book that encourages readers to receive the generosity and reciprocity of the margins, Meeting in the Margins offers guidance for how we can all, as individuals, begin to repair the rift between the margins and the mainstream of society—simply by being profoundly present. Author: Cynthia Trenshaw Publication Date: October 6, 2015 -
Life―and death―may be hard; but joy is simple. Lannette Cornell Bloom, a typical, overworked nurse, wife, and mom of two, was forty-three when her mother was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis. She quit her job and dove headlong into the familiar role of caretaking. This choice―to slow down and be present for the hardest year of her life―resulted in an awakening. In unexpected moments, as childhood memories flooded into the present, Lannette glimpsed bits of magic that existed just beyond the pain. Without knowing it, she was experiencing a mindful dying process with her mother―and it was a journey that would change the way she lived the rest of her life. A touching and soulful memoir that gracefully uncovers the beauty that is often lost within the dying process, Memories in Dragonflies is a beautiful portrait of what it means to be human and a gentle reminder to enjoy every moment, because even the simplest ones bring lasting joy. Author: Lannette Cornell Bloom Publication Date: August 21, 2018 -
Why are we so determined to be loved rather than to love ourselves? Why is it so hard to forgive our imperfections and remember that we’re extraordinary? Why are we so willing to listen to others’ voices when our own voice is right here, screaming to be heard? Full of the stories that have brought her to this moment and the accompanying wisdom those experiences have lent her, Mighty Gorgeous is Amy Ferris’s answer—tender, fierce, irreverent—to these questions, and much more. Why? Because we are not on this earth to master suffering; we are here to create magic. Because perfection is overrated; all of our flaws and imperfections and scars are our beauty marks. Because all women deserve to speak their truth, to be heard and seen, to awaken to their own greatness. Because life is so very hard and so very brutal at times, bitter and cruel and excruciatingly difficult to navigate, and sometimes we need a light to guide us through that darkness. Because it’s time for us all to come home to ourselves—and Amy’s here to cheerlead you all the way to your own front door. Author: Amy Ferris Pub Day: October 3, 2023 -
“Sullivan’s candid, moving memoir of how her life has been shaped by her sister is emotional, easily readable, and instantly relatable. This is a must-read for anyone who cares for a person with autism or other developmental disability, as well as a wonderful tale of resiliency and tenacity that will touch the hearts of a broad swath of readers.” —Booklist “The memoir is often heartbreaking, but Sullivan’s depictions of a complicated and loving family and the unique issues faced by siblings of the severely disabled provide a sense of hope and closure.” —Kirkus Reviews Mikey & Me will resonate with anyone considered the typical one in a family with a special needs child. Author Teresa Sullivan’s memoir about growing up with her profoundly disabled sister reveals the incessant challenges that confront family caregivers, and the resulting expectations placed on “typical” siblings. Sullivan’s honesty about her self-destructive coping mechanisms will strike a cord with anyone who has struggled with addiction, as will her hard-won recovery. Mikey & Me is an unflinching and insightful exploration of the relationship between two sisters, one blind and autistic, unable to voice her own story, the other gifted with the heart and understanding to express it exquisitely for her. Author: Teresa Sullivan Publication Date: August 29, 2017 -
2017 Gold Medal IPPY Award in Autobiography/Memoir “A wonderful, thoughtful and inspiring story of love and courage—the kind of tale that teaches us to take chances, and that we CAN overcome our own obstacles.” —Betsy Stone, PhD, clinical psychologist and author of Happily Ever After They first meet in Paris in the spring of 1996. David is a divorced American attorney living on a converted barged moored on the banks of the Seine; Roni Beth is single, an empty-nested clinical and research psychologist, working from her home in Connecticut. Now in their fifties, both had signed off on loving again. This memoir tells the inspiring story of their intense and transformative twenty-two month transatlantic courtship. Along the way, David the loner, living amid the beauty, freedom and pleasures of Paris, brings Roni Beth, a responsible and overextended professional haunted by earlier loss and trauma, back to her core as a woman, while she helps him reclaim connections that tie him to a larger world. They wrestle internal demons (mostly hers) and external threats (friends, family and different perspectives) as they share adventures in their respective worlds. The tensions of a romance played out across six time zones are captured through fanciful and reflective letters and fax correspondence – flirting, musing, laughing, arguing and whining. Over twenty-four Atlantic crossings, they move into the shared reality that confronts them with parts of themselves that had yearned for compassion and psychic space. As their respective needs become clear, they navigate the clutter on their paths and bridge the geographic distance with courage, joy and integrity. Author: Roni Beth Tower Publication Date: October 25, 2016 -
Born into the baby boomer generation, Mary Helen Fein’s values and choices often typified the time. At age five, she identified what she calls “Moments of knowing”: moments of knowing more about love and creativity. As a child, her father was a loving successful New Yorker who left her mother to remarry another woman. Fein’s own mother was very beautiful, but desperately poor and an alcoholic, living in the projects on welfare. To get by, she remarried—but the man was evil, a child molester and a cruel stepfather. Fein traveled back and forth from coast to coast, spending school years with her mother and stepfather, and summers with her father, loving grandmother, and new stepmother. At age thirteen her mother dies, and Fein embarked on a new life in an upper-class New York suburb. Over the next thirty years she journeys through careers and healing, embracing the “spark” when it arrives over and over throughout her life, affecting her life choices and putting her on a spiritual path to Buddhism. With themes of spiritual practices, mental illness, poverty, and the power of psychotherapy, this book will appeal to self-help and memoir readers, showing how to find happiness, peace, and enduring love despite a traumatic childhood. Author: Mary Helen Fein Publication Date: April 9, 2025 -
At seventeen, Barbara’s daughter Jennifer is in a horrific car accident and sustains a traumatic brain injury that sends her into a two-week coma. Once she awakens, a unique disability presents itself: Jenn lacks any traditional method of communication. Unable to speak or function on her own, Jenn must relearn basic life skills in a rehabilitation facility while Barbara and her family struggle to piece together their lives, now forever changed. When it becomes clear that Barbara and her husband cannot care for Jenn on their own, they move her to a group home. Over time, three creative, lighthearted women become Jenn’s caregivers, and with their support Jenn reenters the community and experiences travel and adventure, all while capturing the hearts of those around her with her engaging and quirky personality. Despite her disability, Jenn connects with everyone in her life. And Barbara ultimately realizes that Jenn’s lack of language doesn’t stop her from having a voice. A touching memoir that strikes a delicate balance between sorrow and joy, heartbreak and triumph, More Than You Can See is Barbara’s story of moving beyond tragedy and discovering profound and fulfilling life lessons waiting for her on the other side. Author: Barbara Rubin Publication Date: October 4, 2022 -
If there’s one thing Rebecca Galli knows, it’s the importance of staying fueled—daily. She’s had a lot to power through: Her seventeen-year-old brother’s death. Two children with special needs that include autism and epilepsy. Divorce. And her own paralysis. Galli has lived a life filled with unexpected loss—and learning. Infused with wisdom from Galli’s deep-thinking pastor father, her ever-optimistic, hostess-with-the-mostest mother, and other memorable family members and friends, Morning Fuel offers stories designed to inspire, encourage, or make you think. Sprinkled throughout are quotes from some of the greatest thinkers of our time—words that have bolstered Galli’s resolve to power through her darkest valleys. Each entry ends with questions that invite personal application and provoke further pondering. How you start your morning sets the tone for your whole day. Let the wisdom of Morning Fuel help you make that tone a positive one. Author: Rebecca Faye Smith Galli Publication Date: October 29, 2024
