Memoir Book Reviews | Self-Publishing Review

Review: Strangers I Have Known by Melissa Kotler Schwartz

★★★★★

When people think back on the story of their lives, the “main characters” are typically family members, friends, lovers, children, co-workers and the myriad other people who receive Christmas cards or occasional texts. However, a large portion of our time as human beings consists of interactions with strangers. In Strangers I Have Known by Melissa Kotler Schwartz, the author takes readers on a journey through her everyday life, not depicting the time spent with family and friends, but rather her tiny interactions with cashiers, locals, passers-by and one-conversation friends that act as the glue tying all of humanity together.[…]

Review: She Let Go of My Hand by John D. Wattson

★★★★

She Let Go of My Hand: A Father’s Memoir of His Divorce Journey by John D. Wattson is a heartbreaking and honest tale of troubled times.

The hard truth that relationships take time and effort should come as no surprise to any reader, but rarely is the brutal collapse of a marriage put on such bold display. In She Let Go of My Hand, an honest and heart-rending memoir by John D. Wattson, we witness a husband pouring out his confusion and pain on paper, either as penance or in an attempt to better understand the path that […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2016-08-10T10:41:23+02:00July 21st, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Memoir Book Reviews, Parenting Book Reviews|

Review: Crowning Glory by Stacy Harshman

★★★★½ Crowning Glory by Stacy Harshman

Crowning Glory: An Experiment in Self-Discovery Through Disguise by Stacy Harshman is an original and laugh-out-loud memoir.

Stacy Harshman, an unemployed musician and artist, decides to embark on an experiment in hopes of coming to terms with her crippling depression, panic attacks, and psychotic breaks. The project involves wearing different wigs and eye-catching outfits. Harshman hires an assistant to keep track of the data while she parades in different parts of New York City. Will Harshman be the same after weeks of pretending to be other personas?

The e-book revolution has spurred many to pen their memoirs. This boon […]

T B Markinson2016-05-27T09:32:34+02:00May 27th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Memoir Book Reviews, Non-Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: God in My Head by Josh Grisetti

God in My Head by Josh Grisetti

God in My Head by Josh Grisetti is an honest and occasionally irreverent look at religion and the existence of God.

There has been a growing market for “spiritual tourism” books in recent years, particularly as religion once again comes to the forefront of our political and cultural attention. God in My Head, an unexpectedly poignant memoir from Josh Grisetti, doesn’t follow the traditional pattern. Rather than buttressing and confirming what many people already believe about religion and the existence of God, Grisetti recounts his bizarre story with a number of controversial elements, a fair bit of humor, and […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-02-11T09:43:45+02:00April 14th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Memoir Book Reviews, Religious Book Reviews, Spirituality Book Reviews|

Stumbling Toward the Buddha by Dawn Downey

Stumbling Toward the Buddha by Dawn Downey is a collection of interconnected essays about finding “enlightenment” in the modern world. Refreshingly honest, and filled with self-deprecating humor, Downey is not afraid to admit her faults, as well as delve into her painful past, to fully understand herself and the world around her.

Though the book is touted as more of a memoir than self-help book, it could be said to be even more effective than the usual self-help tome because of the Downey’s humor and insight. Downey is expert at pointing out human foibles, especially as it relates to spiritual […]

Lysa Grant2016-04-06T09:47:33+02:00April 6th, 2016|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Essay Book Reviews, Memoir Book Reviews, Spirituality Book Reviews|

Fck This Sht by Zed Dee

zed dee F*ck This Sh*t by Zed Dee is a novella-length memoir about a man in Singapore approaching thirty who’s still a virgin and struggling with autism, diagnosed late in his life. He finally ends up going to a selection of prostitutes and sex therapists, who cannot seem to help him, as his sexual dysfunction goes beyond his virginity. Dee cannot enjoy sex fully, and given his autism, he sometimes recoils at the human touch. Dee then goes on a quest to understand his past and present and find a new degree of contentment.

Readers must know that this is a sexually […]

Henry Baum2016-03-09T03:45:38+02:00March 8th, 2016|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Memoir Book Reviews|

Review: The World We Left Behind by John R. Morris

John Morris needs a change in his life. His relationship ends, and his job bores him witless. He is searching for something to fill the gap. Could a life-affirming hike along the Appalachian Trail’s 2000-plus miles be the answer? Inspired by his father’s experience of having hiked a stretch of the now legendary trail (and wanting to achieve something he felt his father would be proud of), he sets off with all the necessary – and unnecessary – equipment. The result is an exhilarating experience that begins in Volume One of his account of a personal journey: The World We […]

Helen Chenaf2019-02-11T09:55:06+02:00March 7th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Memoir Book Reviews, Travel Book Reviews|

Review: Fixed by Doug Piotter

★★★★ Fixed by Doug Piotter

Doug Piotter’s memoir, Fixed: dope sacks, dye packs and the long welcome back, is an eye-opening account of the author’s dysfunctional and seemingly hopeless existence as a young man. Fueled by almost every illegal substance known to man, he stumbles through bank robberies, drug rehab, and has many encounters with a whole host of crazy characters. When he starts his “long welcome back,” his tale turns into a positive one and he embarks on the beginning of a life of hope and productivity.

With no conventional parental guidance to speak of, Piotter quickly slides down a very slippery […]

Helen Chenaf2016-03-24T07:51:08+02:00February 29th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Addiction Book Reviews, Memoir Book Reviews, Non-Fiction Book Reviews|