Resilient Memoir

At the tender ages of five and seven years old, sisters Judy and Cherie were removed from the loving home of their maternal grandparent's farm in Sycamore Illinois and put on a plane to go live in Southern California with their mother and soon to be stepfather; a sadistic perpetrator and child molester. Violence, torture, sexual abuse, and the unconscionable acts of their mother would be the theme of their lives for the next eleven years. Even though they were physically separated from their grandparents, the grandparents never forgot their granddaughters. Their continuous love and devotion...

Why we think it’s a great listen: Seabiscuit was a runaway success, and Hillenbrand’s done it again with another true-life account about beating unbelievable odds. On a May afternoon in 1943, an Army Air Forces bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean and disappeared, leaving only a spray of debris and a slick of oil, gasoline, and blood. Then, on the ocean surface, a face appeared....

The Close sisters are descended from very prominent and wealthy ancestors. When the Close sisters were very young, their parents joined a cult called the MRA, or Moral Rearmament. The family was suddenly uprooted to a cult school in Switzerland and, ultimately, to the Belgian Congo where their father became a surgeon in the war-ravaged republic, and ultimately the personal physician to President Mobutu.

On the last night of the 2021 CrossFit Games, ten thousand fans watched in horror as Brooke Wells’ elbow dislocated under the weight of a 190-pound barbell. This is the extraordinary story of what happened next: How Wells pulled off a highly improbable comeback that transformed her mentally and physically into one of the fittest women in the world. In Resilient, Wells provides a refreshingly honest, authentic account of how she overcame fear, self-doubt, and a slew of unexpected obstacles to return to the CrossFit Games less than a year after undergoing total elbow reconstruction.

They say the first taste of addiction often comes disguised as relief, and for Kevin Murray, that disguise was an innocent-looking white pill. Pills and Me: My Spiral into Addiction is an unflinchingly raw and personal account of a young man’s descent into opioid addiction—a journey from curiosity to survival in a world ravaged by a seemingly harmless but relentless beast. As Kevin tells it, his addiction didn’t begin with a reckless choice. It began with exhaustion, loneliness, and a desire to feel anything other than the crushing weight of his circumstances. From his first Percocet ...

Terrified that a stroke could steal your future? Discover the simple solution and improve your life. Are you battling the fog of traumatic brain injury every single morning? Do you dread each twinge, fearing it might be another attack? Has watching a loved one struggle with lost words and weak limbs left you feeling helpless? Aithal—a novelist, an engineer, and a 24-year stroke survivor—has walked that path himself. Now he shares a hard-won roadmap for turning catastrophe into courage—and shows how luck often arrives disguised as disaster. A Stroke of Luck is a candid, uplifting ...

D Esperanza was just thirteen years old when he lost his caregivers, his beloved grandmother and uncle. Since both of his parents were working and living in the United States, D was left on his own in a small town in Honduras. He quickly realized he simply could not make enough money to survive so he made the difficult decision to head north with his cousins and hopefully reunite with his parents in el norte. Together, the boys struggled to survive a long and treacherous journey through Central America and Mexico.

In this powerful heartfelt memoir and tribute to motherhood, Dr. Hilda Villaverde journeys deep into the Latina experience of la familia by retracing the life of her mother, Maria Parra Villaverde-Ramirez. The author shares profound lessons in unconditional love shining through Maria’s encounters with multicultural transitions in her adopted country of the United States, abuse in her home and neighborhoods, and raising four children in an environment of scarce resources. Her family’s connection with spirits and ancestors adds a layer of mystery and wonder which results in a rich ...

A True Story of Resilience Survival and Unbroken Spirit A Civilian Dutch Woman in Europe During World War II Treasures of Sadness is the story of Corrie's unbroken spirit. If you love historical fiction, don't miss reading this real life memoir and page-turner: Treasures of Sadness Treasures of Sadness is a real life account of a woman’s journey that began during World War II. Corrie grew up in an affluent neighborhood in Amersfoort, Holland in the 1940’s. From there she fell in love with a German soldier, rubbed elbows with royalty in Vienna, Austria and ended up in a coal mining town ...

Ross Edgley famously ran a marathon pulling a 1.4-tonne car and climbed a rope the height of Everest (8,848 m), after living with Yamabushi warrior monks in Japan and partaking in Shamanic pain rituals with fire ants in the Amazon jungle. On his epic 1,780-mile journey around Great Britain, which lasted 157 days, Ross swam through giant jellyfish, arctic storms, ‘haunted’ whirlpools and polluted shipping lanes, going so hard, and so fast, his tongue fell apart.

Pain changes people, but it doesn’t have to break them. In Bruised, But Not Broken: My Mess Is A Message, Hydiea shares her raw and unfiltered journey of survival, heartbreak, and resilience. From a childhood shaped by foster care, family betrayal, and homelessness to the struggles of navigating toxic relationships, motherhood, and self-discovery, this memoir lays everything bare. With gripping honesty, Hydiea confronts the wounds left by those who were supposed to love her, the lessons she learned the hard way, and the moments that nearly broke her. But this is not just a story of pain ...

A tenderhearted and fierce memoir of healing from loneliness, despair, and excruciating physical pain. Born to a troubled mother, who passed her trauma on to her daughter, Hertha Lund carried this burden throughout her life, always struggling with a sense of not belonging to any group, to any point on the map, to humanity as a whole.

Candace Parker is a living legend. Her storied career includes three WNBA titles, two Olympic gold medals, and countless MVP Awards. Her career accolades are endless and her impact on the WNBA beyond measure, but Candace is even more inspiring off the court. A proud wife and mother of three, whose love story resonated with the LGBTQ+ community around the world, Candace is fiercely purpose-driven, paving the way for the WNBA’s rise in American culture, and for female basketballers to have the impact and platform that used to be reserved for the NBA. But this success didn’t happen by accident.

With his trademark blend of neuroscience, mindfulness, and positive psychology, New York Times best-selling author Dr. Rick Hanson shows you how to develop 12 vital inner strengths hardwired into your own nervous system. Then no matter what life throws at you, you’ll be able to feel less stressed, pursue opportunities with confidence, and stay calm and centered in the face of adversity. This practical guide is full of concrete suggestions, experiential practices, personal examples, and insights into the brain.

Reclaim your joy and thrive through the storms of life when you find your strength in God. The human soul has a built-in yearning for joy and beauty and all good things. But that craving for life is so easily lost in the pace and demands of modern life. Join New York Times bestselling author John Eldredge as he gives you the tools you need to follow Jesus' path of supernatural resilience. Between false promises of ease and comfort on one side and the sheer busyness and stress of daily life on the other, people today are facing a shortage of peace, happiness, and strength.

After the sudden death of her husband, Sheryl Sandberg felt certain that she and her children would never feel pure joy again. "I was in 'the void,'" she writes, "a vast emptiness that fills your heart and lungs and restricts your ability to think or even breathe." Her friend Adam Grant, a psychologist at Wharton, told her there are concrete steps people can take to recover and rebound from life-shattering experiences. We are not born with a fixed amount of resilience. It is a muscle that everyone can build.

Lisa Lisson's life seemed perfect: she had married her high school sweetheart, applied her marketing degree to a position at FedEx Express Canada, and would ultimately become president of the company. One night, after putting their four children to bed, her husband, Patrick, marvelled at their lives. Just a few hours later, Patrick had a massive heart attack and was in a coma. Part leadership guide, part memoir of loss, and part personal empowerment primer on how to achieve your goals, Resilience is an inspirational story.

Hugh van Cuylenburg was a primary school teacher volunteering in northern India when he had a life-changing realisation: despite the underprivileged community the children were from, they were remarkably positive. By contrast, back in Australia Hugh knew that all too many children struggled with depression, social anxieties and mental illness. His own little sister had been ravaged by anorexia nervosa. How was it that young people he knew at home, who had food, shelter, friends and a loving family, struggled with their mental health, while these kids seemed so contented and resilient?

Hoda Kotb didn’t expect to join the Today show at age 44. Or to become a mother at 52. Or to leave Today and embark on a new adventure at 60! Change doesn’t always arrive when we expect it, and its effects are anything but predictable. But Hoda believes that the benefits of change can be extraordinary...if we’re willing to listen to and learn from it.

In the spring of 2020, as the world grappled with the deepening coronavirus pandemic, acclaimed British screenwriter and playwright David Hare was struck down by the virus himself. With brutal honesty, sharp humor, and his trademark insight, the renowned writer of modern classics like Skylight and Plenty brings us into his own experience battling the bizarre and terrifying symptoms of Covid-19.