Self Biography

The Possibility of Tenderness is a personal history narrated through the lens of the ‘grung’ and plants. It’s also a people’s history of the land, a family saga, an archival detective story through time. It’s the migration tale of a young scholar who arrives in Britain from rural Jamaica to study at Oxford to achieve ‘upward social mobility’ and who now lives in Roundhay Leeds. Suddenly, amidst his journey of dreams and class aspiration, the plants and people of his native district, Coffee Grove, begin to offer different ways of living, alternative dreams, and the possibility of tenderness.

Here are 21 inspirational stories about role models and counting your blessings. The stories in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Think Positive will encourage listeners to stay upbeat, because there's always a brighter way to look at life. This book continues Chicken Soup for the Soul's focus on inspiration and hope, reminding us that each day holds something to be thankful for.

Both a hysterical tell-all memoir of the author's stumbles and triumphs in becoming mindfully masculine, as well as a practical drivers manual for navigating the twists and turns of mature manhood, Mindful Masculinity is a joy to read or to listen to. Scott Grace, once a prolific recording artist and stand-up comedian who opened for Robin Williams and many other legends, brings his comic touch to a very serious subject.

A few years ago, lifestyle celebrity and TV pioneer Debbie Travis realized that she was no longer challenged by her wildly successful TV career, and she was so busy she was missing out on the people and things that made her happy. She dared to dream about a whole new direction in life - a plan to turn a 13th-century farmhouse in Tuscany into a unique hotel and retreat for people who need a change as much as she did. And now, after a crazy amount of work, she is not only living that dream but sharing it with others....

By combing through the journals that Hannah has kept for much of her life, this collection of narrative essays delivers a fuller picture of her life, her experiences, and the things she's figured out about family, faith, love, sexuality, self-worth, friendship, and fame. Revealing what makes Hannah tick, this sometimes cringeworthy, poignant collection of stories is sure to deliver plenty of Hannah's wit and wisdom - and hopefully encourage you to try your hand at her patented brand of reckless optimism.

NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Fran Tarkenton is a friend of failure. In the 1970s, he brought the Minnesota Vikings to the Superbowl three times - and three times his team was crushed. The first two companies he founded both quickly folded. But by learning how to deal with defeat, Tarkenton discovered the key to success.

What’s Wrong With Your Dad is the true story of what it was like growing up and surviving a family with both alcoholism and Borderline Personality Disorder. It is told in the first person in a very conversational way, like the author and the reader are just sitting over coffee talking. It explains in clear layman’s terms the behaviors of both alcoholism and Borderline Personality Disorder and lets the reader know in no uncertain terms that the behavior was not in any way created by any adult child of either an alcoholic or BPD.

Living in a small town where dreams were dismissed and bouncing between the homes of divorced parents, Cameron Hanes carried low expectations and no hope for a life of fulfilled potential. Then he discovered his great love—the bow. For Cameron, finding his drive, his purpose, a reason for pushing himself every single day, changed everything. Endure chronicles the lessons Cameron has learned and compels us to raise our expectations of ourselves.

Being a champion is a choice. Bullies, self-doubt, failure, abuse, humiliation and setbacks plagued his life. Through a desire to keep pushing forward and the resilience of never quitting, MMA pioneer and Jiu Jitsu World Champion Chad George found a way to transform his self-destructive thinking to believing he can accomplish anything. In "A Champion's Mindset" he shares his journey of building the fighter within and how we all have to FIGHT for what we want in life.

God’s Fingerprints is a story of fulfilled promises and the unlimited reach of God in our lives. Dive deep into the incredible testimony of Alfonso Gomez, a pastor’s son. When he was five years old his father had a vision of Alfonso all grown up and preaching in Colombia, South America. As Alfonso grew up in the central valley of California, this vision seemed further away from ever becoming a reality. With a dark cloud coming over his generation with gangs, drugs, and alcohol, he doubted he would live to be an adult.

Go to college or learn a trade? For Joey Snider, this common high-schooler’s dilemma was easily resolved. He was going strong as a teenage apprentice plumber. That is, until his parents packed him off to college. But Joey couldn't stay away for long, and after eight years becoming a master in his trade, he bought and built up his own plumbing and water treatment company into a multi-van, seven-figure business.

Imagine if you lived without the fear of failure, without the fear of not measuring up. If you no longer felt the need to stifle your thoughts and swallow what you really want to say in order to please and appease others. If you could stop berating yourself mercilessly for human mistakes, let go of the guilt and the strangling pressure to be perfect, and just breathe. What if, in every decision you faced, you made the brave choice or took the bolder path. Would you be happier? Would you impact the world in the ways you dream you can? I believe the answer to both is yes.

Author Aaron Kennard exposes in frank and emotional detail how this secret revitalized his own life overnight. It sustained him with the peace, hope, and faith required to navigate torturous unimaginable pain and disease while feeling immense gratitude for it all. The Positive Thinking Secret has already helped many find greater freedom to enjoy life.

America knew George Zimmer for one of the most famous slogans in television advertising history: “I guarantee it.” Zimmer rode his promise to lead the Men’s Wearhouse to unimagined success as a retail giant. Now, years removed from his stunning dismissal as leader of the company he founded, I Guarantee It recounts the journey of Zimmer’s rise, the fall of the Men’s Wearhouse, and his personal renewal.

With Chris at his side, Joe takes us from his beloved son’s gravesite where a trusted friend might sometimes leave an empty Landshark bottle to his bedroom (now Joe’s office) in Winnetka, Illinois which still smells of sage and teen sweat, to the Florida Gulf beaches at night where Joe has found hope and affirmation of his son’s everlasting love through shared dialogues, to In Balance Ranch Academy in Arizona, where Chris was a shining star and a leader for troubled youth, and where he also found healing and the love of an American paint horse.

At the height of her success as an antiracism educator and writer, Austin Channing Brown reached a crossroads. “I love my work,” she writes, “and I am tired. Tired of protesting. Tired of ‘saving democracy.'” She began to ask, “What do I deserve, not just as a citizen but as a human?” Full of Myself is her answer to that question. Weaving personal narrative with perceptive social commentary, she offers a look at the mechanisms that limit who Black women are allowed to be—at work, at home, in community—and the defining moments when she decided that all the women within her should be free.

Exclusive interviews with the top athletes in sports today. Trust the Grind: How World-Class Athletes Got to the Top reveals how these men and women reached the heights of their profession so that you can too. Each chapter tells a different story, as each superstar shares the habit that helped them accomplish their goals and reach the pinnacle of their profession.

The story of Malcolm X's journey to Islam is world-known. But how many stories do we have of the brave women who joined on to the Nation of Islam? Very few. To add to the dilemma, Black women face unfair stereotypes when it comes to their acceptance of Islam. Many people unfairly accuse them of joining for vain reasons such as marriage and the desire to imitate Arab culture. This book will change the narrative about Black Muslim women. A Final Call to Self is a story of courage, audacity, failure, and triumph.

When Casey fled her home to move 2,700 miles away at a moment's notice, she thought that she was escaping the trauma of her circumstance. She quickly crafted a new life - new job, new friends, new city, new adventures. What she didn't anticipate was being haunted by scars that were much older than the life that she had left. Journey with the writer a she peels back the fragile layers of her life; layers that she had not previously given voice to...until she was left with no other choice but to call them out.

Finally! A male survivor speaks out about male childhood sexual abuse. Randy offers survivors and their families answers to their questions of why victims act out the way they do, and strategies to start living with greater purpose and happiness. Unlike books based on academic theories and abstract philosophies, Randy Boyd talks candidly about what it takes for men, women, and their families to heal from the pain of childhood sexual abuse. Randy tells his story in a way that the lay-person can absolutely relate to.