Vienna’s Will
Title: Vienna’s Will
Author: Mark McCullough
Publisher: CreateSpace
ASIN: 978-1496012777
Pages: 254
Genre: Non-Fiction/Self-Improvement/Psychology
Reviewed by: Debbie L. Sklar
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The Pacesetter
Title: The Pacesetter
Author: Jerry M. Fisher
Publisher: FriesenPress
ISBN: 978-1460245361
Pages: 552,Paperback
Genre: Biography
Reviewed by: Ella Vincent, Pacific Book Review
Life in a Whirlwind of Numbers, 26 years of OCD, 2nd Edition
Title: Life in a Whirlwind of Numbers, 26 years of OCD, 2nd Edition
Author: David William Dahlberg
Publisher: Createspace
ISBN: 978-1502555540
Pages: 172
Genre: Mental Health/Psychology/Autobiography
Our Journey with Prostate Cancer
Title: Our Journey with Prostate Cancer
Author: Judith Anne Desjardins
Publisher: Spirit House Publishing
ISBN: 978-0-9904994-0-4
Pages: 296
Genre: Non-Fiction, Self-help
She’s All Caught Up!
Title: She’s All Caught Up!
Author: Jamila T. Davis
Publisher: Voices International Publications
ISBN: 9780985580735
Pages: 331
Genre: Nonfiction- Memoir
Flying the Edge of America
Title: Flying the Edge of America
Author: David Millett and Julia Buss
Publisher: CreateSpace
ISBN-10: 1449515460
Pages: 196, Paperback
Genre: Travel/Non-Fiction
Death with Dignity: The Case for Legalizing Physician-Assisted Dying and Euthanasia
Title: Death with Dignity: The Case for Legalizing Physician-Assisted Dying and Euthanasia
Author: Robert Orfali
Publisher: Mill City Press
ISBN: 9781836780181
Pages: 229, Paperback/Kindle
Genre: Non-Fiction/Current Events/Alternative Health
The Biography of an American Poet
Title: The Biography of an American Poet
Author: Dan B. Royer
Publisher: Publish America
ISBN: 1608139247
Pages: 64, Paperback
Genre: Poetry
Poetic Biography of an American Baby Boomer: Conover Drive
Title: Poetic Biography of an American Baby Boomer: Conover Drive
Author: Daniel B. Royer
Publisher: Publish America
ISBN: 9781448954162
Pages: 71, Paperback
Genre: Poetry
My Brother Glenn A Prisoner of the Gestapo During World War II: German Secret Police
Title: My Brother Glenn A Prisoner of the Gestapo During World War II: German Secret Police
Author: Robert J. Richey
Publisher: AuthorHouse
ISBN: 978-1456766870
Pages: 148, Paperback, Kindle
Genre: History/Non-Fiction
Crossing Twice: Answers from the Source: The Journey to the Afterlife and the Lessons Learned
Title: Crossing Twice: Answers from the Source: The Journey to the Afterlife and the Lessons Learned
Author: Dr. Reece W. Manley, DD, M.Ed., MPM
Publisher: Advocate USA Publishing
ISBN-10: 1449529283
Pages: 197, Paperback
Genre: Christian Non-Fiction/Spirituality
Reviewed by: Nicole Sorkin, Pacific Book Review
I Want to Help: My Story Cancer, Depression, and God
Title: I Want to Help: My Story Cancer, Depression, and God
Author: T. Laresca
Publisher: Dorrance Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-434901279
Pages: 20, Paperback
Genre: Christian Non-Fiction/Self-Improvement/Memoir
Reviewed by: Gary Sorkin, Pacific Book Review
Somewhere Over the Rainbow, I’ve Lost My Damn Mind: A Manic’s Mood Chart
Title: Somewhere Over the Rainbow, I’ve Lost My Damn Mind: A Manic’s Mood Chart
Author: Derek Thompson
Publisher: CreateSpace
ISBN: 978-1467935234
Pages: 228, Paperback/Kindle
Genre: Memoirs/Non-Fiction
Reviewed by: Tamar Mekredijian, Pacific Book Review
Trust Me: A Memoir
Title: Trust Me: A Memoir
Author: George Kennedy
Publisher: Applause
ISBN: 978-1557837820
Pages: 210, Hardcover
Genre: Memoirs/Non-Fiction
Reviewed by: Gary Sorkin, Pacific Book Review
In Our Duffel Bags: Surviving the Vietnam Era
Title: In Our Duffel Bags: Surviving the Vietnam Era
Author: Richard C. Geschke & Robert A. Toto
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 9781462023554
Pages: 256, Paperback, Hardcover & Kindle
Genre: Biographies
Reviewed by: Gary Sorkin, Pacific Book Review
Grave Markers, Bird Feathers, & The Aegean Sea
Title: Grave Markers, Bird Feathers, & The Aegean Sea
Author: Kathryn Heuston Clark
Publisher: CreateSpace
ISBN: 1466367962
Pages: 376, Paperback
Genre: Biography/Non-Fiction
Reviewed by: Tamar Mekredijian, Pacific Book Review
A Dream Is Just That
Title: A Dream Is Just That
Author: Dr. Sabri g. Bebawi
Publisher: Dr. Sabri Bebawi
ISBN: 9781461107736
Pages: 273, Paperback
Genre: Biography/Non-Fiction
Reviewed by: Gary Sorkin, Pacific Book Review
Immaculate Recovery: From Homeless Drug Addicted Fugitive to Managing Partner of Multi Million Dollar Corporation (True Story, Part One)
Title: Immaculate Recovery: From Homeless Drug Addicted Fugitive to Managing Partner of Multi Million Dollar Corporation (True Story, Part One)
Author: Rick Laham
Publisher: Dogear Publishing
ISBN: 160844533X
Pages: 172, Paperback/Kindle
Genre: Memoir/Non-Fiction
AfterImage: A Brokenhearted Memoir of a Charmed Life
Title: AfterImage: A Brokenhearted Memoir of a Charmed Life
Author: Carla Malden
Publisher: Globe Pequot Press
ISBN: 9780762763825
Pages: 235, Hardcover
Genre: Memoir
Reviewed by: Nicole Sorkin, Pacific Book Review
The Pigs’ Slaughter
Title: The Pigs’ Slaughter
Author: Florin Grancea
Publisher: CreateSpace
ISBN: 145638239x
Pages: 150 , Paperback
Genre: Memoirs/Non-Fiction/History
Reviewed by: Gary Sorkin, Pacific Book Review
Author Spotlight: Hannah Reborn: Maturing and Healing the Soul beyond Organized Religion
Title: Hannah Reborn: Maturing and Healing the Soul beyond Organized Religion
Author: Rev. Hannah Thomsen & Ed Thomsen
Publisher: OutskirtsPress.com
ISBN: 9781432729059
Pages: 342, Paperback & Kindle
Genre: Biography/Spirituality
Reviewed by: Nicole Sorkin, Pacific Book Review
Panama Sushi Coup
Title: Panama Sushi Coup
Author: James D. Evans
Publisher: Good and Brown
ISBN: 9780976891574
Pages: 348, Paperback
Genre: Memoirs
Reviewed by: Gary Sorkin, Pacific Book Review
Memoirs of the Original Rolling Stone
Title: Memoirs of the Original Rolling Stone
Author: Andy Anderson & Erika Celeste
Publisher: AuthorHouse
ISBN: 9781449082860
Pages: 126, Paperback
Genre: Music/Memoir
Echoes of my Footsteps: An Autobiography
Title: Echoes Of My Footsteps: An Autobiography
Author: Ivan Z. Gabor
Publisher: AuthorHouse
ISBN: 9781449053192
Pages: 330, Paperback & Hardcover
Genre: Memoir
Reviewed by: Gary Sorkin, Pacific Book Review
As the Sycamore Grows
Title: as the sycamore grows
Author: Jennie Miller Helderman
Publisher: The Summers Bridgewater Press
ISBN: 9780982773208
Pages: 360, Paperback
Genre: Non-Fiction Narrative/Biography
Reviewed by: Barbara Miller, Pacific Book Review
When The Wife Cheats
Title: When The Wife Cheats
Author: Frank Zaccari
Publisher: Frank Zaccari
ISBN: 9781452820026
Pages: 226 Paperback & Kindle
Genre: Memoir/Relationships
Reviewed by: Gary Sorkin, Pacific Book Review
Punished for Purpose
Title: Punished for Purpose
Author: Lauri Burnes
Publisher: WingSpan Press
ISBN: 9781595943460
Pages: 481, Paperback & Hardcover
Genre: Memoirs/Young Adult/Non-Fiction
Reviewed by: Gary Sorkin, Pacific book Review
Book Review
Reading about a child being repetitively beaten by an abusive alcoholic father is very disturbing to say the least, but what’s worse by far is being that child. Lauri Burns tells firsthand in Punished for Purpose amazingly detailed recollections of the abuse, the repetitive beatings, the physical and mental trauma she endured as an infant and all throughout her adolescence, and how she overcame her demons.Lauri Burns has a confessional style of honesty in telling her story revealing details most people wouldn’t want known. She maintains a progression of events, a timeline if you will, that rationally describes how she descended into a dark world of drug abuse, prostitution and criminal behavior. If it was not for the honest, first person, detailed sequence of events with uncanny recollection of feelings, one might believe this could never happen. It certainly did happen.
As the book begins with Lauri in her stateroom on a cruise ship, tying the pages of her memoir together for the publication of this book, the reader has the knowledge she obviously doesn’t die in her book. Overdosed drug addicts or murdered prostitutes don’t live to recant their deathly moments and write autobiographical memoirs. So when reading how close to death she found herself, one may think the suspense of whether she lives or dies is a moot point – we know she makes it. As a compliment to Lauri’s storytelling skills, the suspense she musters is indeed riveting to the reader. Knowing she lives through her events does not distract from the seriousness of the circumstances she endured. Witnessing the obstacles Lauri needed to overcome; the addiction she needed to cure, and the monster inside she needed to quell, reveals the inner strength of character of a truly extraordinary person.
Lauri Burns learned at a very early age the art of survival, and survive she did. Punished for Purpose is about the life of a person, the recovery and survival of Lauri Burns. It’s about her journey to sobriety, with the help of people placed in her life just at the right time. She tells of the teachers and angels that pick her soul up off the street and put her on the path to become a role model, foster mom, and an inspiration to us all. Brought to the depths of hell on earth, her prayer to God for help was her last act of desperation to survive. A prayer she had used before, but now, this time, really meant it.
Lauri Burns portrays the complexity of her experiences and presents readers with more than just a salacious page-turner, but a story of resilience, redemption and forgiveness. She poignantly traces how a struggling teenager learned not only to believe in herself, but love herself. I don’t think anybody that engages themselves as a prostitute grew up thinking, “Someday I want to become a prostitute.” Instead, for whatever reasons, they get sucked into the trade. Lauri’s contribution to organizations like The Teen Project help these people get out of the business and find a better way of life. Young adults, whether troubled or not, need to read Punished for Purpose so their eyes will be opened to a dark world existing right outside their door. A world comprised of people in plain sight yet living in a different dimension.
Note to Reader: 75 % of the proceeds from Lauri Burns’ book “Punished for Purpose” will go to help emancipated foster youths nationwide.
Shadow’s Pride
Title: Shadow’s Pride
Author: Roland Stanzione & Gabriella Gafni
Publisher: Xlibris
ISBN: 9781436396189
Pages: 90, Paperback & Hardcover
Genre: Memoirs/Pets
Reviewed by: Barbara Miller, Pacific Book Review
Book Review
Shadow’s Pride is the story of a horse, Areion, and his interaction with humans, namely his owner, the co-author, Roland Stanzione. The unique aspect of this book is that it is half written by Areion. Yes, if Mr. Ed could talk to Wilbur, whenever he had something to say that is, then it makes sense Areion could write beautifully. The book interlaces his narratives throughout by alternating chapters, in a first person, one by Roland and one by Areion, as seen through the eyes of a horse. This aspect of the book took me by surprise, however allowing for the utmost of creative license I indulged in accepting this premise. After awhile, I was learning the message of the book, one of revealing the dark side of the equestrian business, and the strength, courage and love between a horse and owner.
The acumen of knowledge amassed by Roland Stanzione is extraordinary, and his writing, along with Gabriella Gafni, is laced with footnotes to help explain the history of man’s relationship with horses throughout the ages. I found the foundation of the symbiotic relationship between man and horse to be most artfully articulated and clearly being spoken from a lover of animals of all types. It is the power and grace of such a large beast that makes horses different. One that allows the will of the rider to overshadow the will of the animal, as it gives trust, love and respect often to people that don’t return the emotions. Unless a horse is fast or breed for service, the amount of neglect and malice present in some aspects of the equestrian industry would be clearly illegal, if the animal was human rather than a horse.
In the short time in which Areion’s life overlapped, a bond developed that is quite rare. It may not be the only bond of such between a human and a horse, but Shadow’s Pride talks about the feelings through the eyes of the Areion and Roland in a romantic way. Shadow’s Pride, based on the true story of Areion, as written by Roland Stanzione and Gabriella Gafini, is a metaphor of love, respect and a commemorative work bringing meaning and hope to all those touched by the equine spirit.
This magnificent memoir is a touching story about Roland Stanzione’s love of Areion. He transcends his affection as being a long time activist for animal rights. He learns the lesson of unconditional and devoted love from an abused horse that he rescued. He provides amazing insight into people and horses alike. Shadow’s Pride reminds me of a “Marley & Me” story but about a horse. Some parts will make you laugh, others will make you cry and feel bad for what they had to go through during their lives. This is a must read for anyone who knows the riches of the love of animals, and understands complete and unconditional love.
Check the Gs
Title: Check the Gs: The True Story of an Eclectic American Family and Their Wacky Family Business
Author: Ray Shasho
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 9781450298605
Pages: 276, Paperback/Hardcover/Kindle
Genre: Memoir/Non-Fiction
Reviewed by: Gary Sorkin, Pacific Book Review
Book Review
Ray Shasho has quite a memory, especially when it comes to what songs played on the radio during important times throughout his youth. Combining his nostalgic recant of Billboard’s Top 100, like some infomercial for a Time-Life Oldies CD collector’s set, along with his detailed whimsical recollections while growing up, and you have the “soundtrack ” for a truly enjoyable story called Check the Gs: The True Story of an Eclectic American Family and Their Wacky Family Business.Spiraling like a 33 rpm vinyl record around his father’s retail gift store in Washington DC, a block away from the White House, Ray began his career at the age of 6 (going on 16), when he put down the Windex and paper towels to sell a pair of shades to his first customer. “Ale-Say,” Pig Latin for “sale,” was said by the guy’s comical and secretive comments hollered around the store owned by his dad and his uncle ~ both identical twins. Between Cuban slang, Spanish, mathematical pricing algorithms, made up words, and yes, “Ig-Pay Atin-Lay,” the atmosphere in the store was as clouded with unrevealed slang to thwart customers’ understanding the pricing of merchandise as the perpetual second-hand smoke laid a fog from the owner’s cigars. What a tumultuous time in this country’s history. The babies were booming, the racial tensions post Kennedy’s and Martin Luther King’s assassinations threw the USA into a riot driven country. However the dollar had value. The store had radios, TVs, cameras, binoculars, rings and jewelry, souvenirs and “you name it” all stocked behind sparkling clean glass cabinets, with shelves higher than can be reached without a ladder and items displayed in the front window precisely as a masterpiece of jigsaw placement.
Ray, raised by a Cuban Catholic mother and a Syrian Jewish father was 100% street smart. What impressed me most was when Ray was older, so did his style of writing change into a more mature written voice. For example, his early years, the first third of Check the Gs, had observations as seen through a kid’s perspective. I actually felt a kid was narrating the story in first person! Yet as Ray matured, his storytelling had more to do with his meeting all sorts of people, falling in love, but still selling gadgets, and making a PR (profit).
Ray Shasho is a product of the second half of the 20th century, made in the USA from parts around the world, and within him is every trend in music, television, politics and culture contributing to his philosophical and comically analytical reflections collected in his fine book of memories. I found Check the Gs to be pure entertainment, fantastic fun and a catalyst to igniting so many memories of my own life, as I too am within a few years of Ray. So to all, I say if you have a bit of grey hair (or no hair), buy this book! It’s a great gift for your “over-the-hill” friends, or for their kids, if they are the history buffs of younger generations trying to figure out why we are the way we are.
Tiger Mother: Son of a Bitch
Title: Tiger Mother: Son of a Bitch
Author: Derrick Lin
Publisher: Monex Press
ISBN: 9780578078939
Pages: 111, Paperback
Genre: Memoir/Non-Fiction
Reviewed by: Barbara Miller, Pacific Book Review
Book Review
Derrick Lin is a Chinese American, born to an abusive mother. In Tiger Mother: Son of a Bitch, Lin tells the reader about the terrible ways his mother disciplined him while he was growing up, scarring him psychologically and emotionally. It brought to light the differences of cultures from the Asian “achievement” mentality to the Western “sheltering” and a politically correct upbringing. Tiger Mother: Son of a Bitch hits the reader with a barrage of raw vernacular, a bit over the top at times. His preponderance for sensationalism is used to exemplify the impact of the pain Derrick Lin went through when he was growing up. What Lin calls at times “dark humor” is how the author dealt with his pain of a controlling upbringing; making light of the situations which really were intolerable. That is why so many people that had horrible childhoods become comedians. Because this is such a sad story, the author tries to infuse his humor at times to lighten the mood. Funny or not, that is what he has done, however the disrespect Lin feels towards his mother overflowed to his reading audience.Some people say that childhood should be the happiest time of one’s life. Happiness is sometimes termed as living life to the fullest. Tiger Mother: Son of a Bitch is anything but happy in its message, as Lin tells his no-holds-barred story at times intensely filled with anger, hostility and resentment towards his mother. His mother is the central figure and her overly strict discipline is a form of child abuse and certainly not love.
As I read Tiger Mother: Son of a Bitch I recognized the hurt didn’t stop once the abuse did. Coping with it as an adult must have been more difficult than as a child, because Derrick Lin now realizes with an adult’s intelligence and insight, exactly what was done to him and how horrible it was. So much abuse is undetected until a child grows up and realizes his family isn’t normal. Too many well-meaning people minimize the adult survivor’s pain or dismiss it as meaningless: “That was years ago and it’s over” or “Get over it and move on” or the worst, “Just don’t dwell on it anymore.” As Derrick Lin demonstrates his child abuse did have a major impact on his life.
The important lesson to be learned from this book is found not within its pages, but from the outcry that ensued. His story is about his individual journey. Derrick Lin is not a professional writer, just someone who had to endure abuse that might have broken a lesser person. This book certainly is an eye-opener to the parent or parents who are excessively controlling their children. Hopefully this book has set Derrick Lin free.
