Self Biography

Living with Behcet's disease (sometimes called Behcet's syndrome) can be an everyday struggle filled with pain and suffering. And while Ellis' journey has been a bumpy one to say the least, filled with depression, anxiety, drug addiction, and at times utter despair, he's managed to live an awesome life in spite of his diagnosis. By learning to see the silver linings of his illness, by focusing on the positives instead of the negatives, Ellis transformed his mind, his body, and his entire life.

In Happily Imperfect, be moved to tears and laughter by joining Stacey in her journey so far, as she reveals how to stay positive despite the everyday pressure to be and look perfect. Told through hilarious, sometimes moving and always charming anecdotes, discover how to get the best out of life by being positive, not following the crowd and trusting your gut instincts.

Knocked off her feet after 20 years in public health nursing, Iris Graville quit her job and convinced her family to move to Stehekin, a remote mountain village in Washington State's North Cascades. She yearned for the quiet and respite of this community of 85 residents accessible only by boat, float plane, or hiking. Stehekin means the way through, and Hiking Naked chronicles Graville's journey through questions about work and calling. Ultimately, in the solitude bestowed by pines, firs, and mountain trails, she regained her spiritual footing and found her own way through.

Some extraordinary and unexpected factors are revealed in Taylor's fascinating new book that explains why some people become billionaires. Despite the fact that the sample of 17 self-made billionaires come from disparate backgrounds, work in different industries, have very different personalities, and superficially appear to have different upbringings, they have one important thing in common: they are all outsiders.

After spending a few moments on heaven's front porch with God, he is thrust back into his old life. In the moments that follow, he struggles to find purpose and meaning in the day-to-day grind of life. On his quest he meets some wonderful individuals who support him as he uncovers five principles necessary to move him from just living again to being fully alive. Back from Heaven's Front Porch is about one man's struggle to be alive again after an accident claims the life of his friend and nearly his own.

In this unconventional memoir, Jonathan Alexander addresses wry and affecting missives to a conflicted younger self. Focusing on three years—1989, 1993, and 1996—Dear Queer Self follows the author through the homophobic heights of the AIDS epidemic, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the election of Bill Clinton, and the steady advancements in gay rights that followed. With humor and wit afforded by hindsight, Alexander relives his closeted college years, his experiments with his sexuality in graduate school, his first marriage to a woman, and his budding career as a professor.

They told me I wouldn’t live to be two years old because they found me starving on someone’s porch.... I’m 55 now.... They told me I wasn’t smart enough and that I didn’t need a higher education. I have an AA, BS, and MS. They told me I would never be part of anything worthwhile. I’m a member of MD-Military-Holding-Lodge No. 122 - MWPHGL of Maryland, The Monday Cub (Oldest Social Club for African-American Men in Delaware and maybe the Nation - 1876) recently resigned, The Drill Sergeant Association, and Bethel AME Church, to name a few.

Are you frustrated that your brain and body seem to be failing you when you need them most? Coping with an unexpected injury, insult, or public humiliation? Author and speaker Kate Harvie lost nearly everything to a traumatic brain injury. Through countless mistakes and blunt perseverance, she reclaimed her life. Now she's sharing her no-nonsense process for recovering from any setback with you.

The stories in Chicken Soup for the Soul will encourage listeners to stay upbeat, because there's always a brighter way to look at life. This collection includes 31 Stories on the true meaning of Christmas, Christmas through the eyes of children, and the spirit of giving.

In this raw and poignant memoir filled with gorgeous insights, Leslie Reyes bares her highest highs and lowest lows on the long highway of humanity. And by applying the wisdom she gained in learning to ride a motorbike to her lifelong quest to conquer fear, she offers a guiding hand along the hills and valleys of an unpredictable life.

Through Donna Edwards-Hawthorne's personal life story, she intends to remind you that your hope will be the light in all the darkness. Having grown up in Jamaica, Donna narrates her tell-all tale about all the hardships in her childhood life, aiming to inspire you towards an attitude of never giving up. Why not be your biggest supporter and make it through life's darkest days instead of putting yourself down and struggling? After all, it will only be you sticking up for yourself till the end of time—no one else.

Nicolas Hamilton has been exceeding expectations since day one. Born with a form of cerebral palsy, Nicolas was told that he would never walk and would need a wheelchair for the rest of his life. Today he not only walks everywhere but he is the first disabled athlete to ever compete at the top level of British motorsport, The British Touring Car Championship, where he lines up on the grid alongside some of the world's best drivers. Now That I Have Your Attention follows Nicolas's remarkable journey and shares the valuable, tough, and often surprising lessons learned throughout his life.

Not just another transgender person's "transition" story. Mandy Goodhandy aka Amanda Taylor considers this a story of her completion as a human being. She was a little girl born in Scotland. Mainstream society's rude awakening forced her to live as a boy for survival. This is a journey of discovery and survival told with sometimes shocking honesty while including humour during some disturbingly touching life events.

If David Sedaris, Chelsea Handler, Larry David, and Caitlin Moran had the unlikeliest orgy in history, the resulting love child might one day write a book like this rollicking collection of true tales from Roy Sekoff, the founding editor of The Huffington Post. Whether he's describing a teenage pilgrimage to a Times Square porn superstore, life-changing experiences with high colonics and psychic readings, or that time Chevy Chase grabbed his balls at a funeral, Sekoff is a lively raconteur whose sharp observations wring laughs out of a ludicrous-yet-relatable life.

When Mark and Gus first met, they had no way of knowing they would one day be the owners of the largest home service company in Dallas–Fort Worth! From the onset of their first meeting, these two men knew they were part of something unique, something bigger, something they hope can be an example for others. Discover the elements they put in place to create a company that works not just for its customers but for its team members and its community.

In addition to her celebrated career as a novelist, Hilary Mantel contributed for years to newspapers and journals, unspooling stories from her own life and illuminating the world as she found it. “Ink is a generative fluid,” she explains. “If you don’t mean your words to breed consequences, don’t write at all.” A Memoir of My Former Self collects the finest of this writing over four decades.

After a number of years of being chronically ill with Lyme disease, Jenny Rush had a momentary realization that she was overlooking a lesson that was resulting in continued ill health. As she went into her last year of dealing with chronic illness at a physical level, Jenny shifted her primary focus from the illness itself to addressing the multitude of experiences that the illness was provoking.

Shattered Together is the remarkable tale of how Elle chose to become whole by learning to heal through the pain of her son’s death. From finding meaning in life to finding forgiveness, Elle opens up about the hard-won lessons she’s learned on her more-than-10-year odyssey and reveals the practices and tools she’s used to release her pain and experience love and joy once more.

God Made Man - Discovering Your Purpose and Living an Intentional Life I’ll make you a promise. This isn’t another feel-good, pat-on-the-back book that gets tossed onto your wife’s nightstand. I don’t read them either. I wrote this for you in hopes of encouraging men to embrace alpha manhood without having to worry about being attacked for it. Now, the truth is, we can do better. In some cases, much better, but until we know where we’ve been, there’s no way we’ll ever know where we’re going. Let’s knock the rust off of the toxic masculinity mantle and start living an ...

The trajectory of Zahra Al-harazi’s life defies expectations. In this electrifying book that travels from a small village in Yemen to a small town in Minnesota to a Calgary suburb, Al-harazi describes surviving two civil wars, her years as a young, stay-at-home, immigrant mother with little education, and how she became one of Canada’s most successful businesswomen.