Self Biography

Journey to Safe Harbor covers three generations of a family where the personal and emotional sacrifices made in the name of mission, commitment and duty, aiming "to do good in the world", ended with unintended tragic consequences for their children. It is about a professional family, educated, religious and idealistic, but did they understand love?

A raw and intimate memoir of one woman’s experience navigating infidelity and divorce, Andrea Merkl illustrates what it means to heal trauma individually and collectively as she gave birth, endured a year-long social media detox, ran a triathlon and discovered a dissociated childhood trauma of sexual abuse.

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.

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.

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.

Jane Fonda, numeber-one best-selling author, actress, and workout pioneer, is an icon for generations of women. In this inspiring and candid book, she shares her wisdom on making the most of your later years. Combining stories from her own life and from the lives of others with new research, Jane Fonda explores how the critical years from 45 and 50, and especially from 60 and beyond, can be the time when you truly become the energetic, loving, fulfilled person you were meant to be.

Dr. Justin D. Key takes you on an inspiring journey through the transformative power of curiosity. As a multi-hyphenate—actor, entrepreneur, mathematician, writer, and speaker—Dr. Key reflects on his diverse path of self-discovery and the pivotal role curiosity has played in shaping his personal and professional life. From his childhood adventures in Sunday school to navigating the bustling streets of Hollywood, Dr. Key reveals how curiosity has sparked his creativity, fueled his passion, and helped him overcome challenges.

In Shadows of Sobriety, Keith Burton pulls back the curtain on his journey through a childhood marked by alcoholism, family dysfunction, and emotional scars that lasted a lifetime. Raised in a household where love was often confused with pain, Keith reflects on his relationships with an alcoholic father and a controlling mother, and how their struggles set the stage for his own battles with identity, faith, and a fractured family legacy.

Born in Ghana, West Africa, with one deformed leg, he was dismissed by most people - but not by his mother, who taught him to reach for his dreams. As a boy, Emmanuel hopped to school more than two miles each way, learned to play soccer, left home at age 13 to provide for his family, and, eventually, became a cyclist. He rode an astonishing 400 miles across Ghana in 2001, spreading his powerful message: Disability is not inability. Today, Emmanuel continues to work on behalf of the disabled.

Every activist started out as a kid‚ and in some cases, they were kids when their activism began! But even the world's greatest champions of civil liberties had relatable interests and problems‚ often in the middle of extraordinary circumstances. Martin Luther King, Jr., loved fashion and argued with his dad about whether or not dancing was a sin. Harvey Milk had a passion for listening to opera music in different languages. Dolores Huerta was once wrongly accused of plagiarizing in school.

Celina Caesar-Chavannes digs deep into her childhood and her life as a young Black woman entrepreneur and politician, and shows us that effective and humane leaders grow as much from their mistakes and vulnerabilities as from their strengths. Both memoir and leadership book, Can You Hear Me Now? is a funny, self-aware, poignant, confessional, and fierce look at how failing badly and screwing things up completely are truly more powerful lessons in how to conduct a life than extraordinary success.

In 2010, at the age of 37, he began feeling a constant ticking inside his body, not knowing that what he was feeling was a virtual time-bomb that could explode at any moment. Seven months later, he was diagnosed with a rare and malignant form of cancer. In From Fear to Faith, author Matt Talford takes you on a journey through his personal war on cancer and shares the physical, mental, and spiritual tools that inspired him to reverse what he referred to as “a slow death”.

Wendy Tamis Robbins offers a window into the mental illness of an all-star athlete, Ivy League-graduate, and successful attorney. At just six years old, Wendy’s first panic attack sparked a 40-year struggle with a variety of anxiety disorders. Avoiding anything that could trigger her symptoms, she retreats into a box to contain and hide her condition. After years of living in the prison she originally constructed as her safe place, Wendy is no longer willing to limit her life to accommodate her disorders.

Rhonda Hayes promised to give her 35-year-old dying daughter, Sherry, anything she wanted. When Sherry requested that her mother sign up for a dating site, Rhonda was panic-struck. What would people think? Only nine months earlier, Rhonda’s devoted husband, Greg, had died from cancer. Keeping her promise, Rhonda acquiesced to Sherry’s wish. Together they completed a dating profile; moments before hitting "Submit", Rhonda added these words: My daughter has terminal cancer and she is my life right now. Why would I be on a dating site?

In this book, Kerstin shares her own stories with the honesty of your best friend. She explains what has worked for real, overwhelmed, under-supported women who are living through unbearable waits: unemployment, illness, infertility, death, even seasons of joylessness that seem to never end. You will learn how to manage all the little waits that come daily, the ones that make you feel like you're missing out on your life. Where's My Crown offers tangible advice and actionable steps for coping through each season.

Entrepreneur and lifestyle influencer Jacey Duprie shares her inspiring journey of going from farm girl to fashion icon and her lessons about personal growth and self-made success. With millions of followers and a thriving lifestyle brand, Damsel in Dior, Jacey Duprie is one of today’s top fashion influencers. Her beautiful Instagram photos capture a life of glamour, luxury and elegance. But Jacey’s life offline has been far from perfect.

If you’re only learning from your own experience, you’re wasting years of time doing all the wrong things. When we learn from the experiences of others, we can save those years and make the right decisions when they count. Who has the experience you should learn from? Anyone and everyone, including the author of this book. Written during the COVID-19 pandemic, Experience Matters is full of (brutal) honesty and humor.

Wife | Daughter | Self investigates identity and the writing life through the perspective of one of the nation’s top memoir teachers and critics.

Undercurrents: Channeling Outrage to Spark Practical Activism brings the perspective of experienced global social innovation leader, scholar and speaker, Steve Davis, to bear on some of the most powerful and helpful macrotrends rippling through society today. The book teaches listeners how to harness their outrage and capitalize on global trends to instigate and encourage change across the world.

How to live happily and well with endometriosis, from someone who has tried everything and lived to tell (and laugh at) the tale. Part memoir, part guide book and part survival guide, Private Parts retraces Eleanor's own journey with endometriosis, offering listeners practical, down-to-earth and friendly advice covering everything from what actually happens in an internal exam, to finding the right specialist for you, the perfect post-op wardrobe and to why you should look to Frida Kahlo for inspiration in your darkest moments.