Memoir | Self-Publishing Review

Millie! The Last Chapters by Louis David Lavalle & Roseanne Lavalle

Audiences will be inspired to hold their precious pets tight while reading Millie! The Last Chapters, the adorable true story of a cherished, special pooch by Louis David Lavalle and Roseanne Lavalle.

Louis and his wife Roseanne don’t call Millie a dog: they view her as a person and a special member of the family. Roseanne first spots the spunky Yorkshire Terrier in the window of a NYC pet store on a rainy Spring evening, the runt of a litter bred in St. Louis. With her big ears, left eye freckle, and resplendent gold and blue-gray coat, Millie soon […]

Michelle Hogmire2022-07-07T02:54:49+02:00July 7th, 2022|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Memoir, Pets|

Review: Letters to Sis by CW3 Cesare Giannetti

A stirring memoir in an unusual form, Letters to Sis by CW3 Cesare Giannetti is an intimate look into the everyday lives of ordinary servicemen, and a peek behind the curtain at the lives they leave behind.

A blend of non-fiction epistolary writing and narrative confession, this book is deeply personal and revealing about the author’s lived experiences, during his years before, during, and after serving in the US Army. Telling the story via letters gives the book genuine emotion and honesty in these scribbled snapshots of prose, while Giannetti’s dramatic accounts of his service fill in the blanks, providing […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-08-08T07:20:52+02:00June 17th, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: CW3 Cesare Giannetti, Memoir, Military|

Awkward Stumbles and Fuzzy Memories by Kathy Ivchenko

A detailed recollection of the author’s formative journey in the Peace Corps, Awkward Stumbles and Fuzzy Memories: Memoir of a Peace Corps Volunteer by Kathy Ivchenko is a heartfelt and vividly told memoir of self-discovery.

Beginning with her uncertain arrival in Ukraine and months of training on the other side of the world, this intense exploration of cultural immersion will be eye-opening to readers who have never upended their lives for an international adventure. Her work as a teacher trainer is fascinating and complex, including the challenge of having students only a few years younger than herself. Between language gaps, […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-04-25T06:26:59+02:00April 24th, 2022|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Memoir|

Review: The Satisfied Introvert by Benjamin Plumb

Author Benjamin Plumb presents his own remarkable life as a case study in finding happiness and purpose in The Satisfied Introvert: A Life-Changing Story About Finding Safety in an Extroverted World.

Recognizing his introversion from a young age, and actively choosing a strategy to manage it, this book is a wildly honest and detailed recounting of the author’s lifelong journey towards self-acceptance and ultimate success. By looking back at his own experiences through a keenly analytical lens, Plumb examines common themes of friendship, family, morality, and relationships, as well as more nuanced dissections of power dynamics, educational systems, geopolitics, […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-04-22T07:38:07+02:00March 25th, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Memoir, Self-Help|

Bohunk’s Redemption by Bohunk

Part memoir, part medical documentary, Bohunk’s Redemption: From Blacking Out to Showing Up by Bohunk is a wholly unique and compelling memoir about a medical professional who struggled with a variety of addictions and rose above each to become a crusader for change in both the medical and legal world.

The anonymously-named Bohunk was at the lowest stage of his life, viewing suicide as the only option. Using his knowledge of medicine he gathered while being a resident physician, he took a concoction of pills one night to end his own life. A fortunate intervention by his wife saved him […]

SPR2022-03-10T04:05:48+02:00March 8th, 2022|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Addiction, Memoir|

Review: The Frog Hunter by TB Stamper

Author TB Stamper launches a searing blast of wartime memory in The Frog Hunter: A Story About the Vietnam War, an Inkblot Test and a Girl, a relentless memoir of Vietnam and the aftermath it wreaked for those soldiers who managed to come home.

From the author’s very first steps into the unknown, the story is engrossing and immersive, plunging readers into the swampy murk of Vietnam, along with all its unknown horrors, both physical and psychological. This memoir is also revelatory on a personal level, revealing Stamper in his pre-war state of mind – a clever rascal and […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-03-29T02:07:57+02:00March 7th, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Memoir, Military|

Review: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Elections by Lois Ann Nicolai

Lois Ann Nicolai dives into another fascinating chapter of her own life in Ordinary People, Extraordinary Elections: A Memoir of International Democracy Builders, an insightful and passionately penned memoir.

Reflecting on political subjects and personal experiences that are both timely and timeless, readers are given a behind-the-scenes view into the nuances of contentious elections and culture in a myriad of countries, across Bosnia, Croatia, Sarajevo, Macedonia, Georgia, Kosovo, and more. This may not sound like a suspense-filled premise for a memoir, but given the particular locations and high-stakes geopolitical contexts of the author’s travels, many of the anecdotes are […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-03-25T10:23:22+02:00March 3rd, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Lois Ann Nicolai, Memoir, Politics|

Review: Black, White, and Gray All Over by Frederick Douglass Reynolds

A riveting and eye-opening read for every American, Black, White, and Gray All Over by Frederick Douglass Reynolds is a powerful story of family, struggle, redemption, and resilience as a black police officer on the mean streets of Compton.

Recounting his life in emotional detail in the opening chapters, the author’s roots are revealed, as are the early struggles that led him towards a career in law enforcement. The majority of the book then details his decades on the force, delving into the nitty-gritty history of Compton street gangs and power structures, as well as the near-constant war being waged […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-04-27T04:41:58+02:00January 26th, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Frederick Douglass Reynolds, Memoir|