Biography Book Reviews | Self-Publishing Review

Review: Searching for Harold by Stephen Watts

An epistolary memoir of a fractured family in the throes of World War II, Searching for Harold: One Family’s World War II Story in Letters by Stephen Watts presents a stirring and timely picture of unity, support, and grace under fire.

Primarily comprised of letters exchanged between members of the Carleton and Watts families between the years of 1934 and 1948, this chronological account intimately connects Harold and Wilbur Carleton in Europe, their nephew Wayland in Texas, Bernice in Georgia, Gladine in Washington, and other disparate family members across the world. Echoing an entire generation that saw its fathers, brothers, […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2026-07-23T11:22:56+02:00July 21st, 2026|Categories: Book Reviews, Latest Book Reviews|Tags: Biography Book Reviews, World War II Book Reviews|

Review: Houdini: The Man Who Died Twice by Larrian Gillespie

Pulling back the curtain on history’s most legendary magician, Houdini: The Man Who Died Twice by Larrian Gillespie explores the spectacular career, enigmatic legacy, and murky final days of the macabre master of escape. Readers are pulled a century into the past to a time of glamour and illusion, where fame and fortune could be won or lost in an instant.

Delivering an impressive example of well-researched and riveting nonfiction, the book unfolds like a formal investigation – a presentation of verified facts and the players involved, alongside a dissection of the relevant clues and motives, allowing a theory to […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2026-07-28T12:34:22+02:00July 21st, 2026|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Biography Book Reviews|

Review: The St. Paul Phantom by Gerard Gibbons

An epic American odyssey, The St. Paul Phantom: The Gibbons Brothers’ Fight for Glory, Volume I by Gerard Gibbons is an exhilarating look back at the guts, glory, and fiery spirit of the early 20th century through the lives of two brothers and boxers.

Recounting the story of his larger-than-life grandfather, Tommy Gibbons, and his brother Mike, the author gives readers ringside seats to their meteoric rise and unforgettable careers as heavyweight boxers and living legends. The two brothers with seemingly impossible dreams climbed out of obscurity in St. Paul, Minnesota to become titans of the ring in their corner […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2026-07-22T09:24:46+02:00May 14th, 2026|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Biography Book Reviews, Sports Book Reviews|

Review: Searching for Charles by Stephen Watts

Taking readers on a historic journey across the Atlantic and into the burgeoning American continent, Searching for Charles: The Untold Legacy of an Immigrant’s American Adventure by Stephen Watts is a stunning portrait of the past.

In 1835, Charles Watts left the oppressive gloom of Dickensian London in search of a better life in the nascent nation of the United States. What followed were years of curious exploration, keen observation, and diligent letter-writing that captured the energy, emotions, and events of that formative period in American history.

This book serves a number of purposes, and will appeal to a variety […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2023-08-23T12:11:00+02:00June 20th, 2023|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Biography Book Reviews, History Book Reviews|

Review: Family Matters by Lance Lee

In a memoir that does double duty as a multi-generational history of dysfunction and the effort to define a life shaped by deceptions, Lance Lee unmasks the myths his parents clung to in Family Matters: dreams I couldn’t share and how a dysfunctional family became America’s Darling, The Addams Family.

Lee and his sister, Linda, endured a turbulent childhood controlled by their father David “Gar” Levy, a self-absorbed, generally distant, often emotionally abusive patriarch. A high-powered advertising and television network executive, Gar created the sitcom, “The Addams Family,” which Lee believes Gar infused with his own parents’ dysfunction and […]

SPR2022-10-07T15:00:03+02:00October 6th, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Biography Book Reviews, Memoir Book Reviews|

Review: One Last Song For My Father by Edwin Fontánez

An elegant elegy for an imperfect man, Edwin Fontánez’s One Last Song For My Father: A Son’s Memoir is a gorgeous blend of alliterative prose, lyrical poetry, and lush metaphoric writing.

Growing up in Puerto Rico, author Fontánez always struggled with his often neglectful and financially irresponsible father, Modesto. A tinsmith metalworker who dropped out of school before the third grade, Modesto enjoyed playing music with friends in his spare time, but his alcoholism left his family in a constant state of impoverishment. Fontánez resented his father’s lack of empathy, particularly for his mother, but his dad did have a […]

Michelle Hogmire2022-10-27T16:56:23+02:00September 23rd, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Biography Book Reviews, Memoir Book Reviews|

Thomas Jefferson: Family Secrets by William G. Hyland Jr.

A rarely told chapter in the life of an American legend, Thomas Jefferson: Family Secrets by William G. Hyland Jr. is a revelatory look into post-presidential life – a detailed and enthralling peek at the man and his experiences, but also the ongoing state of the young nation.

Most Americans have some image, opinion, or high-school recollection of Thomas Jefferson, but this biographical tome offers a different glimpse into his life, focusing on a less-discussed era of the 3rd US president. Charming scenes of high-ranking visitors arriving at Monticello to find barefoot children underfoot give the aging president a humanness […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-02-17T07:56:13+02:00February 17th, 2022|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Biography Book Reviews, History Book Reviews|

All I Have: Celebrating Ceramic Artist Ruenell Foy Temps by Sheridan Hill

Author Sheridan Hill celebrates the life and work of a gifted crafter of sculptural magic in All I Have: Celebrating Ceramic Artist Ruenell Foy Temps, a heartfelt homage to an inspired soul.

While this decade-spanning biographical collection of photographs captures Temps’ body of work, as well as the artist in certain intimate creative moments, the prose itself is also meticulously crafted, poetic, and seemingly awed by the work of this talented sculptor. The book takes readers through the fascinating history and unassuming achievements of this eccentric and fearless creator, and those who are unaware of Temps’ work will be […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-01-17T05:29:25+02:00January 15th, 2022|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Art Book Reviews, Biography Book Reviews|