Memoir Book Reviews | Self-Publishing Review

Destiny Control by David Garrahan

Evidence that truth is often more incredible than fiction, Destiny Control by David Garrahan is the spectacular memoir of a dauntless, determined, and extraordinary life.

Spanning eight decades, and capturing the atmosphere and energy of generations past, Garrahan vulnerably reveals the riveting details of his challenging childhood on the streets of New York, an identity-forging adolescence, and a truly exceptional adulthood. From the colloquial buzz of Brooklyn to the ring of Russian curses in the Pennsylvania countryside, Garrahan’s tumultuous life is anything but predictable. Chapter breaks peppered with old photographs give readers an even better sense of the author – […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2021-04-01T05:21:17+02:00March 31st, 2021|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Memoir Book Reviews|

Nick’s New Heart by Susan May

Author Susan May delivers a heartwarming and powerful account of her son’s incredible journey of survival in Nick’s New Heart: 30 Years and Counting…

This stirring memoir is a testament to love, resilience in the face of life’s challenges, and the power of faith that fuels this compelling and compassionate family. The first half of the book largely covers the trauma and perpetual anxiety of Nick’s uncertain first year of life after heart transplantation, painfully penned through the eyes of his watchful mother. Capturing that amount of grief and worry in prose is daunting, but May is fearless in her […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2021-03-05T09:17:18+02:00March 4th, 2021|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Health Book Reviews, Memoir Book Reviews|

Review: Playing Soldier by F. Scott Service

A riveting reflection on life, loss, service, and sacrifice, Playing Soldier by F. Scott Service is an original and intense memoir that shakes up one’s assumptions of a soldier’s life before, during, and after a conflict.

The majority of this book takes place during Service’s time in the military and while stationed in Iraq, but notably, most of the action takes place in his mind, in the gritty details of his internal monologue, the dark patterns of his thoughts, and the brutal conversations he has in the solitude of service; a soldier may not be allowed to speak his mind, […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2021-02-17T08:47:19+02:00February 9th, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Memoir Book Reviews, Military Book Reviews|

Review: Waxing Pathetic by M. B. Clark

M. B. Clark plumbs the depths of her own life with dark humor in Waxing Pathetic: My Two Cents, For What They’re Worth. Detailing long-simmering stories from different seminal points in her life, as well as her contemporary thoughts on glass ceilings, self-erected brick walls, technology, and the elusive vapors of youth, this is far from your average memoir.

As the author humorously states in her introduction, this book attempts to “capture more precisely the actual conundrum of the inner workings of my so-called brain,” which is precisely what it proceeds to do. From the dissection of embarrassing childhood […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2021-03-15T09:01:30+02:00February 3rd, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews, Memoir Book Reviews|

Review: Abandoned Not Broken by Rob Johnson

An adopted child finds inspiration and determination from family, friends and mentors and grows into manhood successful, well-liked and respected, in the moving memoir, Abandoned Not Broken: The Passion and Perspective to Discover Your Purpose.

Robert Dunckley was the third child of a single mother. His father disappeared not long after the seemingly happy partnership with his mother, and a caring great-grandmother stepped in with financial support. With her oversight, the little boy was taken in by his loving babysitter, Pat Johnson, who soon adopted him, giving him her surname and two older siblings.

Through trying circumstances, young Robert […]

SPR2021-01-13T10:24:38+02:00December 7th, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Memoir Book Reviews, Religion Book Reviews, Self-Help Book Reviews|

Review: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Times by Lois Ann Nicolai

In the vibrant chronicle, Ordinary People, Extraordinary Times: A Memoir of One Citizen Activist, author and activist Lois Ann Nicolai demonstrates how an apparently “ordinary” person can have a profound impact on the world at any age.

Nicolai was raised on a farm in rural America, imbuing her with a sense that all of us have a mission to perform. She married and had six children, feeling that raising them well was her personal purpose, but at age forty-six, she suddenly and unexpectedly became a widow. Dealing with grief and the need to forge a new life for herself, […]

SPR2022-03-04T02:18:13+02:00December 1st, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Memoir Book Reviews|

’53 on 35th by J. Conran Meyer

A charming and unique reflection on childhood, ’53 on 35th: A Silent Boomer’s Recollections by J. Conran Meyer may be set nearly 70 years in the past, but its innocent wisdom is truly timeless.

This pseudo-memoir follows the exploits of a neighborhood of young boys/Knights as they discover adventure, freedom, and the mysteries that will be revealed after “kidhood.” As the author explains, this story explores the memories we cherish and those we create, the uncertainty of our rose-colored glasses, and the seminal events that shape our view of the world.

Peppered with anachronistic bits of Americana, which gives the […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-10-21T16:27:48+02:00October 23rd, 2020|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Memoir Book Reviews|

Review: Just Buy Her a Dress and She’ll Be Fine by Amanda Dodson Gremillion

The emotionally charged yet sensible treatise, Just Buy Her a Dress and She’ll Be Fine by Amanda Dodson Gremillion, is the moving story of postpartum depression and OCD as it played out in the author’s own life, and how that became a medium for guiding others.

Gremillion’s mental distress seemed to begin when she had her first child. She and her husband Jay had met in their early teens, courted for ten years, and married – happily, at first. Both wanted a child and when their daughter Aubrie Lynn was born, she was welcomed.

Soon afterwards, the problems set in. […]