Six Years and A Quarter Way Through

Six Years and A Quarter Way Through

Author: Cassandre Brissot

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2019-04-19

Total Pages: 255

ISBN-13: 1532672128

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Six Years and a Quarter Way Through is a story about a young woman who's lost her way. Like many of us, Leah believed that the vision supersedes the process until, at age twenty-six, she stops believing in the vision and the one who gave it to her. Leah has lost her faith, her job, her confidence, and maybe her mind. Utterly defeated and without hope that her dreams to become a star would come true, she meets Trenton Shaw, a rich, powerful, handsome, hot-shot producer who has spent the last six years of his life trying to find her. Leah is weary of Trenton initially, particularly since he is adamant about enlisting her for a new reality show that he is putting together called “Star Quality.” However, after reasoning that she has nothing left to lose, she consents. If she wins the show, she will receive a cash prize, an agent, and most importantly a part in a brand-new feature film; even if she loses, people would still know her name. Trent and Leah quickly fall for each other, forming an intense and sometimes volatile relationship, which only gets more complicated after she moves into the house she’ll be sharing with her costars and meets Brice. Frightened awake from a nightmare, Leah stumbles into the living room, where she finds Brice looking as haunted as she feels; he confides in her about his dead fiancée, and she in him about her nightmares and anxiety attacks. Her nightmares recur, worsening with each night as the competition intensifies and her relationship with Trent deepens. Gradually it becomes apparent that Leah’s way of getting everything she’s ever wanted may have taken her on a road she should not have traveled. At its core, this is a story about the journey we all must take: What do we believe? How strongly do we believe it? Will that belief be steadfast in the face of temptation? Although everyone’s story is different, you only either chose to do it God’s way or your own.


Don't Count Me Out

Don't Count Me Out

Author: Rafael Alvarez

Publisher: Cornell University Press

Published: 2022-10-15

Total Pages: 239

ISBN-13: 1501766376

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Don't Count Me Out chronicles the life of Bruce White from the beginning of his drug use in elementary school through criminal acts fueled by his need for drugs, to his miraculous recovery three decades later and involvement in the treatment of addicts, where he is now a leader in the rehabilitation field. Rafael Alvarez's recounting of White's journey should inspire those dealing with the fallout of addiction. Alvarez, a journalist and screenwriter, allows the reader to get inside the head of an addict who was stealing alcohol from his parents at the age of nine, selling drugs and tripping on LSD and PCP by the time he hit seventh grade, and hooked on morphine before he turned fifteen. "Bruce White? I thought he was dead?" is a response encountered in many of the interviews Alvarez conducted. Don't Count Me Out shines a spotlight on an improbable and stunning miracle. Though this is just one person's story, the contributing factors of early sexual assault, the role of permissive preoccupied parents, and the need for peer approval, among others, will resonate with many as the opioid crisis continues to haunt us.


With Wings Widespread

With Wings Widespread

Author: Junietta Baker McCall

Publisher: iUniverse

Published: 2010-03

Total Pages: 254

ISBN-13: 1450216161

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With Wings Widespread is a reflective journal about care and counseling in an acute psychiatric setting. It offers a glimpse into what goes on in the hearts and minds of patients, families, and professionals as they go about the business of experiencing and helping others manage difficult life experiences. For twenty-two years, Dr. McCall kept a poetry journal and in the latter years of her ministry in that setting began the arduous task of reflecting upon her life's work. She shares these reflections openly and respectfully in this journal in the hopes that what she learned would be of help to others. In With Wings Widespread, one finds reflections about aging, mental illness, and healthcare. One also finds thoughts about teamwork, collegiality, and personal and workplace stress. There are joyful reflections and painful moments of grief. There are internal struggles and there are moments of insight and epiphany. Readers who pick up these reflections may use the material to jog their memories, infuse their spirits, and see the value in their experiences. Those who may feel tired, isolated, and even lonely may connect with the experiences presented here and hopefully others will put together a collection of their own reflections.


The Year of Less

The Year of Less

Author: Cait Flanders

Publisher: Hay House, Inc

Published: 2019-01-15

Total Pages: 217

ISBN-13: 1401953514

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The Year of Less In her late twenties, Cait Flanders found herself stuck in the consumerism cycle that grips so many of us: earn more, buy more, want more, rinse, repeat. Even after she worked her way out of nearly $30,000 of consumer debt, her old habits took hold again. When she realized that nothing she was doing or buying was making her happy—only keeping her from meeting her goals—she decided to set herself a challenge: she would not shop for an entire year.The Year of Less documents Cait’s life for twelve months during which she bought only consumables: groceries, toiletries, gas for her car. Along the way, she challenged herself to consume less of many other things besides shopping. She decluttered her apartment and got rid of 70 percent of her belongings; learned how to fix things rather than throw them away; researched the zero waste movement; and completed a television ban. At every stage, she learned that the less she consumed, the more fulfilled she felt.The challenge became a lifeline when, in the course of the year, Cait found herself in situations that turned her life upside down. In the face of hardship, she realized why she had always turned to shopping, alcohol, and food—and what it had cost her. Unable to reach for any of her usual vices, she changed habits she’d spent years perfecting and discovered what truly mattered to her.Blending Cait’s compelling story with inspiring insight and practical guidance, The Year of Less will leave you questioning what you’re holding on to in your own life—and, quite possibly, lead you to find your own path of less.