True story of Leona Stucky's childhood in a Kansas Mennonite farm community and the violence and challenge of faith which results from an abusive marriage.
Weaving together narrative essay and bilingual poetry, Claudia D. Hernández’s lyrical debut follows her tumultuous adolescence as she crisscrosses the American continent: a book "both timely and aesthetically exciting in its hybridity" (The Millions). Seven-year-old Claudia wakes up one day to find her mother gone, having left for the United States to flee domestic abuse and pursue economic prosperity. Claudia and her two older sisters are taken in by their great aunt and their grandmother, their father no longer in the picture. Three years later, her mother returns for her daughters, and the family begins the month-long journey to El Norte. But in Los Angeles, Claudia has trouble assimilating: she doesn’t speak English, and her Spanish sticks out as “weird” in their primarily Mexican neighborhood. When her family returns to Guatemala years later, she is startled to find she no longer belongs there either. A harrowing story told with the candid innocence of childhood, Hernández’s memoir depicts a complex self-portrait of the struggle and resilience inherent to immigration today.
Lying. Cheating. Manipulating. Will they ever change? What will it take to get through to them? They apologized, but will this time be different...or will they just get better at hiding what they are up to? This book will help you get out of the fog of confusion and into the clarity you are looking for. FOG is an acronym that stands for "Fear, Obligation, and Guilt." These three emotions are often at the core of manipulation, and are often how narcissists, sociopaths, and other types of emotional manipulators go about controlling their targets. However, this type of destructive manipulation isn't just limited to narcissists and sociopaths. There is no shortage of people with well-intended bad advice out there who unintentionally fall into the FOG as well, and push targets of abuse into keeping the relationship going. The FOG is one of the main reasons that people stay "stuck" in abusive relationships for so long, why they continue to get involved with abusive people, why they feel that they are the problem, and why they tend to feel that the abuse is somehow their fault. When a person is being manipulated they have a hard time figuring out who has the problem, what is normal, what is problematic, and if their wants, needs, and feelings are valid. The disasterous effects of being lost in the FOG are confusion, crazymaking, people pleasing, and an erosion of boundaries. What makes this well-intended bad advice so damaging is that, on the surface, it seems like good advice--especially if it's coming from people who seem to have our best interests in mind, such as friends, family, church members, support group members, or a therapist. Some examples of this well-intended bad advice that comes from other people is: "Who are you to judge?" "No one is perfect." "You need to forgive them." "She's your mother, you need to have a relationship with her...she's not getting any younger you know." "Commitment is forever." What can be so crazymaking for targets is that they are often getting two very different messages. On one hand, they are told that they need to work towards a solution, and on the other, they are told that need to leave a partner who lies, cheats, steals, hits, yells, or belittles them. This book compares and contrasts of these concepts so that targets of any type of manipulation and abuse can make a more empowered decision. Some of the concepts covered are: Who are You to Judge vs. Being Discerning No One is Perfect vs. Tolerating Abuse You Need to Forgive Them vs. Keeping Yourself Safe A Parent vs. A Predator Commitment vs. Codependency Self-love vs. Selfishness A Person Acting the Part vs. A Person Actually Changing Gut Instincts vs. Hypervigilance A Friend vs. Someone Being Friendly Caring vs. Caretaking Being in Love With Them vs. Being in Love With Who They Pretended to Be Workable Behavior vs. Deal Breakers Acceptance vs. Allowance Going Through So Much Together vs. Being Put Through So Much By Them Sincerity vs. Intensity Healthy Bonding vs. Trauma Bonding Insincere Remorse vs. Sincere Remorse Reacting vs. Responding ...and many more.
A chilling story of madness and murder, The Fog is a classic horror novel from James Herbert, author of The Rats. Life in tranquil Wiltshire is shattered by an earth-splitting disaster. Yet the true danger is just beginning. A malevolent fog ascends from the abyss, spreading through the air, destined to devastate the lives of all those it encounters . . . 'James Herbert comes at us with both hands' – Stephen King A classic of horror and supernatural thrillers, The Fog is an exploration of the immense destruction chemical weapons can cause – a stark reminder of humanity's frailty in face of uncontrollable forces.
I thought about how good it felt that on the previous day, I had loosened the shackles of frustration in one way; by taking a big leap back into life in another. I congratulated myself on my success. I knew that I had to keep trying to crawl out of the fog to freedom again, across all areas of my life. I promised myself that no matter how difficult or frustrating it was going to be, I had to try. I had to regain control, confidence and independence. Alana Henderson, a successful businesswoman, suffered a stroke at fifty-nine, losing her ability to communicate along with many associated skills. Surviving the stroke was the genesis of Out of the Fog. After a traumatic nine days in acute stroke services, she abandoned the health service for the safety of her home. Three weeks later, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and diabetes. With little knowledge of how to cope with these major illnesses, she drew on her ingenuity, resourcefulness, and creativity to survive and recover. In this memoir, Alana shares her storyan enlightening and sometimes emotional journey of self-help. Using an unconventional approach, after twelve months of a roller coaster ride of challenges and successes, Alana had reversed the diabetes, overcome obesity, recovered her language skills, achieved a positive outcome from breast surgery, and rebuilt her business. She had also learned what was really involved in changing a lifestyle, something often talked about but rarely explained. Out of the Fog narrates a story of perseverance, courage, and the determination to always find a way around a problem. From being consumed by the fog of a modern lifestyle, Alana built a quality, healthy life that challenges societys expectations of older people. In three years: from stroke to pole fitness.
Presents an account of the World War II invasion of Alaska by the Japanese and is told from the viewpoints of American civilians who were captured on the Aleutian Islands.
A dysfunctional royal family, a generation's old secret, and a strange book with the names of those closest to the Crown written within its pages all serve as the backdrop for Fynn's surreal adventure through life, death, and the strange place that lies in between. Following a disastrous summer punctuated by mysteries and deaths, Fynneas and Hollyn are sent from the comfort of their lives in Estheria to spend the next ten months at the Morancy Academy of Military Arts, located on a tropical archipelago. There, the boys will have to come to terms with their quirky instructors, volatile classmates, and their own tumultuous relationship if they have any hope of surviving the monsters, nightmares, and magic that await them on their quest to not only survive their first year, but to emerge as the Champion of the end of year Games.