Memoirs
Testing the Wind, by Peter Ilgenfritz
Testing the Wind, by Peter Ilgenfritz There are journeys in life we would never choose to take, but we do so anyway, because we know that our lives depend on our taking them. In a tippy little boat, on a tiny lake in downtown Seattle, I learned to sail. I discovered a practice that helped…
Read MoreAmong the Remnants, by Josh Gortler
Among the Remnants, by Josh Gortler When three-year-old Joshua Gortler and his family were forced from their hometown in Poland during World War II, they scrambled for safety across border after border, finding refuge at last in Europe’s Displaced Persons Camps. Undocumented and unschooled, Gortler spent his adolescence learning how to survive. When his family…
Read MoreParkinson Pete On Living and Dying with Parkinson’s Disease, by Peter G. Beidler
Parkinson Pete on Living and Dying with Parkinson’s Disease is a direct, honest, and sometimes funny assessment of what it can be like to face a life and a death with a neurodegenerative disease like Parkinson’s. Most of the writers of the books Pete reviewed in Parkinson Pete’s Bookshelves dealt exclusively with the easy early stages of the disease. Then they mumbled…
Read MoreHow We Survive Here, by Claire Gebben
How We Survive Here (334 pages), is a memoir by Claire Gebben with letter translations by Angela Weber. In 2008, Claire Gebben’s relative from Freinsheim, Germany, came to the Pacific Northwest, bringing with her fifteen letters, dated 1841 to 1900. As the two begin translating the Old German Script, they become captivated by the stories. Via 19th-century…
Read MoreWherever You Are, by Cynthia Lim
Wherever You Are (240 pages), by Cynthia Lim, is a memoir about the responsibilities of caregiving, redefining life with disability, and discovering the real truth of love and marriage. “I can’t get this story out of my head. It haunts me. It makes me wonder, Would I be that brave? That strong? That full of…
Read MoreThe Game Warden’s Son by Steven T. Callan
Awarded “Best Outdoor Book” of 2016 by the Outdoor Writers Association of California The Game Warden’s Son (272 pages), is the new memoir by retired fish and game warden, Steven T. Callan. In a follow-up to his 2013 memoir, Badges, Bears, and Eagles, Callan relates a half century of adventures and investigations from the early…
Read MoreChef Interrupted, by Trevis Gleason
** Winner of an International Jury Prestige Award, Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2016 ** Chef Interrupted: Discovering Life’s Second Course in Ireland with Multiple Sclerosis (288 pages), a memoir, is the first published book by former Seattle Chef and popular MS Blogger, Trevis L. Gleason. After being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, Gleason follows his dreams…
Read MoreSirocco, by Danielle A. Dahl
Sirocco: A French Girl Comes of Age in War-Torn Algeria (274 pages), is a memoir by Danielle A. Dahl about her adventures growing up under threat of terrorism. Sirocco is a finalist in two categories of the 2015 Next Generation Indie Book Awards: Memoirs (Historical/Legacy/Career) and Historical Nonfiction. “Sirocco is the riveting account of the…
Read MoreBadges, Bears, and Eagles, by Steven T. Callan
Badges, Bears, and Eagles: The True-Life Adventures of a California Fish and Game Warden (240 pages), by Steven T. Callan, is a fascinating and often humorous collection of stories from Callan’s eventful and unusually successful career as a California fish and game warden. “This engrossing memoir by debut author Callan lets readers in on highlights…
Read MoreBeing Fruitful without Multiplying, an Anthology
Being Fruitful without Multiplying: Stories and Essays from around the World (226 pages), is an anthology of true stories by many women and a few men revolving around the elements of nature and nurture that led to their decisions not to procreate. The introduction is by Patricia Yvette, and the main stories are written by…
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