Biographies and Memoirs
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Do the accounts of extraordinary peoples' lives inspire your own life? Can the fortitude of individuals drive how you live your own life? Our authors in the Biographies and Memoirs genre bring you the stories of people who have survived and grown through the most difficult of situations. Their stories will move you to tears, to action, and to new levels in your own life. They will always do this for you on eBookHounds for free or for a discount.
Definition of the "Biographies and Memoirs Genre": Ebooks in both the Biographies and Memoirs genres focus on the life experiences of a single person. Biographies are generally broader in the subject matters of a person's life experiences, while memoirs are more honed into the memories of that person. However, there is very little difference between the two categories, which is why they are combined in a single genre. Ebooks in the Biographies and Memoirs genre also typically have a significant element of inspiration, as the stories which drove the writing of these ebooks are tremendously moving.
Examples of bestselling ebooks in the Biographies and Memoirs genre are Cheryl Strayed (Wild), Chris Kyle (American Sniper), Laura Hillenbrand (Unbroken), and Donna Mabry (Maude).
Our existence is fragile. I learned that in many intricate ways, so I do not take today for granted. I do not know what tomorrow will bring. I do not even know if tomorrow will come.
On the eve of Thanksgiving 2016, I received the diagnosis of stage 4 lung cancer. Next to dying, I fear the spread of cancer to my brain and losing my ability to think, speak, or write. This loss would be devastating to me.
The fragility of our life made me want to be authentic. Therefore, I am writing this memoir to be authentic—we become our true selves when we author who we are.
I am afraid of being forgotten. Death does frighten me. But more than dying, I am scared of having no one remember me or, even worse, of being recognized differently from who I was. At the same time, I have never thought that I was entitled to ask others not to forget me. But, not to be forgotten is precisely what I yearn for.
While I am writing for the other, I am simultaneously writing for myself. I am one of the readers and will test the subject as it gets written. My criteria are stricter. I want to say, “This is my narrative.”
I need to be able to say, “This is my narrative.”
The New York Times bestseller: “Every page is filled with revelations, gossip and fascinating details about Markham.”—Diane Ackerman, The New York Times Book Review
Born in England and raised in Kenya, Beryl Markham was a notorious beauty. She trained race horses and had scandalous affairs, but she is most remembered for being a pioneering aviatrix. She became the first woman to cross the Atlantic Ocean and the first person to make it from London to New York nonstop. In Mary S. Lovell’s definitive biography, Beryl takes on new life—vividly portrayed by a master biographer whose knowledge of her subject is unparalleled.
This book is going to take you on an amazing tour of 4 of the world’s oldest civilizations. In this first instalment of 101 Facts about Ancient Civilizations for Kids, we’ll be exploring Mesopotamia, Egypt, Rome, and China.
You’ll be learning about some of the zaniest fun-facts that there are to know about these civilizations, as well as delving into their rich histories, which have helped shape society as we know it.
Here’s a little secret, this book isn’t just another reading exercise, it’s a magical key to unlock wonderful adventures that will take you across the globe. Grab your passport and get ready for your expedition into the mysteries of these awe-inspiring ancient nations.
1660 - New France is a howling wilderness.
Smallpox devastates a Mohawk village, scarring and half blinding a four-year-old survivor. Now an orphan, the girl earns her keep by making embroidery and wampum belts.
Despite war and massacres around her, she resolutely follows her convictions, refuses to marry and comes to deeply embrace Christianity.
A young French Jesuit, Claude Chauchetier, has one glorious mystical experience of God which he can never replicate. Despairing, he chooses the hardship of missionary work only to be disillusioned by its harsh realities. Claude is astounded by Kateri, in whom he finds faith in its purest form, a powerful faith that will not be stilled by death and continues even now.
The amazing story of Kateri Tekakwitha, our first Native American saint.
The book tells the stories of 39 patients with incurable lung cancer. It aims to help patients, families, and healthcare providers understand the experience of living with cancer. It also invites reflections on the essential questions of meaning, resilience, and coping with adversity in life. The author is a family doctor, teacher, and researcher who is also a stage 4 lung cancer patient himself. He is patient #40.
Patients with cancer often have an urgency to find meaning in life. They struggle with the illness, its emotional impact, and the consequences of treatments. However, with time, reflection, and support from others, they develop resilience. Cancer patients often are not passive. Instead, they choose different strategies to maintain and restore their health. They also leverage a variety of approaches to cope better with their struggle.
The book is for cancer patients who are tarrying at the limits of time. It is also for those who live around patients with cancer: caregivers, families and friends, and health care providers. People who struggle with other illnesses will also find aspects of their story reflected here. Also, the ones who have experienced a crisis of identity will discover elements of their story here as well. By sharing the experiences of the forty authentic individuals, the book opens the space for them to teach others. This book is about the essence of the human experience at its limits. It is for every reader.
Novelist, composer and conductor Somtow Sucharitkul (who writes books under the name S.P. Somtow) had an extraordinary epiphany while driving downthe California coast. At almost 50 years of age, having spent very little time in his native Thailand, he was seized by an overwhelming desire to enter a Buddhist monastery. This is the story of that journey, full of surprises, culture shock, discoveries, humor and spirituality. Visions, dreams, comedy, philosophy, wisdom and superstition mingle in an unforgettable fusion.
The late Van Slayden trained on the PT-3 kite-like biplane in 1937, but he learned fighter pilot operations flying “by the seat of his pants,” walking away from five crashes. Shortly after the invasion of Normandy, he landed on Utah Beach to help establish a US Army Air Forces’ (AAF’s) presence in Europe. He flew the P-47 Thunderbolt, a fighter-bomber, in combat over Northern France and commanded the 36th Fighter Group—the “Fightin’ 36th—at Batogne, St. Vith, the Bridgehead at Remagen, Operations Grenade, Clarion, Varsity and other missions. His 22nd Fighter Squadron was the first in the AAF to land voluntarily on German soil.
He was deep into Germany when the Nazis surrendered on May 8, 1945, which was remarkably anticlimactic. Van Slayden, a country boy from rural Tennessee, like so many of his contemporaries, stepped up to the challenge as part of the Greatest Generation.
A holiday can change everything…
…it did for Fred.
He went on a two-week break with three friends to the Spanish island of Ibiza in July 1976. It was so enjoyable they all vowed to come back for the following season.
In April 1977, Fred returned to Ibiza, alone, in pursuit of his dream.
Behind him, he left his family, his girlfriend, and a promising career in banking.
Challenges lay ahead.
This would be no holiday.
He needed a place to stay and to find work that would sustain him through the next six months.
This true to life memoir follows 21-year-old Fred’s adventures as he acclimatises to living abroad. In a time before instant communication, he keeps in touch with family and friends by letter. They are his lifeline to home.
If you enjoy reading about people’s life-changing experiences, then this book is for you.
Get it now.
THE “GOLDEN AGE” OF FLIGHT ATTENDANTS!
There was a time when air travel itself was the destination. The airlines were international superstars; even among those long-gone carriers, their still-remembered names can conjure deep feelings of nostalgia, romance, and adventure: Braniff, Continental, BOAC, Swissair, TWA, Pan Am.This was the fifties and sixties. The world was on the move, and it was the new jet planes that were getting people there. But competition for the travel dollar was fierce, and Madison Avenue decided the face (and heart) of every airline would be the flight attendant, the stewardess. So it was that the “stew” became synonymous with the airline’s brand. She—and at that time they were exclusively female—was the airline. The stewardess became the fantasy every woman: glamorous professional, high-end server, customer service expert, nurse, therapist, and in no small measure: sex symbol. And to that end, these women were carefully selected for their looks and brains, then rigorously trained for weeks, and finally dressed as high-flying, high-heeled models in uniforms often created by top fashion designers.
Heddy Frosell da Ponte was one of those chosen women. She was the ideal candidate to be employed by Pan Am in the 1960s: a pretty female with a terrific figure, under thirty-two years old, unmarried, and a speaker of multiple languages. The Glamour Years of Flying as a Stewardess is Heddy’s fascinating, often times hilarious collection of exploits as she traveled the world as a stewardess during the golden age of international air travel. This remarkable book is also a rare look back at the people, places, cultures, and lifestyles gone forever, but now brought back to vivid life by a stewardess-turned-author who knows how to tell a fast-moving tale. So buckle up; this will be one flight you’ll never forget.
"A wonderful slice of yesteryear, a chance to lose yourself for an hour or two, and Heddy Frosell Da Ponte is just the perfect travel guide. Enjoy!"--Chris Hammer, author of Family Can Be Murder (Dysorganized Crime Series), The Devil's Edge, and The Game Changer.
"Told with a terrific sense of humor and self-deprecation, Heddy Frosell De Ponte's story draws you into a world that should not be forgotten."--Lori Titus, author of Hunting in Closed Spaces (Marradith Ryder Series) and Black Magic Women: Terrifying Tales by Scary Sisters.
"If you need an uplift, inspiration, or just something to warm your heart, this book is definitely for you!"--Xtina Marie, author of Dark Musings and Collected Christmas Horror Shorts
About the Author
Heddy Frosell da Ponte was a flight attendant for forty five years. Now retired, she lives in Georgia. She is also the author of The Frosell Affair.
Dream big. Set ambitious goals. Be surprised with the outcome!
At the age of 68, while still recovering from his second knee injury, Dr. Zeev Gilkis decided to give himself an unusual present for his 70th birthday.
He dreamed of running a full Marathon, and completing the seventh decade of his life seemed to him the ideal timing to do so.
Perhaps this ambitious goal wouldn’t have been so unusual, had he been a very physically active person in his younger years. But Zeev is a cancer survivor who began his ‘career’ in sports relatively late, in his mid-sixties.
Along with his plans and dreams he kept a diary where he recorded the ups and downs, practical tips and original thoughts that crossed his mind in this long, challenging journey.
The key motive of this book is running. But it is not just running. It is a whole process of learning yourself, feeling your body and a lot of psychology.
The author sees sharing his experiences, as his mission in life to inspire others to set ambitious goals and go for it. Setting a goal is motivating and causes us to take out from ourselves the best!
Join Zeev in this adventure and discover that age doesn't matter. You too can achieve anything you truly dream of.
In his first two books: Unlock Bliss, A Memoir of Getting Happier and The Secret of Life, A Memoir of Getting Younger, Dr. Zeev Gilkis shares with readers the story of his struggle with cancer, some important and original thoughts and insights into life and happiness, such as that “Age doesn’t matter!” among many others.
In a very friendly manner and a conversational style, he describes some of the key processes in the brain, the role of the immune system and how to care for it, the story of how he got into sports in his sixties, and much more good stuff.
"This is like drinking tea and honey on a cold day."
FINALIST for the 2014 RONE AWARD
A True Romance Memoir
Love was then.
Love is now.
Love is forever.
When tragedy struck, I thought for sure that my own life was at an end. I was wrong. This is the true story of how two stray rescue cats and a woman named Kitty, whom I finally met after a wild ride of internet dating, brought love, romance, and laughter back into my life.
If you love reading feel-good memoirs, then don't miss THE THREE KITTIES THAT SAVED MY LIFE, where "Mike Meyer pens a tender tale of love, loss, and renewal. The depth of emotion is palpable...The Three Kitties will tug at readers' heartstrings, as they ride through the emotional highs and lows of Mike Meyer's remarkable story." - InD'tale Magazine
A Creative Mind Can Overcome Mental Illness
Imagine being one of the top cartoonists for the Walt Disney "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs". in 1935, and giving this all up to have his own TV show on National TV station across the USA.
Imagine having five nervous breakdowns in between!
Imagine having schizophrenia on top of that!
This is a true story of Tony D'Orazi who went through all of the above....and then some.
Along his ascent, he would also meet his true love, whom he formed a vaudeville act with which he found them entrtaining crowds across America.
From there , he became a husband and father of four, who constantly struggled to find balance between his roles as a visual artist and family man, all while battling severe bouts of mental illness.
Draw inspiration form this incredible story. Pick up your copy today by clicking the Buy now with 1-Click button at the top of this page!
An inspiring memoir of a late bloomer who received his PhD in Artificial Intelligence at the age of 40, and after defeating an advanced stage cancer began competing in triathlon and surfing the waves, despite being already in his sixties, demonstrating that age doesn’t matter.
A chapter in the book proposes an original idea about reversing aging.
His life philosophy is based on the 4 pillars: being physically active, not compromising on the right nutrition, the mental attitude and relationships.
All these are discussed in the chapters of this book, including many practical tips.
In a very friendly manner and conversational style the author is sharing all his secrets of living better and longer, while enjoying every moment.
This is Part 1 of a 4 part novel about a woman born in the backwoods in1900. In those days, women couldn’t vote, drink in public, or speak their minds outside of their homes. Most women anyway, but one thing for sure, Margaret Rose Nolan, wasn’t most women. Born into north Appalachian's piedmont, she knew what she wanted, and it wasn’t to live in the backwoods of Alabama surrounded by poverty and ignorance. She didn't care what women were supposed to do or what others thought of her; she followed a single-minded purpose -- create opportunities for the things she desired. If getting what she wanted required manipulating men, then that was too bad for them. It wasn’t her fault men liked her, but she used it and used it well. In those days, women called her a Jezebel. She called them ignorant. She moved from moonshine to champagne, from rowboats to cruise ships, from foolish foothill suitors to society's elite, usually at the expense of others, even her own children.
Pat Conroy, my first cousin, and I spent time in our grandmother’s ‘big house’ in Atlanta. Pat and I traveled together to Piedmont, Alabama, to research our family history. I spent many summers visiting with the people who knew Margaret when she was young. Much later in life, our ailing grandmother came to live with my wife and me for more than a year. She regaled us with tales of her life. This book is a fictionalized account of her life. She lived the life as told, but just like her, the story has to have some lies and exaggerations, or it wouldn’t be our grandmother.
Alexis Black persevered through her mother’s death and her father’s imprisonment. And after escaping a long and abusive relationship, the college junior promised her foster parents not to date for at least a year. But when she meets an incoming freshman on the first day of their scholarship program, she feels the world melt away, as though it were only the two of them in the room.
Justin Black lived in the poorest section of Detroit before his parents surrendered him to the foster care system at the age of nine. But when he grabs the chance for better opportunities by pursuing higher education, he can’t help but be drawn to a beautiful third-year student. At first, their past traumas--and their age difference--conspired to complicate their attraction. But the joy each took in the other and eventually conquered those obstacles, and these two survivors journeyed together toward healing.
In a stark and wholehearted true story that shares how two individuals on separate paths found each other, Alexis and Justin merge their course into one full of hope and purpose. And hand-in-hand, with a desire to help others, they learned to reject the abusive patterns of their past, thereby intentionally breaking the cycle of generational violence and unhealthy behaviors.
Written in an engaging novelistic style, the authors put forward a thoughtful exchange of ideas and personal experiences illustrating how anybody, no matter their backgrounds, can have a life of self-empowerment and joy. Broken down into four sections that cover crucial topics such as “Worthiness” and “Mental Health,” this compelling narrative will help any who are learning to love themselves and want to end the line of toxic relationships.
Redefining Normal: How Two Foster Kids Beat The Odds and Discovered Healing, Happiness and Love is a page-turning memoir that will open your eyes to possibilities and dreams. If you like honest tales of triumph, refreshing transparency, and resilient faith in God, then you’ll adore Justin and Alexis’ inspirational story.
This story contains mentions of domestic violence, trauma, sexual assault, and other difficult issues faced on the road to healing.
Buy Redefining Normal to claim victory over harmful pasts today!
A biologist reveals the secret world hidden in a single square meter of old-growth forest—a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the Pen/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award
Combining elegant writing with scientific expertise, The Forest Unseen "injects much-needed vibrancy into the stuffy world of nature writing" (Outside, "The Outdoor Books That Shaped the Last Decade")
In this wholly original book, biologist David Haskell uses a one- square-meter patch of old-growth Tennessee forest as a window onto the entire natural world. Visiting it almost daily for one year to trace nature's path through the seasons, he brings the forest and its inhabitants to vivid life.
Each of this book's short chapters begins with a simple observation: a salamander scuttling across the leaf litter; the first blossom of spring wildflowers. From these, Haskell spins a brilliant web of biology and ecology, explaining the science that binds together the tiniest microbes and the largest mammals and describing the ecosystems that have cycled for thousands- sometimes millions-of years. Each visit to the forest presents a nature story in miniature as Haskell elegantly teases out the intricate relationships that order the creatures and plants that call it home.
Written with remarkable grace and empathy, The Forest Unseen is a grand tour of nature in all its profundity. Haskell is a perfect guide into the world that exists beneath our feet and beyond our backyards.
OinK! Only in Korea!
In 1980, years after Vietnam and even more years before Desert Storm, America was experiencing a seventeen-year period of peace. One of the few places a young army officer could find adventure was on the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) in Korea, Freedom's Frontier. The second day in-country, the lieutenant was no longer a Korean cherry boy. Hours later he found himself inside the DMZ. By the end of the week, he was wounded.
As the intelligence officer for the battalion, he knew the area around the DMZ was a dangerous place. The minefields took many casualties, small arms fire got others, and artillery short rounds claimed even more, leading up to the bizarre episode of a missing severed hand and the search for the diamond ring that was no longer on it. Even something as simple as crossing the Imjin River after the monsoons turned deadly. And then there was the most feared affliction of all, catching river blindness. It's not a disease – it's going down to the river and getting your eyes shot out.
The lieutenant's daily routine was anything but routine. The averages told the story: a shooting incident every ten days with thirty-three combat related deaths during the year. The patrols were long and cold, the guard posts were desolate, and Freedom Bridge operations droned on until enemy frogmen shattered the monotony. Peace, in that part of the world, had a unique definition. As they say, the DMZ isn't hell but you can see it from there.
Those who worked hard also played hard. The parties were so wild that they fell into the category of “that which didn't kill you made you stronger”. The eleven and a half months in Korea provided more experiences than ever expected, especially the ending, when the lieutenant's twelve-month tour was cut short in a most unusual way by a booby trap.
This 'slice of life' novel is obviously military genre and is definitely memoir-ish. The story is steeped in facts because the author is the lieutenant intelligence officer who journeyed to the Korean DMZ – and paid the price with a severe and lasting physical wound and a psychological scar that, to this day, haunts him from time to time.
This is not going to be the next great American novel and it won't win any awards. However, it is an interesting story, like the ones told around the kitchen table or over drinks. When told, people become quiet, and listen. The reader will be completely entertained and amazed at what happened to one man in the Land of the Not Quite Right.
Go to any bookstore and you will see racks of books about Vietnam, World War II and Iraq/Afghanistan. Noticeably missing are books about Korea. This is an exceptional military tale not only because it takes place in Korea, but it is also about a peacetime military and the sacrifices soldiers make even when they are not at war. OinK! Only in Korea! is a must read for a veteran and there are millions of them who have served in Korea during the time of the truce.
This book brings to people a story that should be told and will allow “the lieutenant” to finally lay his peacetime “war” to rest.
Free History BONUS Inside!
Christopher Columbus was one of the most courageous of the world’s explorers. He embraced risk in an era when the blinding expanse of the Atlantic Ocean frightened the Europeans.
The cartography of the day was incorrect, as he learned through bitter experience. Columbus is credited with the discovery of America but never realized it during his lifetime. His career as a navigator was peppered with mishaps that shattered the ignorance of the age. Although he was no scientist, Columbus initiated new fields of study and analysis.
In 1492, he landed at San Salvador in the Islands of the Bahamas, and he was the first European to have explored the Caribbean Sea. He was the first European to set foot in Cuba, Haiti, and Trinidad, as well as the countries in Central America. Columbus’s voyages astonished all of Europe and started a virtual stampede of competitors in search of the East Indies by sailing west.
His life was fraught with adversities such as betrayal and character assassination. It still is today. However, his loyalty cannot be assailed, and few have recognized that fact.
The life of Christopher Columbus is a fascinating portrayal of a man whose ego was greater than his common sense. His brand of reckless abandon makes Olympic champions out of foolhardy amateurs. This is the story of a man devoted to a goal he was willing to pursue or die trying. And, tragically, he did die trying.
In Christopher Columbus: A Captivating Guide to the Life of an Italian Explorer and His Voyages to the Americas, you will discover topics such as
So if you want to learn more about Christopher Columbus, scroll up and click the "add to cart" button!
Free History BONUS Inside!
Four captivating manuscripts in one book:
Here are just some of the topics covered in part 1 of this book:
Here are just some of the topics covered in part 2 of this book:
Here are just some of the topics covered in part 3 of this book:
Here are just some of the topics covered in part 4 of this book:
So if you want to learn more about the history of East Asia, scroll up and click the "add to cart" button!
2020 Discovery Awards Winner - Politics/Current Events
“A well-written memoir chronicling the intriguing life and influences of a post-war Jewish child who becomes an American lawyer and activist.” –Sublime Book Review
Becoming American is the inspiring story of the author’s transformation from a child of Holocaust survivors in post-war Europe to an American lawyer, academic, and activist associated with such famed political leaders as Robert Kennedy, George McGovern, Jerry Brown, and Tom Hayden. Searching for his great-grandparents’ graves in a hidden cemetery outside Prague makes him recall his experiences of becoming American: listening to Army Counterintelligence agents gathered at his home in Austria; a tense encounter with Russian soldiers; seeing Jim Crow racism in the South during his first visit to the United States; becoming an American citizen in his teens; having his citizenship challenged by border guards; fearing for his new country upon witnessing the Watts riots; exhilaration at rising to leadership positions in organizations shaping government policies; and advancing the American dream as a real estate lawyer, helping develop entire new communities.
