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).
It's never too late to make dreams come true - even at the age of 70.
At the age of 68 Dr. Zeev Gilkis, a cancer survivor, decided to gift himself an unusual present for his 70th birthday – to run his first full marathon.
In his previous book “Running Back in Time” the author, writing at the time at age 69, told the story of the first half of his journey. Beginning with two injuries and 5 km runs and ending with achieving his interim goal of running a half-marathon.
“The Beautiful Addiction” relates the second part of his journey, through which Zeev gradually increases the distance of his runs from 21km to 42km while sharing his thoughts about life and becoming ageless, all the way to the surprising ending.
This book is about making dreams come true, setting ambitious goals, persistence, performance, achievement, and joy. There is also some life philosophy and of course, a lot of running.
Read and discover that you too can realize your dreams!
Salted Plums is a moving coming-of-age tale for anyone who has ever felt as if they don't belong.
Alison Hong Nguyen Lihalakha was just a small child when her family fled Vietnam during the fall of Saigon. From a refugee camp in Fort Chaffee, Arkansas, Alison's family settled in Panama City, Florida, where her father worked as a fisherman until his sudden death. Left to raise seven kids on her own, Alison's mother moved the family to Kansas to be near relatives. There, Alison found herself torn between her dual identities as both an immigrant and an American kid. She felt suffocated under her mother's strict expectations and began to reject anything Vietnamese. Quickly recognizing the disparity between her own home and the ones her mother cleaned for a living, Alison vowed to climb her way out of poverty and leave the life of an immigrant behind.
Daydreaming of grilled cheese sandwiches and faraway places, Alison initially failed to recognize the many sacrifices her parents made to build a life in America. But as she moved through her journey of self-discovery, eventually going off to college and forging her own future, Alison came to find happiness and self-acceptance in the foods and traditions she had suppressed in her youth—and in the shared kinship, from triumphs to tragedies, that bonds immigrants and refugees together.
In the tradition of coming-of-age memoirs such as Sigh, Gone and Stealing Buddha's Dinner, Salted Plums explores the nuances of race and culture for a young immigrant girl growing up while caught between two worlds.
A Best Book of the Year by NPR and Christian Science Monitor
Called “wholly engrossing” by New York Times bestselling author Kathleen Grissom, this “fully immersive” (Lisa Wingate, #1 bestselling author of Before We Were Yours) story follows an enslaved woman forced to barter love and freedom while living in the most infamous slave jail in Virginia.
Born on a plantation in Charles City, Virginia, Pheby Delores Brown has lived a relatively sheltered life. Shielded by her mother’s position as the estate’s medicine woman and cherished by the Master’s sister, she is set apart from the others on the plantation, belonging to neither world.
She’d been promised freedom on her eighteenth birthday, but instead of the idyllic life she imagined with her true love, Essex Henry, Pheby is forced to leave the only home she has ever known. She unexpectedly finds herself thrust into the bowels of slavery at the infamous Devil’s Half Acre, a jail in Richmond, Virginia, where the enslaved are broken, tortured, and sold every day. There, Pheby is exposed not just to her Jailer’s cruelty but also to his contradictions. To survive, Pheby will have to outwit him, and she soon faces the ultimate sacrifice.
"...[a] beautifully written historical debut explores themes of identity and resistance...their gripping stories will stick with readers long after the last page." –BookLife Reviews - Editors Choice
"A mesmerizing novel, moving and intelligent.”–Kirkus Reviews
Berlin, 1933.
Hans believes he and his family are safe from persecution.
Then, he discovers his family's dirty secret: his maternal grandparents were Jews who converted to Christianity.
Driven by the desire to understand who he is and whether his mother's blood is tainted, Hans befriends Rebecca, the only Jewish girl he knows. Perhaps if Jewish blood isn't evil, his mother will be ok.
To be a Jew in Hitler's Germany is dangerous.
But to fall in love with one is unthinkable.
Desperate to keep both his family's true heritage and his love for Rebecca a secret, Hans attempts to navigate this terrifying new world. He's disconsolate when his Jewish mother is kicked out of the Berlin Conservatory. He's disgusted by his Aryan father's aims to acquire Jewish business on the cheap.
Worst, he must watch helplessly as his classmates target Rebecca with increasing violence and malice.
But when his school announces it will expel Jewish students, Hans is determined to fight for Rebecca — and the lives and souls of his family.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "A beautifully written and moving historical fiction novel about a young boy coming of age during the beginning of the Nazi regime." -Reader's Choice
*****
The early reader reviews are in - see what fans of Boris Glants' epic WW2 tale have to say:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "A wonderful story of bravery, love, and the power of the human spirit. Highly recommend." –B. Evens, Netgalley Reviewer
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "A well-plotted and paced narrative with emotional themes and unrequited love during war time." –CE Williams, RosePoint Publishing
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "The characters felt like people that belonged in that time, I was so invested in their development. It was a respectful and beautifully done historical novel." –K. McLeer, Netgalley Reviewer
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Hans is a tragic figure caught in a changing world. B.V. Glants provides great insight into the struggles faced by German youth." –D.Viscosi, Goodreads
'An enlightening and lively interpretation of an important but neglected historical period.' Kirkus Reviews
It was the fall before the fall.The Roman Revolution describes the little known “crisis of the third century”. Long before the collapse of the Roman Empire in the fifth century, in the years between AD 235-275, barbarian invasions, civil war and plague devastated ancient Rome. Out of this ordeal, a revolutionary new order arose.
Nick Holmes challenges conventional thinking, suggesting that the classical Roman Empire ‘fell’ as early as the third century when it was replaced by a radical new Christian Roman Empire, ruled from Constantinople. He presents the near collapse of the Roman Empire in the third century as a world-changing event. It was the first step in the history of the Fall of the Roman Empire and the beginning of the modern world.
This book is the first of a four-volume series that will chart the full course of the Fall of the Roman Empire. The second book, due out in 2023, will cover the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the fifth century. The last two books will look at the Roman reconquest of Italy and North Africa under the Emperor Justinian in the sixth century, followed by the rise of Islam and the demise of the Eastern Roman Empire in the seventh century.
Words can hurt. And words can heal.
Dr. Mark McNear grew up hearing harsh words that undermined his desire to take initiative in life.
After struggling with abuse, addictions, and rehab, Mark wondered fearfully what would happen next.
Now, Mark McNear wakes up each morning with joy in his heart. He is filled with hope and longs for you to experience the same hope.
He found hope through Jesus.
And now Dr. McNear wants to share that God loves you and accepts you just as you are, right there in the messiness of your life.
He’s pursuing you, and you won’t regret opening the door of your life to Him—or to other people who are available and able to help you in your recovery from trauma.
If you want to take steps toward healing from your past, you don’t have to go it alone: get help and begin your story of hope!
Whatever you are walking through, you can find encouragement in McNear’s book Finding My Words and the story of redemption he shares.
Grab a copy today! Simply scroll up and hit the “BUY NOW” option at the top of the page to get started.
In a conversational style and a friendly manner, the author is sharing his secrets about living better and longer, while enjoying every moment.
He tells his story, how after recovering from an advanced stage cancer he began competing in triathlon and surfing waves, despite being already in his sixties.
Even 10 minutes of some sport activities per day can improve the quality of life as well as physical and mental health, dramatically.
The message the author wants his readers to receive is, that each and every one – at any age and physical condition, shall be encouraged to be more physically active!
All in all, physical activity is the best investment in health, in our quality of life and in our future – to grow old with health and vitality.
There is a voice in Michael's head.
A voice that tells him he is worthless and unlovable. The voice masquerades as his own, wreaking havoc on his friendships and romantic relationships. It keeps him from pursuing his calling—a career as a pastor. It tears his life apart piece by piece, leading him to attempt suicide on more than one occasion. The voice almost defeats him, and yet there is another, more powerful voice—the still, small voice of God always whispering to him, “I love you.”
This is the true story of Michael’s journey from a precocious child in a small town to the spiritual leader of a faith community, and how he slowly and fitfully learns how to listen to the better angels within. Told with brutal honesty and insight into his own mental condition, this is a story of friendship, depression, despair, faith, and a God who refuses to let go.
An instant New York Times Bestseller!
The new uplifting book from Matt Haig, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Midnight Library, for anyone in search of hope, looking for a path to a more meaningful life, or in need of a little encouragement.
Named by The Washington Post as one of the best feel-good books of 2021.
“It is a strange paradox, that many of the clearest, most comforting life lessons are learnt while we are at our lowest. But then we never think about food more than when we are hungry and we never think about life rafts more than when we are thrown overboard.”
THE COMFORT BOOK is Haig’s life raft: it’s a collection of notes, lists, and stories written over a span of several years that originally served as gentle reminders to Haig’s future self that things are not always as dark as they may seem. Incorporating a diverse array of sources from across the world, history, science, and his own experiences, Haig offers warmth and reassurance, reminding us to slow down and appreciate the beauty and unpredictability of existence.
Do you doubt whether true, unconditional love exists?
Society tells you to compromise and lower your standards.
But God is greater than the ways of this world, and His love is a powerful thing. Some people try to buy love or earn it, but love cannot be purchased or achieved.
True love is as the Bible says, “For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son” (John 3:16).
Having unconditional love can feel like an impossible thing, but true love is a choice and a gift you give repeatedly.
Author Geraldine Jones and her husband, Edward Jones, were married for nearly four decades before he went to be with Jesus in September 2020. Through their life of ups and downs, God continually showed them the way to love each other with words of affirmation, kindness, and His undying love.
Amazing Love shares their story and Jones hopes that others will begin to believe in true love again—and learn to trust in the One who makes it possible.
Unconditional love cannot be manufactured or created or forced. It comes from deep within, and it comes from Jesus Christ.
Jesus loves us all unconditionally and lived a perfect example of love on earth. God’s love is the only love that will never ever disappoint.
Make Jesus the center of your relationship and Amazing Love will follow.
Scroll up to the top and select buy now to download Amazing Love today!
Three Lovers. Three lessons.
Many Million Dreams Ago defies a typical “romance memoir” by dealing with the deeper consequences of discovering such feelings too early on. Its realism is recounted in three eras of a life gone awry from self-harm, codependency, and casual intimacies.
Through the endless pursuits of a hopeless romantic in trying to find his other half, we join him on his journey towards an idyllic destiny.
Five-time Mr. Universe, seven-time Mr. Olympia, and Mr. World, Arnold Schwarzenegger is the name in bodybuilding. Here is his classic bestselling autobiography, which explains how the “Austrian Oak” came to the sport of bodybuilding and aspired to be the star he has become.
I still remember that first visit to the bodybuilding gym. I had never seen anyone lifting weights before. Those guys were huge and brutal….The weight lifters shone with sweat; they were powerful looking, Herculean. And there it was before me—my life, the answer I'd been seeking. It clicked. It was something I suddenly just seemed to reach out and find, as if I'd been crossing a suspended bridge and finally stepped off onto solid ground.
Arnold shares his fitness and training secrets—demonstrating with a comprehensive step-by-step program and dietary hints how to use bodybuilding for better health. His program includes a special four-day regimen of specific exercises to develop individual muscle groups—each exercise illustrated with photos of Arnold in action.
For fans and would-be bodybuilders, this is Arnold in his own words.
Dream big. Set ambitious goals. Attain unusual achievements.
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-60s.
As two years is a long time, he set a milestone for his 69th birthday: to go mid-way - running a half marathon.
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.
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 listeners 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 simple writing 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 60s, and much more good stuff.
Three cousins fiercely defended their roles within the sanctity of their playhouses. But a six-year stint in a fundamentalist religious organization thwarted Scott's developing understanding of sexual orientation. Homosexuality was an insidious, infective spirit that conferred fear upon her adolescent naivete, eventually eroding the relationship with her cousins.
"Reconciling who we were took years, but survival led to relational ties without fear and a heart for activism in the face of rising institutionalized discrimination."
Playhouses is a journey from corrosive indoctrination to celebrating the differences in others.
This is the true story of a woman who drank too much, parented too little, and married SEVEN men! She was beautiful, talented, wrote country songs, and just happened to be my mother.
Can you love someone but not Like them?
Can you forgive what you can't forget?
Is it ever too late?
Set in the Midwest, this Tears to Cheers memoir details a journey through a traumatic childhood of alcohol, abuse, divorce, neglect and poverty. But don't despair ... healing is possible when forgiveness is present.
Forgive those you love ... Before it's too late.
I offer my story of healing and forgiveness as I discovered that my mom was actually a pretty likable, remarkable, and admirable person. I just had to get to know her.
This memoir is for anyone who had a difficult or traumatic childhood because of alcohol, abuse, divorce, neglect or poverty. Most especially, this book is for anyone who has someone to forgive.
Get How I Learned to Like My Mom today.
At the dawn of the twentieth century, a great confidence suffused America. Isaac Cline was one of the era's new men, a scientist who believed he knew all there was to know about the motion of clouds and the behavior of storms. The idea that a hurricane could damage the city of Galveston, Texas, where he was based, was to him preposterous, "an absurd delusion." It was 1900, a year when America felt bigger and stronger than ever before. Nothing in nature could hobble the gleaming city of Galveston, then a magical place that seemed destined to become the New York of the Gulf.
That August, a strange, prolonged heat wave gripped the nation and killed scores of people in New York and Chicago. Odd things seemed to happen everywhere: A plague of crickets engulfed Waco. The Bering Glacier began to shrink. Rain fell on Galveston with greater intensity than anyone could remember. Far away, in Africa, immense thunderstorms blossomed over the city of Dakar, and great currents of wind converged. A wave of atmospheric turbulence slipped from the coast of western Africa. Most such waves faded quickly. This one did not.
In Cuba, America's overconfidence was made all too obvious by the Weather Bureau's obsession with controlling hurricane forecasts, even though Cuba's indigenous weathermen had pioneered hurricane science. As the bureau's forecasters assured the nation that all was calm in the Caribbean, Cuba's own weathermen fretted about ominous signs in the sky. A curious stillness gripped Antigua. Only a few unlucky sea captains discovered that the storm had achieved an intensity no man alive had ever experienced.
In Galveston, reassured by Cline's belief that no hurricane could seriously damage the city, there was celebration. Children played in the rising water. Hundreds of people gathered at the beach to marvel at the fantastically tall waves and gorgeous pink sky, until the surf began ripping the city's beloved beachfront apart. Within the next few hours Galveston would endure a hurricane that to this day remains the nation's deadliest natural disaster. In Galveston alone at least 6,000 people, possibly as many as 10,000, would lose their lives, a number far greater than the combined death toll of the Johnstown Flood and 1906 San Francisco Earthquake.
And Isaac Cline would experience his own unbearable loss.
Meticulously researched and vividly written, Isaac's Storm is based on Cline's own letters, telegrams, and reports, the testimony of scores of survivors, and our latest understanding of the hows and whys of great storms. Ultimately, however, it is the story of what can happen when human arrogance meets nature's last great uncontrollable force. As such, Isaac's Storm carries a warning for our time.
Everyone leaves death row. Few leave it alive.
During the summer of 1984 twenty-year-old Tommy Hamilton, the product of a deprived childhood in rural Alabama, shoots and kills his boss. Convicted of murder, Tommy is sentenced to death. Before facing the electric chair, one final appeal offers the chance to save Tommy’s life, if only his two Chicago-based lawyers and a nun from Alabama can prove he is not legally guilty…even if he is not truly innocent.
Tommy fears an incarcerated life more than the electric chair. As limited as his intellect is, he realizes that even a reduced life sentence without the possibility of parole is—like electrocution—a death-in-prison sentence. If his lawyers are unable to get him out, Tommy professes a willingness to be executed.
Despite a material witness allegedly committing suicide and their client escaping from jail during the court proceedings, the lawyers present evidence that perjury tainted both Tommy’s conviction and death sentence. Nevertheless, the judge assigned to determine Tommy’s fate maintains that “Hamilton may deserve the death penalty and he may yet receive it.”
Summary Judgment is the fascinating true crime story told by one of Tommy’s lawyers that reveals how this life-and-death case unfolded in real time.
“If life must not be taken too seriously--then so neither must death.” The Victorian author Samuel Butler surely had it right. Why should there be any shame or hesitation in recalling the humorous moments provided by aging parents during the final miles of a life’s journey, especially when the humor in no way diminishes the affection and respect felt for a loved one? This book is about the author’s mother Nan and the moments, events, and utterances that made her simply unforgettable to those who knew and loved her. In this memoir, which speaks to all of us who have experienced the challenges posed by aging parents, laughter serves not only as an antidote to depressing reality but also reminds us that the deceased has lived, has amused, has warmed our hearts, and will remain alive through the memories of words said and actions taken during the final period of life.
"A promising new literary voice." –Kirkus Reviews
For aspiring indie filmmaker Kevin Stacey, it's another day on the set of his first film, but when his estranged father, a failed Hollywood actor, arrives unexpectedly with a bundle of cash, a gun, and a stolen capuchin monkey, he's propelled toward the journey that will change his life.
The monkey, Henry, has been liberated from a research lab by animal rights activists. Inspired by his friend Veronica to reevaluate his relationship with other species, Kevin learns about the pain and suffering inflicted on lab animals as he forges a bond with the capuchin. When father and son embark on a road trip with Henry, Kevin is caught between the egocentric father who abandoned him and the temperamental monkey whose fate is in his hands. With both the FBI and his mother's ghost watching, will Kevin risk his career and his father's freedom to bring the stolen monkey to safety? Meanwhile, Veronica's encounter with an eccentric Catholic priest triggers her own journey toward change.
A heartbreaking yet comic family drama, A Better Heart examines the human-animal bond and the bonds between fathers and sons, challenging readers to explore their beliefs about the treatment of non-human species.
★ “A thoroughly absorbing and inherently fascinating account of a most unusual life lived out in a series of equally unusual circumstances.”—Midwest Book Review ★
Everyone has dreams of what they want to accomplish in life. Marty Essen’s childhood dream of becoming a herpetologist gave way to his dream of becoming a popular DJ, which led to his dream of becoming a big-time talent manager, which morphed into the dream of becoming an in-demand author and college speaker. While he achieved most of his dreams at various levels, he also realized that he didn’t necessarily have to reach the top to find success or happiness. Sometimes “almost” is close enough.
Hits, Heathens, and Hippos: Stories from an Agent, Activist, and Adventurer is a humorous and inspirational memoir that explores relationships and careers and how seemingly minor events can lead to life-changing results. Compelling stories have filled Marty’s life, and he tells those stories in a conversational style that combines his talents as an award-winning author with his talents as the creator of a one-man stage show that he has performed at hundreds of colleges across the United States.
This is a must-read for anyone faced with an unexpected career change, worried about finding and keeping the partner of their dreams, forced to take on bullies (whether individual, political, or corporate), eager for ideas to make life more satisfying, or just in search of a fun-filled adventure.
Marty’s stories include:
◆ Growing up with an over-the-top, born-again Christian father, who prayed aloud in restaurants, thought Satan possessed his Masonic lodge watch, and attempted to faith-heal his old Toyota.
◆ Becoming the youngest disc jockey in Minnesota history, where he survived an on-air attack from a jealous DJ and learned that rock ’n’ roll and country radio stations have vastly different groupies.
◆ Running multiple music talent agencies and becoming one of the top young talent managers in America.
◆ Telling the best lie ever to reel in and marry an amazing woman that the media would later dub as his “intrepid wife.”
◆ Moving to Montana, where he founded one of the state’s fastest growing independent telephone companies and an unusual baseball league with pro-prospects and out-of-control players.
◆ Surviving as an outspoken liberal in the most conservative region of Montana and dealing with the death threats and dirty tricks that came with it.
◆ Heartwarming and humorous stories from his relationships with musicians, governors, senators, and a very special Democratic nominee for President of the United States.
◆ Traveling to all seven continents in search of rare and interesting wildlife, backpacking with a tribe known for headhunting, and surviving a vicious hippo attack.
Be inspired, intrigued, and entertained!