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Journey of an Infidel: Based on Real-Life Events of Ibrahim Ali
The incredible true story of an individual who endures overwhelming pain and obstacles in his quest for freedom. Going against all odds and overcoming the challenges that life threw at him only to emerge battered but not broken. Witness the most brutal regime in modern history under to scope of cultural and religious differences. Ibrahim’s arduous journey began the day he was born, and it hasn’t ended yet.
The Hardship of Living With a Mental Illness
Karl Lorenz Willett Author Interview
Good Life to Perfection Perception is an autobiography detailing the hardships of living with mental illness. Why was this an important book for you to write?
It was essential for me to write this book because my writing explores the depths of the human psyche and could serve as a historic guide into the core of people. My life stories are there to help the ideal readers to experience lessons they need to learn and feel the emotions they need to contact with to reap the benefit from the uninhibited discourses on my psychology, philosophy, relationship, and the hardship of living with a mental illness. And I choose empowerment over shame and stigma.
I thought your views on dealing with mentally ill people were really enlightening. What do you think is something the medical field can change that will make life easier for patients?
I think they can encourage equality between physical and mental illness and have more honesty about treatment. Change the over-prescribing of medicines and there use on patients for far too long to cure all social ills. People who have a chronic illness related to stress, anxiety, social and economic deprivation, alcohol and substance misuse may feel hopeless and lost.
More extensive use of treatment and therapy can work best and make life easier for the patient who adds more daily goals challenges as they start to feel better. People gain back their purpose, self-esteem and self-worth.
What do you feel is a common misconception people have about schizophrenia?
Commonly believed myths about people with schizophrenia are that they are dangerous, unpredictable and unintelligent. Those misconceptions must get busted over time with education and from stories from people with lived experiences of schizophrenia.
Although the patient may be more aggressive and violent during acute episodes, multiple factors make symptom exacerbate precipitate aggressive behaviour. People with the condition have more trouble with mental skills, learning, and memory, but that shouldn’t mean they are not intelligent. Also, at times, perfectly normal responsible people may feel, think or act in a way resemble people with schizophrenia.
I found your book to be enlightening. What do you hope readers take away from your book?
I hope readers remember my profound views on the understanding of the role of Jesus as a symbol of love, truth, and hope and learn from their human spirit of God within their soul. Get inspired by my fantastic outlook on living life with integrity and ponder on my thought-provoking narratives, which covers many relevant subjects, such as religion/spirituality, and acts of terrorism which instill a sense of fear into humanity.
Author Links: Amazon | GoodReads
![Good Life to Perfection Perception: An Autobiography by [Karl Lorenz Willett]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/519Fn3NK36L.jpg)
Good Life to Perfection Perception: An Autobiography gives insights into the aspect of my life, non-falsifying stories, and the ethics applied upheld truth, fairness and ethical values and obtained knowledge that can be trusted are the facts without biases. Personal records of the author have given birth to two books. The Memoir of a Schizophrenic offers a glimpse into the life and struggle that took place before the world learned who I am.
The second book called, Good Life to Perfection Perception: An Autobiography is memories now about the present experiences that include mental illness and future, what to do next. The science of the author’s voices in his head has a divine mind, and his body consciousness was in agony has a hell and the art in writing communicate the emotions. And the verbs of the brain gave him creative information to process and processing power.
If you’re browsing and this is the paragraph you happened to glance at sincerely consider to buy this book. It’s a necessary piece of non-fiction that promises at the end of chapters you’ll be better for reading it. I am addicted to doing the right thing, and my conscience is always saying to itself do the right thing and asked itself the right way not to get it the wrong way. So, word gets understood by everyone at any level of ability, and the truth will affect people, and lies would affect the people too.
If the things that I wrote is perfect, and the words agree with other people’s, but may not sound the same, its rule is original, and nobody will have the ability to change them, but to agree.
When Life Felt Overwhelming
Dana Vilandre Author Interview
Gypsy NoMad Hippie Chick is an inspiring memoir following one woman’s journey through homelessness and heartbreak. Why was this an important book for you to write?
The book was written during a time that I had personally fallen on hard times, and had few people that I could turn to to share my days with. I wrote the stories to women in an online private group that were supportive of the non profit I was creating which was founded on the emotional support for women facing life challenges such as I was facing. Writing is cathartic, and sharing about ‘her’ days helped keep me going when life felt overwhelming.
I appreciated the way in which you told the story so that all women could relate. Was this a conscious decision or was it a writing style that came naturally?
As I ventured into the journey to create a place to help women who were facing challenges such as divorce, death of a loved one, homelessness, and financial devastation, I ‘met’ women from around the world that were dealing with similar situations just as I was dealing with. I wrote the stories from a sincere place, sharing as I would to a dear friend. It was a natural flow, and as I wrote I had women continually say to me they thought I somehow was writing about them. This encouraged me to keep the stories about ‘her’, so others could see they were not alone with their experiences.
You share both good and bad experiences from your life in a way that is easy to relate to. What is something you see differently now that you look back at that time?
As hard as things were during that time, there isn’t a lot I would change. I accomplished a lot despite the odds I faced. I had a lot of panic attacks and fear, and I also had a lot of growth and healing from things that I had gone through throughout my life. There isn’t a lot I see different looking back to what I was experiencing at the time, and the book reaffirms to me that it is ok to take the time to heal and figure things out without being dictated by what everyone else thinks one should do differently.
I found your book to be ultimately inspiring. What do you hope readers take away from your story?
I think that there are times that people go through things that others cannot relate to, simply because they have have never had to. The book reflects that no matter what happens, we can get through it. There is no set time for a person to heal, and there is no set road a person should walk. Gypsy NoMad Hippie Chick brings her through a time of feeling alone, and devastated by the loss of friendships and support, finding strength and persevering with conviction and faith that she was doing what she needed to do. She was able to be emotionally there for her children, and keep her outward self brave and, most of all, kind, when she didn’t feel a lot of kindness around her. Maybe through the stories told others will relate and find their own ‘place’ like ‘she’ found in the creation of Her Place.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website
![Gypsy NoMad Hippie Chick: Homeless In New Hampshire by [Dana Vilandre]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41baOx4jKSL.jpg)
Gypsy NoMad Hippie Chick’ is a woman’s journey through homelessness and heartbreak, with comical moments, crazy adventures and a search for self. Read about ‘her’- a woman who could be any woman, and the depth of her heart and she ‘rewrites’ her life.
Take less “stupid pills”
Brian D. Caplan Author Interview
J.D. to J.D is a memoir detailing your life journey from juvenile delinquent to becoming a Doctor of Jurisprudence. What was the inspiration that inspired you to capture your story in a book?
I have always been a story teller as a way of connecting to people, young and old, rich or poor. I had a near death experience, took stock of my life’s experiences and thought that my story could potentially be inspirational or motivational to some and entertaining in the process to others.
Looking back on your life now that you wrote this book, do you see anything differently?
I see a greater ability for people to change over time in the right setting. I never realized how much I changed from my youth through adulthood until I juxtaposed my numerous juvenile indiscretions against my later life accomplishments. We often pigeon hole people and now I tend to do that less and realize that many people have untapped resources and can become assets to society rather than impediments.
I found your book inspiring as well as entertaining. What do you hope readers take away from your book?
People who make mistakes can learn from them, mature and change over time.
What is one piece of advice that you wish someone had given to you when you were younger?
Take less “stupid pills” and think about the future without simply living for the moment.
Author Links: Amazon | GoodReads
![J.D. to J.D.: My Journey from Juvenile Delinquent to Doctor of Jurisprudence by [Brian D. Caplan]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41zj9xtD1pL.jpg)
In this funny and insightful memoir, Brian Caplan takes us on his journey from a reckless and self-centered juvenile delinquent to a respected and empathetic member of the legal profession. Brian recalls his early days of shockingly poor judgment and shares how he learned from his experiences to make the seemingly insurmountable leap from first being arrested at age twelve, to today representing some of the bigger names in the entertainment industry as a prominent litigator.
Growing up in the center of gritty 1970s New York City, Brian was on a troubled path, destined to fade into oblivion or end up in jail or worse. Brian eventually found his way; a born risk-taker, Brian capitalized on a few lucky opportunities that came to him and parlayed them into a fulfilling career far removed from his childhood fate. In this tale of redemption and second chances, Brian shares the lessons he learned during his journey, infusing optimism and a sense of hope to all those who hear his story.
Good Life to Perfection Perception
Karl’s future assumed a bleak outlook after he was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia at the age of twenty. For many, at this age, life was just beginning, the world was at their feet and their dreams were there for the taking but for Karl, the disease he was diagnosed with was a likely precursor to a life of pain and struggles. He would later find himself popping anti-psychotic pills for forty straight years in an attempt to douse the incurable effects of schizophrenia and live the closest thing to a normal life. Tired of having to still deal with the symptoms of the disease and the side effects of the drugs, he chooses to slowly get off his medications in the hope of finding healing elsewhere. How will this decision affect him and his family?
Good Life to Perfection Perception by Karl Lorenz Willett is the autobiography that reveals the hardships involved in living with a mental illness and also shows the humanity of a man plagued by something beyond his control. Karl is downright honest and raw as he uncovers his thought processes, ideas, failings and victories. This book is definantly emotional, or at least I was emotional when reading this book. Emotions like passion, pain and pleasure are some emotions explored in this spirited book. I was both touched and intrigued by his candor and courage.
Karl doesn’t simply present himself as a victim of circumstance, rather, he shows that despite his limitations, he can think critically and hold personal views. For instance, in the book, he shares his beliefs about the possibility of there being a better way to handle mentally ill individuals without placing them on anti-psychotic drugs for the rest of their lives. He also expresses his thoughts on religion, societal ills and world peace. At a point, I nearly mistook him for an ancient Greek philosopher, no kidding.
While I appreciated the story, and the courage with which it is told, the book could benefit greatly from a thorough edit. A good editor could clean up the grammar errors and organize the story so that it is more coherent. As is, I had to reread some sections to ensure I understood what was being said.
While the author touched on many issues, his major focus was on telling the story of how schizophrenia impacted his life. He shed light on the difficulties he had like how it was impossible for him to hold down a job, the constant pain he felt, the cognitive limitations he had and many more. I was moved the most by his struggle with empathic distress, a condition that made watching the news and seeing all the sad events unhealthy for him. All in all, seeing these issues from the perspective of a patient of schizophrenia increased my ability to empathize with patients of mental illnesses.
Pages: 293 | ASIN: B084GZT9BP
Gypsy NoMad Hippie Chick
Gypsy NoMad Hippie Chick is one woman’s heartfelt, and sometimes funny, journey through life as she copes with the hardships of being homeless and suffering from depression while struggling to come to terms with choices from her past. This absorbing memoir captures a hard period in the authors life, utilizing writing she did at that time. We are invited to experience lowest point and join her at the end in a high point as she figures out what is important in her relationship with men, God, and herself.
At first, I didn’t know how to take this fiction or non-fiction, halfway through I settled on non-fiction. As I saw no sign of a plot, no in-depth cast of characters, just the introspection of ‘she’, which is an interesting way to go about telling the reader that she was finding herself. We don’t find out her name until the end. By keeping the main character nameless and with little backstory to start, It was easy for me to see myself in her. The writing style showed her thought processes and state of mind very well. I understood right away that she was a person struggling with a mental illness. She seemed distracted and her thoughts were always jumping from subject to subject. What we do learn is absolutely fascinating and sometimes heart-wrenching, but I felt that I didn’t understand how she got to that point. I wanted to know the hardships she faced, what was so wrong with her ex, where were her children? My desire to dive into these topics is motivated by the authors engaging writing style and curious approach to life.
The author uses great descriptive words in the book by opening each chapter with either “her” writing or a description of what “she” was doing. The beginning of each chapter is set up nicely and you get a sense of the mood she is in. There were some lovely scenes when she was with her children and you really get the sense that she is a free spirit. Gypsy NoMad Hippie Chick is a delightful memoir that conveys the message that it is okay to be who you want and to live life your way.
Pages: 116 | ASIN: B084ZS93TT
Start Their Running Journey
Sean Kachmarski Author Interview
Just Finish is your inspirational journey from being overweight to running an ultra-marathon. What inspired you to capture this amazing story in a memoir?
A few things inspired me:
- I had told my story to people in small chunks, and some said I should tell my story in a book, I laughed them off.
- During runs I listen to audio books. I listen to Ira Rainy’s Fat Man to Green Man and Still Not Bionic and Rich Roll’s Finding Ultra. Their story started with health scares and and ended with ultra’s. I thought their story was like my story. The biggest issue was their story was from an elite athlete perspective, going on to run several Ultra’s. My story is from a grassroots running perspective which seems to have resonated with people who have or are about to start their running journey.
- Writing a book also was something I wanted my kids to have when I am gone. More of a legacy piece. They are only 10 and 13 now but someday they may attempt a marathon. Who knows?
What was the moment for you where you realized you had to make a change in your life?
It was the moment the doctor said I had a fatty liver. A fatty liver could have lead to many other medical issues. I started to reflect and tell myself, I want to see my kids graduate, I want to walk my daughter down the aisle, I wanted to grow old with my wife. If I didn’t do something I may not be able to do any of that.
What is one piece of advice you would give to someone who tells themselves that they just can’t do it?
DO NOT WAIT FOR A MEDICAL EMERGENCY to start you fitness journey. Take care of yourself be active, be a roll model for your kids or family. The only person who who can make that change is you. Do it for yourself and reap the benefits will surprise you.
What is one thing you see differently in life now that you’ve trained and finished a marathon?
It may sound cliche but the second I crossed the finish line of the marathon, I knew, if I set my mind to it I could do anything. The idea of ME training for, starting and ultimately finishing a marathon was, as I said in the book about as far fetched as Steven Spielberg making my book into a movie and it winning an Oscar.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
![Just Finish!: Don't think you can; KNOW you can by [Sean Kachmarski, Paula Emery]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51ryuc-6Y1L.jpg)
My book is a true story that follows my journey from sitting on a lumpy futon, overweight, out of shape and picking Pringle shards out of my navel, to me running a 50K ultra-marathon. It’s not a new story it’s just told from the perspective of a “grassroots runner” who just wanted to finish the races I entered.
It’s about my struggles, my achievements, the barriers, the pain, the people I met and how I pushed myself to the brink while trying to achieve things I never thought possible.
My story is not a fat-to-fit story, it’s a fat-to-fat story; I found out too late in my journey that running miles and miles without considering other factors was not necessarily the best way to lose weight, but the benefits of my running journey transcended what the scales told me every Monday morning.
My story may not appeal to the elite runner, as there will be no mention of 6- to 8-minute miles, finishing in the top ten, or any Olympic qualifications. My story is more for the wannabe runner, the runner who is just starting out and the runner who feels more comfortable running 14- to 18-minute miles; the runner who will check the time of the previous year’s race results to see what the slowest time was before they enter; the runner who has to phone the race organiser to see if there is a cut off time in the longer races; or the runner who will walk just out of view of the people at the finish, then turn on the jets for the last 100-metre sprint finish. All things I have done during my running journey (and still do).
J.D. to J.D.
Brian was born to parents who were ill-equipped to raise a child having been brought up in dysfunctional families themselves. At 10, his parents separated, leaving Brian with his mother whose life was plagued by the two-headed beast of depression and the search for a new romantic partner. The debilitating partnership between Brian’s morally-impoverished upbringing and the environments he grew up in set the boy on a path of self-destruction paved with depravities ranging from substance abuse to compulsive gambling, womanizing and a general lackadaisical attitude. Would a way back present itself or would Brian get lost on this path?
J.D to J.D by Brian D. Caplan is a memoir detailing the trajectory of the author’s life from childhood up to adulthood (the 70’s to the 2000’s). Caplan gives us more than a peek into his life. What he presents is a detailed chronicle of how he went from being a juvenile delinquent who was first arrested at the age of twelve to being a doctor of jurisprudence who enjoyed a productive career in law.
Caplan’s posture reveals that of deep introspection as he takes us through his topsy-turvy journey to redemption. He makes plain his grandest and littlest misadventures while pulling out valuable lessons along the way. For instance, he testified that some of his mischievous forays fitted him with skills that later came in handy as he began building a life for himself. This is a testament to the fact that in every cloud, there’s a silver lining or good things could come out of bad things.
I could also pick out other lessons using Caplan’s life as a reference point like the fact that if we looked closely, we would get to, as he puts it, “a fork in the road”, where life presents us with the opportunity to live differently. And we are to take this “fork in the road” and change our lives because we are lucky to have it and we may never encounter another chance. It sounds simple but it’s quite profound if you ask me. There’s also a section where Caplan lists the life lessons that guide him, which I loved. Although I enjoyed the book, I thought the experiences could have been arranged chronologically to make the book an easier read.
While I found Caplan’s lessons worth keeping, I was more enamoured by his impressive storytelling skills and humour which turns what would have been a dour narration of his experiences into a colourful and engaging one. It’s one thing to have a great story to tell, it’s another to tell it well and keep readers engrossed and Caplan excelled at this. I liked how he exposed us to his thrilling adventures as a lawyer in the entertainment industry and his encounters with various celebrities he represented. You’ll love many of the tales! If you love memoirs with a mix of thrilling accounts and deep themes then you’ll enjoy this book.
Pages: 271 | ASIN: B082XKLYZM
LITERARY TITAN 