Memoir

[close] 2 AUTOGRAPHED COPIES

Holding nothing back, From Pebbles to Pathways is bracingly honest and deeply reflective, a powerful memoir that demonstrates the quest to find inner peace—no matter the pain of the past—while imparting that healing, hope, and wisdom exist abundantly for each of us.

"Though a memoir of an individual journey, From Pebbles to Pathways along the way reveals universal truths about the human condition. In relentlessly questioning the meaning of relationships, emotional responses and life experiences, the book's raw honesty and innocence gives it an unusual, page-turning power. Not only does the past not make us, it says, but trust in the strange but wondrous ways of the universe will reveal a perfect pattern to our lives. In the author's case, this only became fully apparent in the process of writing. Yet in the tradition of great spiritual autobiographies, deeply personal insights can trigger insights and realizations in the many. An exemplary 21st century spiritual work."

Tom Butler-Bowdon, author of 50 Self-Help Classics, 50 Spiritual Classics
http://Butler-Bowdon.com/


“An intimate and powerful memoir that catapults the reader through an insightful journey.

The depth and honesty of this book surprises as it exemplifies one woman's real process of coming to terms with herself and healing the heart. From Pebbles to Pathways is a compelling glimpse into the journey of a formidable woman who’s early life was spent struggling to find security and safety, and loosing herself along the way. Through her relentless commitment to well-being, and her riveting inner and spiritual journeys, we watch her courageously create a life of fulfillment. The stories in each chapter, and the profound insights that follow, inspire the reader to find the good in oneself, the courage to love, and recognize the endless opportunities life has to offer, regardless of circumstance.”

Margaret Paul, Ph.D., best-selling author and co-creator of Inner Bonding® and SelfQuest®


“All teachers must first be pupils. As they grow, the blank slate with which they began life becomes colored in hues often dark—the ragged scars of growing, learning, and loving. The trick, Donna Thomas tells us in her sometimes harrowing memoir, From Pebbles to Pathways, is to divine the lessons from the damage, the light from the sorrow, and to absorb—and, ultimately, impart—the wisdom that ensues. Somewhat to her own surprise, Thomas evolved into one of life’s teachers, a healer of uncommon grace and intuition. As readers will discover, her path to that point was never assured, given her troubled, emotionally removed parents and the litany of abuses and calamities to which Thomas was subjected. What is striking about the book is not just the clarity the author brings to her own healing, but her talent in discerning the lessons all of us should be learning.”

Nick Madigan, former correspondent for The New York Times and The Washington Post


[close]

[close] FINISHED COPY GIVEAWAY

Can a book really save a life? That's what Laura Bates discovered when she brought the Bard where he had never been before: supermax, the solitary confinement unit.

Many people told Laura that maximum-security prisoners are “beyond rehabilitation." But Laura wanted to find out for herself. She started with the prison's most notorious inmate: Larry Newton. When he was 17 years old, Larry was indicted for murder and sentenced to life with no possibility of parole. When he met Laura, he had been in isolation for 10 years.

Larry had never heard of Shakespeare. But in the characters he read, he recognized himself.

In this profound illustration of the enduring lessons of Shakespeare through the ten-year relationship of Bates and Newton, an amazing testament to the power of literature emerges. But it's not just the prisoners who are transformed. [close]

[close] A vegan-turned-hunter explores the connections between humans and their food sources, inviting us to reconsider what it means to eat.

While still in high school, Tovar Cerulli began to experiment with vegetarianism. By the age of twenty, he was a vegan. Ten years later, in the face of declining health, he found himself heading into the woods, rifle in hand.

Through his personal quest, Cerulli bridges the seemingly disparate worldviews of hunting and vegetarianism: Can fishing and hunting be respectful ways for humans to connect with nature and their food? How harmless is vegetarianism? How do we make peace with the fact that life is sustained by death?

At once compassionate and probing, THE MINDFUL CARNIVORE draws on personal anecdotes, philosophy, history, and religion, offering fresh, thought-provoking ideas about the food on our plates.
[close]