In this raw coming-of-age memoir, in the vein of The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace, The Other Wes Moore, and Someone Has Led This Child to Believe, Rob Henderson vividly recounts growing up in foster care, enlisting in the US Air Force, attending elite universities, and pioneering the concept of “luxury beliefs”—ideas and opinions that confer status on the upper class while inflicting costs on the less fortunate. Rob Henderson was born to a drug-addicted mother and a father he never met, ultimately shuttling between ten different foster homes in California. When he was adopted into a loving family, he hoped that life would finally be stable and safe. Divorce, tragedy, poverty, and violence marked his adolescent and teen years, propelling Henderson to join the military upon completing high school. An unflinching portrait of shattered families, desperation, and determination, Troubled recounts Henderson’s expectation-defying young life and juxtaposes his story with those of his friends who wound up incarcerated or killed. He retreads the steps and missteps he took to escape the drama and disorder of his youth. As he navigates the peaks and valleys of social class, Henderson finds that he remains on the outside looking in. His greatest achievements—a military career, an undergraduate education from Yale, a PhD from Cambridge—feel like hollow measures of success. He argues that stability at home is more important than external accomplishments, and he illustrates the ways the most privileged among us benefit from a set of social standards that actively harm the most vulnerable.

Where will you go? After more than 20 years of devotion to the Mormon church, Alyssa Grenfell decided it was time to find out. Join her in a journey of faith deconstruction with this definitive manual to rebuilding after Mormonism.Consider this the last church handbook you'll ever need! How to Leave the Mormon Church is the indispensable guide for navigating your way out of the Mormon church. After losing your faith, your first thought was likely, “Now what?” Read this book for advice Deciding whether or not to leave the churchSharing your news with family and friendsInvestigating new beliefs and frameworksProtecting your mental health during the transitionMoving forward with purpose and intentionOrdering coffee and cocktails for the first timeOvercoming shame surrounding sex and sexualityDating outside the churchExamining and renegotiating political opinionsLeaving Mormonism AND Exmormonism behind...and so much more! Leaving the church is more than throwing out your garments or taking your name off the church roster. Mormonism is an all-encompassing, high demand religion that seeps into every aspect of your life. This is the comprehensive manual for completely—mentally, emotionally and physically—leaving The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.Advance praise for How to Leave the Mormon "I was struck by how thoroughly Alyssa addresses the hurdles faced by those who leave the church. Her encouraging voice will support you with each step along this unknown path. Her compassionate and informed writing approaches the sensitive subject of faith deconstruction with a style that is personal, thoughtful, direct, and fearless. This book is an essential companion for those who feel lost, alone, and confused once their Mormon shelf breaks. Frankly, it is the resource I so desperately needed in the days, months, and years after my own loss of faith."—John Dehlin, Ph.D., Founder of and Host of Mormon Stories"What many of us leaving the LDS Church are looking for is a friend. In her vulnerable storytelling and resource sharing, Alyssa brings that friendship to life. This book is a great sounding board to ask questions, access support and get curious about new and old beliefs. It’s a great reminder that in what many consider to be one of the loneliest and disorienting chapters of their lives, you don’t have to do it alone."—Chelsea Homer, Founder of Faith Journey Meetups and Lost & Found Club

Fresh from a brief stay at a psych hospital, reporter Camille Preaker faces a troubling assignment: she must return to her tiny hometown to cover the unsolved murder of a preteen girl and the disappearance of another. For years, Camille has hardly spoken to her neurotic, hypochondriac mother or to the half-sister she barely knows: a beautiful thirteen-year-old with an eerie grip on the town. Now, installed in her old bedroom in her family's Victorian mansion, Camille finds herself identifying with the young victims—a bit too strongly. Dogged by her own demons, she must unravel the psychological puzzle of her own past if she wants to get the story—and survive this homecoming. Librarian's Note: this is an alternate cover edition - ISBN 10: 0307341550 (ISBN 13: 9780307341556)

In this compelling and compulsively readable memoir, nineteen-year-old Paige Rawl tells the story of how she was mercilessly bullied in middle school...and how she overcame the ordeal to change her world for the better. In this astonishing memoir, Paige tells a story that is both deeply personal and completely universal—one that will resonate deeply with the thousands of children and adults whose lives have been touched by bullying. Paige Rawl has been HIV positive since birth…but growing up, she never felt like her illness defined her. It never prevented her from entering beauty pageants or playing soccer or making the honor role. On an unremarkable day in middle school, while attempting to console a friend, Paige disclosed her HIV-positive status—and within hours the bullying began. She was called "PAIDS," first in whispers, then out in the open. Her soccer coach joked that she was an asset because opposing team members would be too afraid to touch her. Her guidance counselor told her to stop all the “drama,” and her principal said she couldn’t protect her. One night, desperate for escape, Paige swallowed fifteen sleeping pills—one for each year of her life to date. That could have been the end of her story. Instead, it was only the beginning. The gripping first-person account of Paige’s life will pull in even the most reluctant readers of nonfiction, and her call to action to choose compassion over cruelty will stay with them long after they turn the last page.

Ruth Reichl, world-renowned food critic and editor in chief of Gourmet magazine, knows a thing or two about food. She also knows that as the most important food critic in the country, you need to be anonymous when reviewing some of the most high-profile establishments in the biggest restaurant town in the world--a charge she took very seriously, taking on the guise of a series of eccentric personalities. In Garlic and Sapphires, Reichl reveals the comic absurdity, artifice, and excellence to be found in the sumptuously appointed stages of the epicurean world and gives us--along with some of her favorite recipes and reviews--her remarkable reflections on how one's outer appearance can influence one's inner character, expectations, and appetites, not to mention the quality of service one receives.

From social media star and disability activist Molly Burke, a vulnerable and witty memoir on navigating the challenges of being a legally blind woman in an ableist worldWhen Molly Burke was four years old, she was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a rare degenerative eye disease that causes gradual and complete blindness, forcing Burke to conceptualize the world differently. Growing up disabled didn’t stop her from playing sports, speaking publicly, or becoming a rock-climbing instructor, but it was other people’s narrow perceptions of her that held her back. Today, Burke is a speaker, content creator, model, author, and advocate whose mission is to help foster community for anyone feeling isolated, misrepresented, or misunderstood. Unseen is Burke’s story in her own words and an inspiration to those who have been stigmatized or are feeling alone in their struggles to speak out. Burke chronicles her journey as a disabled woman, business owner, and entertainer, illuminating not only what her experiences have taught her, but also what she wishes the world understood about her world and the world of others in the blind community. Part memoir, part rallying cry for better representation, Unseen recounts Burke’s life and experiences fighting against the expectations society set for her as a blind woman, and in doing so, helps readers find their voice, strength, and inner purpose.

An inspiring vision of how we can build a more just world--one small change at a time Long before the pandemic, Ruha Benjamin was doing groundbreaking research on race, technology, and justice, focusing on big, structural changes. But the twin plagues of COVID-19 and anti-Black police violence inspired her to rethink the importance of small, individual actions. Part memoir, part manifesto, Viral Justice is a sweeping and deeply personal exploration of how we can transform society through the choices we make every day. Vividly recounting her personal experiences and those of her family, Benjamin shows how seemingly minor decisions and habits could spread virally and have exponentially positive effects. She recounts her father's premature death, illuminating the devastating impact of the chronic stress of racism, but she also introduces us to community organizers who are fostering mutual aid and collective healing. Through her brother's experience with the criminal justice system, we see the trauma caused by policing practices and mass imprisonment, but we also witness family members finding strength as they come together to demand justice for their loved ones. And while her own challenges as a young mother reveal the vast inequities of our healthcare system, Benjamin also describes how the support of doulas and midwives can keep Black mothers and babies alive and well. Born of a stubborn hopefulness, Viral Justice offers a passionate, inspiring, and practical vision of how small changes can add up to large ones, transforming our relationships and communities, and helping us build a more just and joyful world.