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American mother / by McCann, Colum,1965-author.; Foley, Diane,author.;
The English language has no specific word for the parent that has lost a child. There exist words for orphan, widow and widower, but there is no word that captures and conveys this tragic type of loss. It has been eleven years since Diane Foley's son, the American journalist James Foley, was kidnapped in northern Syria, and nearly ten since that day in August 2014 when she would learn that he had been murdered by ISIS in a public beheading that would ricochet in video around the world. A whole decade. Time rushes past. And yet, for Diane, that moment is unending. In American Mother, legendary author Colum McCann tells Diane's story as she recalls the months of his captivity, the efforts made to bring him home and the days following his death, in which Diane came face to face with one of the men responsible for her son's kidnapping and torture. A testament to the power of radical empathy and moral courage, American Mother takes us inside one woman's extraordinary journey to find connection in a world torn asunder, and to fight for others as a way to keep her son's memory alive.
Subjects: Biographies.; Personal narratives.; Foley, Diane; Foley, James, 1973-2014,; Foley, James, 1973-2014.; IS (Organization); Grief.; Hostages; Journalists; Kidnapping victims; Mothers and sons; Mothers of war casualties; Political kidnapping; Terrorists; Victims of terrorism;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Lavender blue / by Kauffman, Donna.;
When Hannah Montgomery buys a lavender farm in Blue Hollow Falls with three friends, she's creating a life she never imagined--one she hopes will honor the memory of the sweet young son she tragically lost years ago. Standing on the porch of the sprawling farmhouse, looking out on row upon row of those lush purple plumes, Hannah is ready to embrace this fresh, new start... Then she meets Wilson McCall. The stonemason hired to fix their crumbling chimneys and leaky roof is quieter than most folks in the Falls. Hannah's not surprised to learn the widower struggles with his own grief. Who could blame her if she finds joy in making Will laugh again, or if she feels a poignant kinship when she sees him with his teenaged son? But her deepening friendship with Will reminds Hannah that there's a part of her that still needs to heal--awakening a tender yearning to have a life that isn't just good enough, but lived fully--even if that means taking risks once more...
Subjects: Romance fiction.; Man-woman relationships; Single parents;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Heartwood : the art of living with the end in mind / by Becker, Barbara(Barbara Anne),1967-author.;
Includes bibliographical references.""We can do extraordinary things when we lead with love," Barbara Becker reminds us in her debut memoir Heartwood. When her earliest childhood friend is diagnosed with a terminal illness, Becker sets off on a quest to immerse herself in what it means to be mortal. Can we live our lives more fully knowing some day we will die? With a keen eye towards that which makes life worth living, interfaith minister, mom and perpetual seeker Barbara Becker recounts stories where life and death intersect in unexpected ways. She volunteers on a hospice floor, becomes an eager student of the many ways people find meaning at the end of life, and accompanies her parents in their final days. Becker inspires readers to live with the end in mind and proves that turning toward loss rather than away from it is the only true way to live life to its fullest. Just as with the heartwood of a tree--the central core that is no longer alive but is supported by newer growth rings--the dead become the heart of the living. With life-affirming prose, Becker helps us see that that grief is not a problem to be solved, but rather a sacred invitation--an opportunity to let go into something even greater ... a love that will inform all the days of our lives"--
Subjects: Becker, Barbara (Barbara Anne), 1967-; Becker, Barbara (Barbara Anne), 1967-; Death; Terminally ill; Grief;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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The discomfort of evening : a novel / by Rijneveld, Marieke Lucas,author.;
"Ten-year-old Jas lives with her strictly religious parents and her siblings on a dairy farm where waste and frivolity are akin to sin. Despite the dreary routine of their days, Jas has a unique way of experiencing her world: her face soft like cheese under her mother's hands; the texture of green warts, like capers, on migrating toads in the village; the sound of "blush words" that aren't in the Bible. One icy morning, the disciplined rhythm of her family's life is ruptured by a tragic accident, and Jas is convinced she is to blame. As her parents' suffering makes them increasingly distant, Jas and her siblings develop a curiosity about death that leads them into disturbing rituals and fantasies. Cocooned in her red winter coat, Jas dreams of "the other side" and of salvation, not knowing where this dreaming will finally lead her. A best seller in the Netherlands, Marieke Lucas Rijneveld's radical debut novel offers readers a rare vision of rural and religious life in the Netherlands. In it, she asks: In the absence of comfort and care, what can the mind of a child invent to protect itself? And what happens when that is not enough? With stunning psychological acuity and images of haunting, violent beauty, Rijneveld has created a captivating world of language unlike any other"--
Subjects: Psychological fiction.; Brothers; Accidents; Guilt; Grief; Brothers and sisters;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Waymaker : finding the way to the life you've always dreamed of / by Voskamp, Ann,1973-author.;
Includes bibliographical references."Heartache, grief, suffering, obstacles, they all come in waves. There is no controlling life's storms; there is only learning the way to walk through the waves. In WayMaker, bestselling author Ann Voskamp hands us a map that makes meaning of life, that shows the way through to the places we've only dreamed of reaching, by a way we never expected. Voskamp reveals how God is present in the totality of our lives, making a way for the marriage that seems impossible, the woman who longs for a child of her own, the parents who ache for the return of their prodigal, the sojourner caught between a rock and a hard place, and the wayfarer who feels as though there is no way through to her dreams. We can encounter the WayMaker in surprising ways and begin to see Him not only making poetry out of pain but working in every miraculous detail of our lives. Even now, the Way is making the way to walk through waves and into a life more deeply fulfilling than our wildest dreams"--
Subjects: Christian life.; Dreams; Trust in God;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Girl in the walls : a novel / by Gnuse, A. J.,1990-author.;
"A mesmerizing and suspenseful coming-of-age novel about an orphan hiding within the walls of her former family home--and about what it means to be truly seen after becoming lost in life"--Elise knows every inch of the house. She knows which boards will creak. She knows where the gaps are in the walls. She knows which parts can take her in, hide her away. It's home, after all. The home her parents made for her, before they were taken from her in a car crash. And home is where you stay, no matter what. Eddie is a teenager trying to forget about the girl he sometimes sees out of the corner of his eye. But when his hotheaded older brother senses her, too, they are faced with the question of how to get rid of someone they aren't sure even exists. And as they try to cast her out, they unwittingly bring an unexpected and far more real threat to their doorstep. Written with grace and enormous heart, Girl in the Walls is a novel about carrying on through grief, forging unconventional friendships, and realizing, little by little, that we don't need to fear what we do not understand.
Subjects: Bildungsromans.; Psychological fiction.; Ghost stories.; Orphans; Spirits; Haunted houses; Teenagers;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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In my remaining years / by Grae, Jean,author.;
"A collection of darkly humorous, intensely personal essays by cult fave and multi-hyphenate artist Jean Grae In My Remaining Years, by creative juggernaut Jean Grae, debunks the myth that coming-of-age narratives should be reserved for the kids, providing a much-needed rallying cry for those of us still trying to figure it out in our forties. These laugh-out-loud essays cover everything from aging gracefully (with and without botox), what happens when you look for community and almost start a cult, befriending childhood demons (Hi Mumm-ra!), gender fluidity in middle age, the cost of being too fabulous, and the various gymnastics we do to avoid becoming our parents, taking us from her childhood in 1980s New York City to present-day Baltimore. In these pages, Jean captures magic in a bottle, distilling the feeling of hanging out with your smartest, funniest, and most brutally honest best friend"--
Subjects: Biographies.; Autobiographies.; Personal narratives.; Grae, Jean.; Rap musicians;
Available copies: 0 / Total copies: 1
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Stronger than infertility : the essential guide to navigating every step of your journey / by Huhman, Heather R.,author.;
"This indispensable, comprehensive, and accessible reference book to infertility provides people with the tools they need to be their own best advocates as they navigate fertility treatments and highs and lows of their infertility journey. Author Heather Huhman guides readers through every stage of the process -- from knowing when to seek medical advice to parenting after infertility, and everything in between. There's the medical nitty gritty: getting a diagnosis (or not); selecting a fertility clinic that's right for you; understanding IUI and IVF and genetic testing; a comprehensive list of medications and their side effects, and much more. There are emotional high and lows: staying hopeful while managing grief and depression, maintaining and strengthening your relationship, and navigating religious and ethical concerns. And then there is the practical and often complicated questions around affording treatments, dealing with your workplace (including the military), and everything you need to know about insurance and fertility treatments. Stronger Than Infertility breaks down complicated clinical information and expert medical advice from top specialists in the field. The book includes first-person stories and hard-won advice from women who have been down this long and often painful road (Huhman included) and offers a clear-eyed look at the emotional and psychological landmines that come with the journey. The result is a book that inspires as much as it educates and is a much-needed source of support and inspiration for readers hungry for understanding and hope"--
Subjects: Fertilization in vitro, Human.; Human reproductive technology.; Infertility, Female.; Infertility, Female; Infertility.; Infertility;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Why fathers cry at night : a memoir in love poems, letters, recipes, and remembrances / by Alexander, Kwame,author.;
"This powerful memoir from a #1 New York Times bestselling author and Newbery Medalist features poetry, letters, recipes, and other personal artifacts that provide an intimate look into his life and the loved ones he shares it with. In an intimate and non-traditional (or "new-fashioned") memoir, Kwame Alexander shares snapshots of a man learning how to love. He takes us through stories of his parents: from being awkward newlyweds in the sticky Chicago summer of 1967, to the sometimes-confusing ways they showed their love to each other, and for him. He explores his own relationships--his difficulties as a newly wedded, 22-year-old father, and the precariousness of his early marriage working in a jazz club with his second wife. Alexander attempts to deal with the unravelling of his marriage and the grief of his mother's recent passing while sharing the solace he found in learning how to perfect her famous fried chicken dish. With an open heart, Alexander weaves together memories of his past to try and understand his greatest love: his daughters. Full of heartfelt reminisces, family recipes, love poems, and personal letters, Why Fathers Cry at Night inspires bravery and vulnerability in every reader who has experienced the reckless passion, heartbreak, failure, and joy that define the whirlwind woes and wonders of love."--
Subjects: Biographies.; Autobiographies.; Recipes.; Personal narratives.; Alexander, Kwame.; African American authors; Authors, American;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Grand : a memoir / by Schaefer, Sara Carole,1978-author.;
"When Sara Schaefer is in first grade, her father warns her to always tell the truth because one lie leads to another and soon you will find yourself in a hole you can't escape. A few years later, the Schaefer family is completely upended when it's revealed that their grand life is based on a lie. Her parents become pariahs in their upper middle class community and go from non-religious people to devout church members. The idea of good and evil as binary, opposed forces is drilled into Sara and it becomes the perfect framework on which to build her anxiety and increasingly-obsessive thoughts. The year she turns forty, Sara decides to take each member of her family on a one-on-one vacation culminating with a whitewater rafting journey through the Grand Canyon with her younger sister. The only problem is she's terrified of rafting. Along the way, she grapples with unresolved grief over the death of her mother and the family scandal that changed the trajectory of her life. Heartfelt, candid, and witty, Grand is a story about family, identity, and struggling to make something of yourself. Sara deconstructs her struggles with anxiety and depression, what it means to be a good person, and the radically discordant stories we tell ourselves and share with the world"--
Subjects: Biographies.; Schaefer, Sara Carole, 1978-; Schaefer, Sara Carole, 1978-; Shaffer family; Comedians; Women comedians;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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