Lorena Junco Margain—passionate art collector and devoted wife and mother—is already shaken after abruptly fleeing Mexico and relocating in the USA with her family while pregnant due to safety concerns. Then, she learns she has a tumor on her adrenal gland. Having long experienced unexplained symptoms of dizziness and lethargy that neither medications nor holistic or Ayurvedic treatments have helped, she embraces the news with tears of relief: with a simple surgery, she can regain her strength and joyful spirit. But fate can be mischievous, and to err is human—even for surgeons. Rather than improve after surgery, her condition worsens.
On the Way to Casa Lotus is the gripping true story of Junco Margain’s journey coming to terms with the permanent consequences of a surgeon’s devastating mistake. Mindful that even good people make errors and that vengeance would not mend her broken body or soul, she chooses instead to embark on a quest for peace and healing—beginning by seeking space in her heart to forgive.
Finalist Narrative Nonfiction 2021 Best Book Awards
In 2020, ISIS followers are being encouraged to use COVID-19 to sicken Westerners. An ISIS supporter attacked a Naval base in Corpus Christi, Texas. Iran and the United States exchanged blows in Iraq. We are still living in the long shadow of the Iraq War.
In 2006, David Grantham was fresh out of college and serving as a counterintelligence officer with the elite and secretive Air Force Office of Special Investigations. Iraq was veering toward civil war. The U.S. military desperately needed better on-the-ground intelligence to turn the tide. Grantham found himself in Kuwait and Afghanistan, then at Iraq’s infamous American prison, Camp Bucca. Not only was Bucca the breeding ground for the Islamic State, it was in southern Iraq, where America’s deadly fight with Iran was an open secret.
Consequences is both a riveting behind-the-scenes look at intelligence operations at the height of the Iraq war, and a charming and sobering story of one man’s journey through the pleasures and consequences that come with wartime intelligence.
Finalist Narrative Nonfiction 2021 Best Book Awards
In Growing up Joplin, Kadesha Powell vividly brings to life her obstacles and triumphs while being raised in a predominantly white, Midwestern town. The constant struggle with racism and deep-rooted microaggression in the educational system, workforce, and her personal life, chipped away at her self-image. For far too long, she allowed others to shape her identity and limit available opportunities.
After moving to the East Coast and traveling internationally, Powell learned the meaning of acceptance and self-love. A range of cultural experiences allowed her to see the beauty of the world around her.
Growing up Joplin is the emotional journey of a feisty, energetic, and talented Black woman, who has bloomed into something much more than she ever dared to dream possible.
Finalist Narrative Nonfiction 2021 Best Book Awards
Nearly 30 people in the United States die in drunk-driving crashes every day — that night, Jennifer was one of them.
On Shattered Wings is the powerful story of the people left behind and their powerful life lessons for us all, an unforgettable true story of a family’s struggle to survive overwhelming sorrow amidst ongoing unexpected and startling events. Along the way, they discover the value of faith, the insignificance of regrets, and the realization there can be joy again through harnessing pain into healing action for themselves and others.
Finalist Narrative Nonfiction 2021 Best Book Awards
So your husband is going to die. Now what?
Some Assembly Required chronicles the 10-month adventure of a couple living through the worst of times like it's the best of times. It's a story about having heart when what you really need is a brand-new liver.
"Full of wit and positivity, Some Assembly Required is a poignant memoir and the perfect book for anyone who has experienced the unique blessings and trials of caretaking a loved one." –Marnee Blake, award-winning author and RITA® Finalist
Finalist Narrative Nonfiction 2021 Best Book Awards
Russ and Nicole Bell were an upwardly mobile happy couple: two kids, big house, fun hobbies, marvelous life. But something wasn't quite right-with Russ. He started forgetting things, he got lost, he became enraged, he was harsh with the kids. And he could no longer be trusted with minor responsibilities.
They visited doctor after doctor after doctor to try to determine what was wrong, to no avail. "Alzheimer's," they were told, but that didn't make sense. Russ was too young for that. As the formerly brilliant engineer literally lost his mind and his self, the answer finally became clear-but was it in time?
