Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from January, 2017

REVIEW of Michael French’s “ONCE UPON A Lie” by Linda Appleman Shapiro

REVIEW of Michael French’s “ONCE UPON A Lie” by Linda Appleman Shapiro , Psychotherapist/Addictions Counselor/Mental Health Advocate/ Oral Historian/Blogger and Author of the acclaimed memoir, She’s Not Herself: A Psychotherapist’s Journey Into and Beyond Her Mother’s Mental Illness As the pages of this fictional narrative race along, the old adage “truth is stranger than fiction” appears to lose its validity. Though it is at first tempting to view Once Upon A Lie as too contrived, too unbelievable, French’s gift for imposing an immediacy and authenticity to his narrative immediately stops us from wondering whether he is simply fabricating a story so replete with coincidences and an inconceivable confluence of events. As with many of the world’s great writers – Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Proust, Dickens, and this century’s Wally Lamb, to name but a few of my favorites – French’s Once Upon A Lie is, as he described it in a recent interview, akin to a “layered tapestry.” Through each o...

5 Star Book Review - Dark Confessions of an Extraordinary Ordinary Woman by Jenn Sadai

Book Review by Crystal J. Casavant-Otto  Thank you to Jenn Sadai for writing this lovely book Dark Confessions of an Extraordinary, Ordinary Woman   as it says on the cover "too many women suffer in silence" and I admire this author for breaking the silence. This isn't your ordinary memoir as it is brutally honest, and I sometimes feel that memoir lacks that no holes barred approach to story telling. I don't feel that other memoirists intentionally exclude details or candy coat things, I just think time softens some of our memories. In Jenn Sadai's case, she was writing this story in her head her entire life. The brutal honesty and attention to detail sets Dark Confessions apart. If you're trying to decide if you should read Dark Confessions of an Extraordinary, Ordinary Woman , let me put it to you this way: If a dear friend called and said "I really need to talk to you, can I come cry on your shoulder over coffee?" would you say no? Of cour...

Crawling Out of the Dark

Looking for some advice for a mama in a tough situation. What do you do when you're in the midst of a separation/divorce? How do you move past the feelings of despair, sadness, loneliness, worthlessness, and move forward to the happy life ahead of you? Are those steps different if your spouse or significant other was cheating? What if they were addicted to drugs? Alcohol? Porn? I shared my story in a video today, but it's been so long for me. I'm not really sure what advice I can offer. All I can say is I've been there and I know too well the dark feelings. That internal voice telling you that you failed at something really important. The anxious feeling of not wanting to run into that person, but the simultaneous longing to see them. I drank too much, I didn't give myself enough credit for being strong and beautiful, and I did a lot of things wrong. Despite all that, I did some things right... I put everything in storage that mattered (that was 2 totes of clo...

LEMONS - 1 star review for: Best Quality Kids Baby Girls & Boys Coat Winter Warm Jacket Outer wear- 3-36 months

the sizing on this ad says 3-36 months and yet when you receive the product it shows only good for 6-9 months (on the bag and on the inside tag of the jacket itself). My daughter wears a 2T so hypothetically according to the ad, it should fit her. It is ridiculously small...it fits like the tag says 6-9 months...what a waste of time and money... amazon.com/gp/product/B01MSW2TQJ/

Let's Talk Postpartum Depression - My Story

I'm the happy girl. I'm the strong girl. Postpartum Depression happens to other people. Those were just some of the lies I had told myself back in 2006-2007. The truth is, I'm a happy strong girl who got postpartum depression who thankfully had a tribe to lean on. I had a tribe of people in my corner who helped me recognize and get through a very muddy and gloomy time in my life. It's taken me a long time to share this story because it's a time I'm not proud of. As you read this, please remember every situation is different and we each have our own trail to blaze. I always wanted a baby, which sounds especially weird seeing as how I placed one for adoption when I was 20. I pretty much regretted that while it was happening and every day since, but not really...I wouldn't have made much of a mom back then. Right before my 30th birthday I found this super fun guy who really thought I was awesome. We were best friends from the word go, even though we both wa...

Michael French's Once Upon a Lie

I had the pleasure of reading Once Upon a Lie by Michael French and can definitely say it's one of those books that will hook you and reel you in! Book Summary: Twelve-year-old Jaleel Robeson is on the run after the police in his tiny Texas town try to frame him for the death of his father. A world away, Alexandra “Alex” Baten is growing up amid all the material comforts a wealthy Los Angeles lawyer can provide. One day, a simple cup of lemonade unites their lives, leading to a maze of adultery and murder that shatters Alex’s youthful innocence and Jaleel’s struggle to reshape his life. While the forces of the law try to unravel the mysterious death―or at least find a scapegoat―the two youths see the trajectories of their lives entwine, unravel, and come together again. Justice, Alex learns, can be a strange and nebulous thing, easily enmeshed in webs of loyalty and betrayal. Justice, Jaleel finds, can be a powerful―but dangerous―rock on which to build a life of honor and c...