The Last Sunset

On a beach in Florida is a mysterious manuscript written and left there by an unnamed narrator who’s eager for somebody to know his life story. Starting with his first day of kindergarten, the narrator holds nothing back in sharing the important moments, as well as the moments he only now realizes have had a big impact on his life. The narrator tells of his mishaps as a child, his troubled teen years, a devastating heartbreak, a frustrating illness, and his struggles to find his place in the world as an adult. Taking place in an era before smartphones and before mental illness was discussed openly, the narrator looks back on everything that has gone wrong in his life, the things he could have done differently, and how it has all led to the most difficult decision of his life.

Therapized

Therapists are human too.

They cry in the shower, spiral at 2 a.m., and occasionally eat an entire bag of chips while rewatching the same comfort show—just like everyone else.

In Therapized, Anne Petraro—a licensed therapist, educator, and unapologetic dog mom—opens up not just as a professional, but as a person who’s lived through trauma, healing, and everything in between (with snacks in her pocket and dog hair on her clothes).

Part memoir, part guided journal, this book invites you into the real, raw, and sometimes ridiculous process of being human. Through deeply personal stories and powerful journaling prompts, Anne helps you stop striving to be “fixed” and start accepting what it means to be fully, beautifully, imperfectly real.

You’ll laugh, cry, maybe throw the book across the room—but most importantly, you’ll feel seen. Not as a diagnosis or a label, but as someone deeply worthy of healing and joy.

Written with heart, grit, and enough dog hair to knit a sweater, Therapized is for the over-thinkers, the people-pleasers, the trauma survivors, and the ones still trying to make sense of it all. You don’t need to have it all together to begin. You just need to show up.

Let Therapized be the place you finally do.

September 21

Life doesn’t have to be tough, but sometimes our choices can lead us down difficult paths. Influenced by my surroundings, I ventured beyond my comfort zone, only to make poor decisions that veered me away from my true self and my goals. These choices left me in a less-than-ideal situation, a reminder that life is replete with ups and downs. Perfection is an illusion, but overcoming obstacles is within our grasp. It’s about steering ourselves toward where we aspire to be, capturing our dreams in the process. Once there, we’re in a prime position to extend a hand to others, guiding them towards betterment just as we have achieved for ourselves. This journey is a testament to the power of resilience and the importance of staying true to oneself.

Dying Is a Journey, Living Is a Privilege

After receiving his terminal cancer diagnosis, Gary F. Kelly wanted to prepare for dying and find meaning in the experience. His memoir recounts his journey from the initial visit to see his doctor about some unusual discomfort and fatigue through his days of hospice care to the death that he imagines. He shares his gratitude when a compassionate nurse squeezes his hand as a needle is inserted into his liver and his anguish when his difficulty swallowing makes eating and drinking nearly impossible.

Kelly cherishes the comforting family rituals of Thanksgiving and Christmas, marks such milestones as no longer being able to drive, and records the uncertain rhythms of terminal illness as new cancer sites appear, symptoms multiply, and the debilitating effects of treatment increase.

Along this journey of dying, he wrestles with: What can he learn? Can he find meaning and value in dying comparable to that which he found in living? How does he face the end of life with dignity and grace? As a therapist says to him, “Dying is hard work.”

Split from Reality

What happens when you realize the foundation of everything you knew about yourself and life in general is shattered? How do you cope when it’s found that your own mind, and even reality itself, is playing tricks on you? Is it even possible to adapt to a bizarre, unforgiving, and even horrifying mindscape?

These challenging questions and others will be explored in this book. This autobiography tells a tale of a young man as he struggles to function in life while experiencing very unusual circumstances. The tale explains his experience while battling some of the most disturbing psychotic thoughts.

This is a story of wonder, extreme challenges, and eventual plateau into some form of success. This book not only demonstrates the problems and stressors common with the illness called schizophrenia but also highlights methods, techniques, and useful solutions to some of the most challenging and slippery mental conundrums that one might encounter during psychosis.

Married to the Foreign Service

Born in Norfolk, Virginia, in 1931, and orphaned at an early age, Evelyn Lee Dyer joined the US Foreign Service in the mid-1950s and soon found herself in the heart of the Cold War, among bustling diplomatic communities in Istanbul, Bonn, Prague, Leningrad, Moscow, and Geneva, as well as in Washington, DC, and often in crisis conditions. She tells her story in an unpretentious style, filled with vivid anecdotes and character descriptions, with a feeling for the grand sweep of history as lived through by ordinary people.

There are plenty of Cold War memoirs by public figures, most of them men. This memoir by a working-class Southern woman brings to life an entire generation of postwar Americans, whose destinies followed an upward arc from the regional into the global.

Long Waka with Jesus

In Long Waka with Jesus, Dr Gaston Nyabul di Kanza Mabaya retraces his steps from the days when he was a young lector and altar server in the Church in Yasa (Democratic Republic of the Congo), through the academic halls of Belgium, to the pulpits of the Roman Catholic Diocese of London in Canada.

It sometimes happens in our lives that we wonder about God’s presence. We ask ourselves a thousand and one questions. Why, for instance, does God allow this or that to happen? In Dr Mabaya’s case, the question arose several times. On each occasion, God proved to be present and faithful. Like most of us, he often asked himself this question again and again: “Where has my God gone?” especially when knowing how difficult a situation could be.

Long Waka with Jesus brings to light all the blessings which have encompassed the world of Dr Gaston Nyabul di Kanza Mabaya throughout his life.

Whatever stage you are at spiritually, you need to examine your life with God in a private moment of recollection. You will discover His marvels. He is among us, His children, waiting for us to make ourselves available and take His hand, which He offers us graciously. He will show you what is most meaningful in your life.

He loves you. In His company, none of you would feel alone. His love is unwavering.

Through Less Than Perfect Eyes

Through Less Than Perfect Eyes follows the life journey of Keith Canty, exploring the challenges and triumphs he faced from childhood to adulthood. Raised by a single mother in a low-income household, Keith encountered many trials and tribulations along the way.

This book reveals how he persevered through adversity, overcoming obstacles that seemed insurmountable. Through it all, his unwavering belief in the Creator of the Multiverse became his source of strength, guiding him through life’s hardships.

A story of resilience, faith, and determination, Through Less Than Perfect Eyes is an inspiring testament to the power of perseverance and belief in something greater.

Land of the Brave

How did you become a sister? This is an overarching question that many people ask me. Behind becoming a sister is an amazing story.

Everyone in the world has a unique story. This book narrates the unique story of my life and the origins of my desire to become a sister.

My story started in Lirembe village in Kenya and continued on as I ventured to the new land of the United States of America for studies and work. In the book, I describe the places, people, religion, and events that shaped my social, religious, moral, and ethical perspectives.

This description intends to capture readers’ imaginations, emotions, and feelings about the origins of some of the African women religious, clergy, and brothers and, by extension, many people worldwide who resonate with my story. The thick description also illustrates what it means to be formed into and become a religious African woman living in Africa and abroad and how international students navigate their lives in US colleges and workplaces.

The book also compares and contrasts the African and American cultures, underscoring the nuances, dynamics, resonances, and consonances between the two cultures.

This is a Thanksgiving book.

Rethinking Race

Rethinking Race: A Memoir was written as an act of compassionate antiracism. The book invites people to better understand their role in fighting racism by calling them into the struggle rather than calling them out. It is the true story of everyday challenges and triumphs that an African-American mother and her husband, who is identified by most as white but is a citizen of an Indigenous tribal nation, encounter as they try to help their son develop a positive multiethnic identity. Rethinking Race illustrates how one person’s thinking evolved from taking race for granted, as an immutable part of our identity, to seeing it as a very impactful illusion. It is a story of how we can move beyond the false dichotomies of black and white, shaming and blaming to better articulate our rich individual uniqueness while acknowledging our common humanity. The book raises the possibility of becoming aracial, not through colorblindness, but rather by examining racism more closely and coming to understand how each of us creates race every day.

Eyes Shut, Mouth Closed

This is the true story of my two-year journey to escape Vietnam, seven years after the end of the Vietnam War. At just nine years old, I was a naive village boy, knowing little beyond the only home I had ever known. Along with 27 others—including my father and older sister—I set sail on a small, overcrowded fishing boat, embarking on a perilous voyage that would ultimately lead me to America. The journey was marked by immense hardship, uncertainty, and sacrifice.

Our family was torn apart. My mother and two younger siblings remained in Vietnam, separated from us for 15 long years before we were finally reunited. The pain of that separation shaped me in ways I could never have imagined. Though I did not endure it alone, I learned to transform hardship into resilience, using each challenge as a stepping stone toward a better future. Along the way, strangers—some of whom I will never forget—offered help in ways I could never have expected.

My father’s courageous decision to flee with my sister and me was driven by hope—a belief in the promise of greater opportunities and a brighter future. But even after reaching America, our struggles were far from over. We battled language barriers, cultural isolation, and economic hardship, fighting to rebuild our lives from nothing. And after years of longing, we finally pieced our family back together.

I invite you to join me on this journey—a story of perseverance, hope, and the unbreakable human spirit. Through these pages, I seek to honor the voices of the countless Vietnamese "boat people" who perished at sea, never reaching their destination.

In sharing my experiences, I hope to inspire others to keep moving forward, to grow stronger with each challenge, and to uplift those who can no longer speak for themselves. No matter the obstacles, we must press on, turning pain into purpose and hardship into hope.

Perspective

Perspective: Wouldn’t you rather live in more than three dimensions?

There has to be more, right? A way to do it all, have it all, be it all – and, most importantly, to smile at the true beauty of life as you discover your unique place within it.

The key lies in understanding perspective: its definition, application, and significance in every situation you encounter. Life is a delicate balance, and finding that balance in how we interpret, establish, and maintain perspective can transform everything. A shift in perspective might just be the key to unlocking a better, more fulfilling life. No downside to that, is there?

Join me as we explore the pervasive role of perspective in the pursuit of the good life.