In this memoir, Gibson shares stories about growing up in Mill Creek Valley—a segregated neighborhood in St. Louis, Missouri—before a massive urban-renewal project emptied the once thriving community of its 20,000 residents and 800 businesses.
Continue reading “The Last Children of Mill Creek by Vivian Gibson”
In The Weight of Being, author Kara Richardson Whitely reveals her struggle with trying to lose weight, having a binge-eating disorder, and the shame she feels about her size. Following along in her journey, readers will learn about the frustration she felt with each failed dieting attempt, the fears she had about passing on bad food habits to her children, and the despair she felt when her weight began to prevent her from participating in family activities she once enjoyed—all of which ultimately led her to making a life-changing decision.
Continue reading “The Weight of Being by Kara Richardson Whitely”
Tena Clark grew up in rural Mississippi during the Civil Rights era, living in a small town that had deep racial divides and no interest in changing things because “that’s just the way it is.” As one of the daughters of the wealthiest man in town, she was expected to live her life a certain way, but she rebelled against it, determined to live her life the way she chose, no matter what.
Continue reading “Southern Discomfort: A Memoir by Tena Clark”
It’s my stop on the blog tour for Christine Clayfield’s No Fourth River. Welcome!
It takes a great deal of courage to write about the abuse you’ve suffered through during your childhood and (first) marriage, but Clayfield rose to the challenge in No Fourth River. In it, she writes about her abusive father, her miserable years at a boarding school, and her disastrous first marriage to a brutal man who married her hoping to get his hands on some of her father’s riches. After nearly being beaten to death by her violent husband, Christine was determined to turn her life around and find the elusive happiness she longed for in her life.
Linda Curtis was raised as a Jehovah’s Witness, and everyone she loved—her friends, her family—shared her faith, as did the man she eventually married. She belief was strong until she was in her early thirties, when doubts crept in and she begins to question everything she’d ever believed to be true. Over time, Linda’s questions grew, and her faith in the teachings of Jehovah’s Witnesses faded. Much to the dismay of her husband, friends, and family Linda chose to leave the religion, as well as her marriage—which resulted with her being shunned by everyone she cared about. Despite the pain of her severed relationships, Linda stayed firm in her decision, and set out to discover life anew, free of the limitations imposed by her former religion. Continue reading “Shunned: How I Lost my Religion and Found Myself by Linda A. Curtis”
