Tag Archives: memoir

by Jennifer Reed/ bookjunkiez | April 26, 2023 · 5:00 am

Standing On Positive Ground Virtual Book Tour

Scars of Faith and Courage, A Life Forever Changed

Memoir

Date Published: ‎
February 23, 2023

Publisher: ‎
Mindstir Media

Standing on Positive Ground is the heartfelt, inspiring true story of Tony
V Rodriguez, whose astonishing tragedies and triumphs span a lifetime. It is
an unrivaled testament to survival, faith, and the indomitable human
spirit.

Before Tony was three years old, he experienced two car accidents, one that
nearly cost him his life and permanently changed him physically and
mentally. His family, unable to afford the critical extensive care, prayed
for a miracle. Answered prayers came through his community, God, and
organizations such as the Shriner’s Burns Hospital. Since then, he has
survived two near-death experiences, ten auto accidents, three motorcycle
accidents, Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) cancer, a stroke, multiple innovative
plastic surgeries, disfigurement discrimination, and two divorces.

Through all these extraordinary challenges, Tony also experienced how truly
kind people could be, along with the support of the heavenly realm. He knew
that he was never alone on his arduous journey.

Standing on Positive Ground is filled with tragic as well as joyous
outcomes. Join Tony as he shares his personal journey, including how he
rises above tremendous circumstances and ultimately lives a life of
accomplishment and positivity.

It is Tony’s greatest hope that his life story uplifts and brings
inspiration to the reader.

Praise for Standing on Positive Ground

“Powerful and brave, heart-wrenching and heartwarming, Standing on
Positive Ground shows that pain can be indiscriminate, but so too can
perseverance. In this remarkable story, Tony V Rodriguez shares the trials
that knocked him down and the strength used to pick himself back
up-repeatedly. Inside these pages is an anthem to all those who have faced
life’s toughest challenges and a testament to those with the heart to fight
back.”

– J.J. Hebert, USA Today bestselling author

EXCERPT

In the fifteen years that we have known Tony, we have witnessed him face endless challenges—physically, emotionally, and spiritually—with the grace of the Divine. Through it all, he has inspired us with his honesty, positivity, humility, and integrity. For anyone who wants to understand how to rise above and be resilient through life’s obstacles, difficulties, and trials, Tony’s story gives us a roadmap to experience them through our heart with faith, courage, and kindness. Even we, as individuals who aspire to help others, are continually reminded of the great Light that Tony shines and how “our” lives are blessed by his beautiful soul.

ALEX HERMOSILLO and AMY LALICATA

Healers and authors of A True Story of Hope, Healing and Miracles

About the Author

Tony V Rodriguez has experienced many tragedies and blessings in his life.
Born in 1966, in beautiful Bartow, Florida, he is the son of interracial
parents who supported their family as migrant workers. Before Tony turned
three years old, he would survive two separate car accidents, one that
nearly claimed his life. Because of serious and life-threatening injuries,
Tony spent most of his childhood in hospitals, undergoing many complex
surgeries meant to shape and repair his severely disfigured face. Due to
many factors, he lived with shame, negativity, and depression. The heaviness
of the negativity weighed upon him, and he eventually decided those feelings
would not serve him. With his determination, heavenly blessings, strength,
and positive attitude, he was able to rise above these extraordinary
circumstances to become an inspiration to others whom he has met along the way.

At the time of printing this book, in his mid 50’s, Tony has so far
survived three near-death experiences, Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) cancer,
stroke, disfigurement and discrimination, twelve auto accidents, three
motorcycle accidents, and sixty-six surgeries. Tony’s faith combined
with the acts of kindness by many caring individuals has remarkably allowed
him to live a mainstream life.

After obtaining an Associate Degree in Computer Engineering Technology,
Tony began his professional career as an Electronic Technician for a
government-contracted company. Seven years later, in 1995, he accepted an
offer from Intel Corporation, located in Arizona, where he enjoyed an
Electronic Technician career until he would be forced to medically retire
after twenty-one years of service.

Tony enjoys playing video games on his computer or PlayStation 5, visiting
classic car shows, listening to music, reading his bible, enjoying time with
the heavenly realm, spending time with his wife, and keeping in touch with
friends and family. He owns a 1967 Chevy Camaro, the car of his
dreams.

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by Jennifer Reed/ bookjunkiez | January 30, 2023 · 2:35 pm

Better Lucky Than Good Blitz

Memoir

Date Published: 09-13-2022

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Can you build a successful life by taking the less traveled path? Yes, you
can, and Dale Arenson’s incredible journey attests to it.

After seven years of living on the edge as a member of Hangmen, of the most
popular outlaw motorcycle clubs in the US, the young school dropout needs a
radical change. His soul wants something else; as long as he can preserve
his freedom to do what he loves, he is ready to give up the gun violence,
wild rides, and loud parties.

Dale Arenson walks away from the only life he knows to embark on a path
that many people would deem too hard to even think about it. He bounces back
from his poor start in life, bad choices, and costly mistakes and builds an
exceptional career in aviation as a commercial pilot.

“Better Lucky Than Good” is the gripping account of this journey.
A natural storyteller, the author vividly depicts his unorthodox path from
outlaw biker to construction worker and salesman and, finally, to his dream
life and his incredible adventures that nearly got him killed. Wildly
entertaining, the book will keep you at the edge of your seat while
inspiring and motivating you to follow your dreams and forge your own path
in life.

About the Author

Dale Arenson is a bestselling author of gripping memoirs inspired by his
risky and unconventional life. A high-school dropout in sunny Southern
California, he found the supportive family he always craved in the biker
community. After many run-ins with the law and brushes with death as a
member of the famous Hangmen Motorcycle Club, Arenson gave up his dangerous
lifestyle and reinvented himself as a commercial pilot. An admirer of Plato,
Hemingway, and Marcus Aurelius, Arenson is now taking his turn at writing
books that entertain, inspire, and stand the test of time.

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by Jennifer Reed/ bookjunkiez | December 15, 2022 · 5:00 am

Unburdening Virtual Book Tour

Memoir

Date Published: October 4, 2022

Teresa Benitez—an engineer, doctor, and professor—had three
abortions between 2004 and 2022. Although she was against abortion until
2004, her first pregnancy awakened her deepest fears: was she good enough to
raise a family? Or would her unresolved childhood trauma, and resulting
mental illness, render her incapable of love?

In Unburdening, each pregnancy termination is meticulously described. The
aftermath of each abortion is explored, including the mystifying blend of
relief and distress that often remains after the procedure is over.

A moving memoir infused with poetic prose, Unburdening is a story of
motherhood, abortion, and mental health. It delves into generational trauma,
survival, love, self-forgiveness, and healing.

EXCERPT

As a child, yearning for maternal love

“But I did not give up. I wanted my mother to love me. I craved her attention, her embrace. I desperately searched for a slow song to dance to, my face on her shoulder, our hearts in sync, our breathing melodic and slow and warm. But she did not have any songs for me. There is so much wrong with me, if she cannot love me. She is so beautiful. Her skin is radiant, her teeth so white and perfect; look at how she smiles at others. They deserve her. One day, she will smile that way at me, too. But not if I keep doing so much wrong. I wish she would tell me what I need to fix, so I could do it for her. And then, we will sing and dance together. She will find me, and I will never be lost again.”

About the Author

Born in Puerto Rico in 1984, Teresa Benitez has a B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in
Mechanical Engineering. She was an engineering professor for nine years.
Teresa currently lives in Gainesville, Florida, with her ten-year-old
daughter and three cats.

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by Jennifer Reed/ bookjunkiez | May 13, 2022 · 5:00 am

Antonio, We Know You Virtual Book Tour

Memoir

Date Published: May 3, 2022

Publisher: Wyatt-MacKensi

ANTONIO, WE KNOW YOU follows the life of a migrant farmworker kidnapped at age four,
trafficked through age ten at a famous California Ranch, until being saved
from an attempted suicide and taken under Cesar Chavez’s wing. Antonio
eventually graduated from law school, become a labor lawyer, and found the
strength and resilience to be reunited with his long-lost family after 24
years. Antonio aims to offer hope in desperate circumstances in sharing the
legacy of his family and reflecting the dignity and sacrifices of their
difficult Chicano life.

EXCERPT

PROLOGUE from the Author

I WAS BORN IN PHOENIX, ARIZONA in late August of 1955, as Antonio Salazar y Bailon, to Petra and Jesus Salazar. I am the eleventh of fourteen children. My earliest memories are being in the fields with the rest of my family. We were on the national crop-picking circuit until my father’s accident, which resulted in the amputation of his arm and qualified us for the first public housing in Arizona.

Few would guess if you saw me in my capacity as an attorney working in federal court representing large international unions for decades and Native Americans from California to the Sioux Nation for twenty-five years, and a husband with a loving, forty year marriage, what I overcame to be this person.

Through it all, I have taken heart in the statement I once heard when a group of workers were standing around Cesar Chavez talking about my character. At the time I was a 17 old college student, who had met Cesar Chavez at age 15 when I was in high school working as a farmworker. As they discussed whether they could trust me and depend on me to do the right thing, I overheard my mentor Cesar Chavez reassure them. He turned to me and said, “Antonio, we know you, we know you well.” He affirmed that he knew I would always serve my people. That statement has served to lift me up in the darkest days and pushed me onward when I no longer felt an ounce of strength or hope to carry on—that statement is my guiding light and this memoir an extension through which the world could know my story. It illuminated the journey of faith that I was going to make it. It reminds me that I have had saviors along the way who knew me. They saw into my soul and intervened at crucial moments. This memoir is an attempt to tell my story so that you can know me and find hope in these words. See the sorrows I have endured, the abuse that almost broke me but never did, and the beauty I have found.

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by Jennifer Reed/ bookjunkiez | November 15, 2021 · 5:00 am

When I Was Her Daughter Virtual Book Tour

Memoir

Date Published: November 12, 2021

Publisher: Acorn Publishing

Seven-year-old Leslie has a serious problem: someone is trying to kill her.

She must fight to save herself and her little brother from the stark realities of living with their mother’s raging psychosis. To evade the evil Russian spies her mother believes are after them, they forgo sleep, speak in whispers, and live on the run. Her mother searches for hidden listening devices, writes rambling manifestos about the impending Communist takeover, and attempts to kill herself and her children to protect them from rape, torture, and murder at the hands of the government. Controlling the chaos seems impossible—Leslie rebels, which only angers her mother, but when she obeys, terrible consequences follow.

Eventually, the police place Leslie and her brother in foster care. Freedom from her mother’s paranoia and violent tendencies offers the young girl a glimmer of hope, but she plummets into despair under the oppressive weight of abusive, alienating homes. All seems lost until a teacher intervenes, risking everything to bring Leslie to safety, to show her the redemptive power of trust and patience, and to prove unconditional love is possible, even without the bond of blood.

When I Was Her Daughter is a raw, honest account of one girl’s terrifying childhood journey through madness, loss, and a broken foster care system, where only the lucky and most resilient survive.

Excerpt

CHAPTER 1

Summer 1980

Age 6

My earliest memory is of drowning.

Mom squints and smiles at me. Holding my hand, she guides me into the ocean. I’m on my tiptoes and intoxicated with excitement. I want her to take me out so I can float like a buoy. The cool water lifts me up, makes me weightless under the blasting summer sun. Mom tells me, “Not too deep,” but I pull her toward the horizon, where all I can see is water and sky.

I’m six years old, wearing my pink and white floral two-piece with the ruffles over the chest and across the hips. The water’s surface rises under my chin like a blanket, and a lukewarm chill trickles along the back of my neck.

Auntie Philys and William wade at the shoreline behind me where the water rushes in and tugs at the land. Auntie’s polyester pant cuffs are rolled up, so I know she’s expecting to get wet even though she can’t swim. William is only five, and he can’t swim either. The sun makes the top of his blond head shine.

My aunt’s ragged voice rings out. “Help! I can’t swim!”

When I look back to the shoreline, I see the surf has knocked her down, and the water and sand take her, as if with fingers, into the sea. Like an overturned beetle, Auntie kicks at the air. Then, William falls, and the whitewash yanks him into the surf, too. I’m thinking I should go back and save them, but when I turn toward Mom to tell her, water gushes into my mouth and floods my ears with its whoosh, glomp, whoosh, and then I’m like a bundle of clothes in a washing machine. I don’t understand the thick scent that fills my nose—mushed strawberries mixed with salt. My eyeballs sting like a burn, but I keep them open. I need them to find the light because that’s where the surface is.

Mom lets me go. I inhale ocean and flail around for her—a hand, a body, something to anchor me. I’m slammed into the sea floor. It’s a scratchy, sickening drag along the bottom before I’m tossed again and tumbling. I strain toward the surface, teaching myself how to survive already. Something scrapes my thigh. Mom’s fingernails? No, her ring. The yellow topaz one with the prongs that stick up like needles. I reach for her but come up empty.

***

I open my eyes after drowning to see Jesus looking down at me. He holds me in his arms, carries me to my towel. Seawater drips like honey from his long, brown hair and beard. The sun behind him creates a halo around his head.

William lies on a towel on his belly, whimpering. I rest my hand on his trembling back.

Jesus leaves but returns soon, carrying Mom. He leaves again, and when he returns, he has Auntie Philys in his arms. He lays her gently on a towel.

“You’re an angel,” Mom says, her breath heavy like sadness. “You saved us. An angel sent straight from heaven. What’s your name?”

“It’s Jesus, Mom,” William says.

Jesus laughs. “I’m Dan. Just glad I was here.”

“Where did you come from?” Mom says. “The beach is practically empty except for those two fucking lazy excuses.” She points to a man and woman sitting as still as mannequins in low chairs about fifty yards away.

“I was just out on my board,” Jesus says. “The undertow took you.”

Mom’s mascara streaks her cheeks, and her short auburn hair sticks to her temples and forehead. “Damn Communists.” She shakes her head. “They’re everywhere.”

Auntie squints. “Roberta, knock it off.” She coughs into her hand, then gropes around the towel for her purse. “I need my glasses. And a cigarette.”

I sink into my warm towel, floating on being alive. I look up, but Jesus is gone.

“Lazy bastards!” Mom shouts and shuffles through the hot sand toward the lounging couple. “Kids are drowning, and you just sit there?”

They ignore her, staring straight ahead in their sunglasses. Maybe they are mannequins. Or Communists, whatever that is. Auntie puts her hand on Mom’s arm, but Mom kicks sand at their legs before giving up.

Towels over shoulders, we drag ourselves to the car. Boiled hotdog and coconut suntan lotion smells replace the scent of drowning. Soaring seagulls let squawks fall from their beaks. A cloud-gray bird lands at the edge of the sidewalk to peck at breadcrumbs.

We drive home in Auntie’s Ford Mustang with the fuzzy white dice hanging from the rearview. Lungs small and tight, I fall asleep and dream about how staying close to the surface keeps me safe.

On the sidewalk in front of our Paramount apartment, I turn the crotch of my swimsuit inside out to release clumps of sand. I should have died, but instead, I feel how soft the sand and I are, and how hard, too. I’m mad at the ocean for tricking me, for being so inviting when all it wanted to do was swallow me.

About the Author

Leslie Ferguson is an accomplished educator, editor, and writing coach. As a youth in foster care, she dreamed about becoming a teacher. She earned her credential at the University of Redlands and returned to her alma mater to teach advanced English before obtaining a master’s degree in English literature and an MFA in creative writing from Chapman University. Her work has been published in numerous literary magazines and anthologies. A member of the San Diego Memoir Writers Association and the San Diego Writers and Editors Guild, Leslie is a repeat performer at So Say We All’s VAMP! and Poets Underground. She lives in the greater San Diego area with her husband, where she binge-watches coming-of-age character dramas and reminisces about her glory days as an All-American basketball player and collegiate Hall-of-Fame athlete. When I Was Her Daughter is her first book.

Visit the author online at LeslieFergusonAuthor.com.

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