Nonfiction

Parables: Musings from an Addict on the Journey Toward Wholeness

Jon Cerone ()

| Reviewed by Morgan Amos

Faith without work is dead. If you need to change something about yourself or within your life, you have to do the work to progress toward the goal you're trying to achieve. This is one of the essential takeaways from Jon Cerone's novel Parables: Musings From an Addict on the Journey Toward Wholeness. The author is a former addict who suffered from depression and was addicted to social media, adult images, and even contemplated suicide. In his book, he encourages his readers and explains ways they could transform their life by ridding them...

Detroit: Who Built Her? Who Broke Her? 1620 to 1890

Douglas Jamiel (Douglas Jamiel)

| Reviewed by Daniel Rhodes

Detroit: Who Built Her? Who Broke Her? 1620 to 1890 by Douglas Jamiel documents the history of the Great Lakes region, examining factors that shaped her and what eventually broke her. The book takes readers to the beginning, in the mid-1800s, to a place where the French trappers sparred with British soldiers. The influence of the French Jesuits who fought for the souls of men and the army that wanted to gain control of the trade are eminently documented. Readers are introduced to the key players, the powers, and the ideas that shaped Detroit an...

Choosing Greatness: An Evidence-Based Approach to Exceptional Outcomes

Christina Curtis (Worth Books)

| Reviewed by Romuald Dzemo

Choosing Greatness: An Evidence-Based Approach to Exceptional Outcomes by Christina Curtis is for those who want to experience higher levels of success in life and in business. In this book, you'll learn to visualize a future that is yours, and find the tools and the roadmap to take you there. The author provides tools to help readers understand what has stood in their way in the past and what it takes to break through, articulating brilliant strategies to enhance focus on what really matters, cultivate a winning mindset, and confidently moving...

"You're Kidding, Right?"

Brad Goldfarb (Fulton Books)

| Reviewed by Cristina Prescott

Why does my portfolio go seem to go down as much as the market, but when the market is up, I don't go up nearly as much? I am going to retire in a couple of years. When should I get out of the market? These are questions that readers encounter in ''You're Kidding, Right?'' by Brad Goldfarb, a book that reflects the author's wisdom and experience of successfully advising clients for thirty-five years. Thinking about the questions and requests he received from customers during that period, the author crafts a response that will help readers under...

Ridiculously Hopeful

Maleah Stephens (Westbow Press)

| Reviewed by Cristina Prescott

Ridiculously Hopeful by Maleah Stephens is an inspirational book that instantly challenged the way I have felt about faith and hope, and as the subtitle states, it is a story of bold faith and hope during a crisis. Maleah and her husband Scott are excited about having a new baby. But their joy is short-lived when the doctor tells them that their unborn son has a congenital heart defect and that he won't survive without medical intervention. This book chronicles the couple's journey toward hope and finding answers.  But can they find a dono...

Optimizing Strategy for Results

Timothy Mwololo Waema, PhD, Ron Price, and Evans Baiya, PhD (Greenleaf Book Group)

| Reviewed by Romuald Dzemo

Optimizing Strategy for Results by Ron Price, Timothy Mwololo Waema, phD., & Evans Baiya, PhD. is a spellbinding business book on strategy, one that outlines, with unwonted clarity, what it takes to drive success within a business or an organization. Divided into three parts, the authors explore effective preparation in strategic planning, the art of creating a winning strategy, and what it takes to optimize it. The book takes readers on the 7 steps that complete the lifecycle of a good strategy — establishing the foundations of strate...

How to Be Awkward

Amanda Turner (Fever Streak Press)

| Reviewed by Cristina Prescott

In introducing How to Be Awkward, Amanda Turner states that her ability to land in ''cringeworthy situations or directly cause them is something she is compelled to share and spread throughout the world.'' So, in a voice powered by an uncanny sense of humor and a skillful turn of phrases, she takes readers on a surprising ride as she writes about life, observing the comic and the tragic, and topics that relate — intimately — to our humanity. The insightful writing greets the reader from the first page and while the author offers reflection...

Foods for Thought: Understanding the Impact of Diet and Lifestyle on Mental Health

Jason Pawloski, MS, RDN (Foods for Thought RD)

| Reviewed by David Reyes

Foods for Thought: Understanding the Impact of Diet and Lifestyle on Mental Health by Jason Pawloski, MS, RDN is a wonderful, informative book that cleverly explores the science of food and dieting. This book illustrates the strong connection between mental health and food, exploring topics like anxiety, depression, and other conditions. Readers will understand how they contribute to their depressive moods. The author redefines gut health and shows a clear distinction between the first and second brain while showing readers how to create their...

At the Corner of Guilt and Delight: Growing Up Gay in a Small Southern Town

Jeffrey L. Carrier (Authorhouse)

| Reviewed by Morgan Amos

At the Corner of Guilt and Delight by Jeffery L. Carrier cleverly weaves threads of love, loss, identity, and self-discovery as it follows the author’s journey into accepting who he really is while pursuing his life’s purpose. Carrier delves deep into his life, discussing his childhood, adulthood, and many memorable events so that readers can understand how he became the man he is today. It is emotionally strong. Jeffery leaves no stone unturned when emphasizing the importance of family, self-acceptance, and love. This book is heartfe...

Muslim Mechanics

Charles H. Brewton (John Hunt Publishing)

| Reviewed by Matthew Novak

Muslim Mechanics: The View from Behind the Curtain by Charles H. Brewton is the singular book anyone needs to read for them to understand Islam. Unlike anything I have read on Islam, this book answers the question: Why do Muslims do what they do? The author takes readers through history, examining the animosity between Sunni Muslims and Shiite Muslims, the cultural, historical, political, and religious implications of the Sharia Law as well as the rules and governing laws that Muslims follow. The book explores the expansion of major religi...

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