Long Journey Home

“Beautifully told, an amazing story of a family’s endurance and survival through the eyes of a young girl ”

“It is also a story of hope and of the strength of the human spirit

“She writes in an ‘it-is-what-it-is’ style that makes it very readable ”

“This simple, but amazingly moving and riveting book took me back”

iUniverse Long Journey Home getting rave reviews

Above are just a few readers’ comments from the many excellent reviews that this iUniverse Editor’s Choice Award book, Long Journey Home, has been receiving; and below is a 5 star review from Amazon that sums up the general feeling about this memoir of the Holocaust. iUniverse also recommends that you read our recent blog article, Lest We Forget, that covers more of our titles concerning these horrendous events.

Read more: iUniverse Book Review: Long Journey Home

Rescuing Hope

iUniverse author and campaigner for the victims of sex trafficking across the nation has been receiving deserved media and reader attention for “Rescuing Hope” the novel that Susan published to highlight the prevalence of this wicked activity within our borders. From Goodreads to Amazon to our own iUniverse Bookstore, “Rescuing Hope” has received a plethora of 5 star reviews. Here are just a few, but click on the links to see more:-


Amazon Books

“I couldn’t put it down and my heart broke throughout the story for both Hope and all the girls who are actually living out her story in real life. ” Mandi
Read more: iUniverse Book Review: Rescuing Hope

Be a Millionaire Shopkeeper

iUniverse Publishing has an author, Joanna Bradshaw whose book, Be a Millionaire Shopkeeper, has been attracting a lot of media attention recently. The reasons being the book provides the ammunition for independent retailers to compete against the big retail chains and it is written by an acknowledged industry guru, Joanna Bradshaw, whose track record in the industry is second to none. Her 45 year career as a senior executive with giants Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s, coupled with her entrepreneurial experiences as co-founder and president of HØME Ltd, bears witness that Jody, as she prefers to be known, has a matchless perspective of the retailing world.

Read more: iUniverse Book Review: Be a Millionaire Shopkeeper

I’ve Got Some Lovin’ To Do

“I’ve Got Some Lovin’ To Do: The Diaries of a Roaring Twenties Teen (1925-1926)” by iUniverse published author Julia Park Tracey has recently won two book awards from The San Francisco Book Festival and the 2013 Next Generation Indie Book Awards. Also she has received a Rising Star Award from iUniverse Publishing. This earns it a special place in the iUniverse Book Reviews website. “I’ve Got Some Lovin’ To Do: The Diaries of a Roaring Twenties Teen (1925-1926)” is available at the iUniverse Bookstore.

Read more: iUniverse Book Review: I’ve Got Some Lovin’ To Do

Becoming Alice

According to the iUniverse overview:

“Six-year-old Ilse watches Nazi soldiers march down her street in Vienna, Austria. It is the beginning of an odyssey that will take her to Riga, Latvia, and finally to Portland, Oregon. “Becoming Alice” chronicles her Jewish family’s harrowing escape and struggle as immigrants to fit into the American landscape. The added problems of growing up within a troubled family cloud her childhood and adolescence.”

"Strongly recommended a deftly written memoir that will hold the reader’s rapt attention from beginning to end.”
-Midwest Book Review

“Her ability to authentically capture the bewilderment and pain of dislocation through a child’s eyes – including the disharmony in her immediate family – makes for engaging reading that will resonate with young adults everywhere.”
-Beth B. Cohen, Ph.D., author of Case Closed: Holocaust Survivors in America, 1946-1954

“Becoming Alice”, by iUniverse published author Alice Rene, received four stars from the Clarion Review. It also received an Editor’s Choice Award and a Star Award from iUniverse Publishing. This earns it a special place in the iUniverse Book Reviews website. “Becoming Alice” is available at the iUniverse Bookstore.

Read more: iUniverse Book Review: Becoming Alice

Black Warriors, Buffalo Soldiers of W W II

According to the overview:
“In Black Warriors: The Buffalo Soldiers of World War II”, iUniverse author Ivan J. Houston recounts his experiences, when, as a nineteen-year-old California college student, he entered the US Army and served with the 3rd Battalion, 370th Infantry Regiment, 92nd Division of the US Fifth Army from 1943 to 1945.”

“Black Warriors: The Buffalo Soldiers of World War II”, by iUniverse published author Ivan J. Houston, received five stars from the Clarion Review. It also received an Editor’s Choice Award and a Star Award from iUniverse Publishing. This has earned it a special place in the iUniverse Book Reviews website. “Black Warriors: The Buffalo Soldiers of World War II” is available at the iUniverse Bookstore.

Read more: iUniverse Book Review: Black Warriors, Buffalo Soldiers of W W II

Two Chai Day

iUniverse published author Irene McGoldrick has written an excellent book about dealing with grief. In "Two Chai Day", she describes her husband’s battle with cancer and how it affected her family. The Clarion Book Review gave this book five stars which earns it a place in the iUniverse Book Reviews website. "Two Chai Day" is available at the iUniverse Bookstore.

Read more: iUniverse Book Review: Two Chai Day

More Things in Heaven – Coincidence?

In the overview of “More Things in Heaven – Coincidence?”, iUniverse published author Bill Bosworth says:-

“Things that I never dreamed possible have been occurring in my life largely as a result of four trips to India where I explored the teachings, practices, and writings of several great spiritual leaders. I have”More Things in Heaven – Coincidence?” seen miracles and experienced them within my own body for which I have no logical explanation. This book is about them and about the feeling of expansive love that accompanied them.”

“More Things in Heaven – Coincidence?”received four stars from the Clarion Review. This has earned it a spot in the iUniverse Book Review website. “More Things in Heaven – Coincidence?” is available at the iUniverse Bookstore.

Read more: iUniverse Book Review: More Things in Heaven – Coincidence?

Good Food in Mexico City

According to the overview of "Good Food in Mexico City" by iUniverse published author Nicholas Gilman,

“This is a little book with a big purpose: to put Mexico City on the map as one of the great food capitals of the world. Written by a resident gastronome who knows the city inside and out, this guide takes the reader to out-of-the-way market stalls, taco joints, as well as fashionable high-end dining spots. Included are chapters on bars and cantinas, cafés, food shopping and short essays on various aspects of Mexican cuisine and its history. Clear maps of the city, as well as an extensive glossary of ingredients, dishes, and cooking terms, make this an easy-to-use guide to great food in a grand city.”
"Good Food in Mexico City" received four stars from the Clarion Review. This earns it a place in the iUniverse Book Reviews website. "Good Food in Mexico City" is available at the iUniverse Bookstore.

Read more: iUniverse Book Review: Good Food in Mexico City 

Mexico City A Curious Traveler Guide

According to the overview of "Mexico City: An Opinionated Guide for the Curious Traveler" by iUniverse published author Jim Johnston, Mexico City can overwhelm even the most adventurous visitor. Thankfully, "Mexico City: An Opinionated Guide for the Curious Traveler" gives you a thorough, guiding hand to make your stay outstanding. Written by Jim Johnston, a longtime resident who knows the city inside and out, this travel guide delivers detailed walking tours of the city that include the most popular tourist spots and the lesser-known areas. Johnston knows where to stay, what to do, and where to eat: everything from authentic market food to sophisticated Mexican cuisine.

"Mexico City: An Opinionated Guide for the Curious Traveler" received four stars from Clarion Review which earns it a place in the iUniverse Book Reviews website. "Mexico City: An Opinionated Guide for the Curious Traveler" is available at the iUniverse Bookstore.

Read more: iUniverse Book Review: Mexico City A Curious Traveler Guide

A Personal Journey into the Quantum World

Here is what several book reviewers had to say about "A Personal Journey into the Quantum World: God's Silent World", by iUniverse published author Jean Paul Corriveau:
“Jean Paul Corriveau’s "A Personal Journey into the Quantum World" is an ambitious examination of a number of scientific ideas. The book is intelligent and well written and a prodigious accomplishment.”
—BlueInk Review

“Through a précis of basic physics and quantum physics, Jean Paul Corriveau’s "A Personal Journey into the Quantum World" presents his own unified theory. Many of the ideas he presents are original and exciting.”
—Clarion Review

“Equal parts physics and philosophy, Corriveau’s text aims at demystifying the theories of quantum reality and relativity. It makes for a varied and enjoyable read that will likely provoke much thought and discussion and delight readers.”
—Kirkus Review
"A Personal Journey into the Quantum World: God's Silent World" was awarded four stars by the Clarion Book Review. This earns it a place in the iUniverse Book Reviews website. "A Personal Journey into the Quantum World: God's Silent World" is available at the iUniverse Bookstore.

Read more: iUniverse Book Review: A Personal Journey into the Quantum World

Tales of a Hollywood Housewife

iUniverse “Tales of a Hollywood Housewife”, written by self-published author and wife of Lee Marvin, Betty Marvin, is about Betty’s life in Hollywood, the stars she met and the racism and sexism in Hollywood in the 1940s. Betty ran away to Los Angeles at age sixteen. Her first job after college was as Joan Crawford’s nanny. Then, she met Lee Marvin.

According to the overview of “Tales of a Hollywood Housewife”:

“After a whirlwind courtship and a trip to Las Vegas, Betty and Lee are married. In this unique memoir, both hilarious and touching, we follow Betty as she creates a family with Lee, and is by his side as he works with Marlon Brando, John Wayne and a host of other stars. She is the ultimate hostess and Hollywood housewife. Nobody knew what was really going on at home – until, unable to take Lee’s womanizing, drinking and abuse, Betty leaves him and strikes out on her own. What follows are adventures that could only be Betty Marvin’s; from the building of her career as an artist. To a love affair with an Italian king, to dire straits as investment con artists leave Betty suddenly homeless. After years of the Hollywood life, Betty is left with only her car, her dog and her typewriter. Forced to employ all of her skills to survive, she comes out on top. This is the story of a woman who finds the real riches that come with learning the value of a joyful life.”

iUniverse publishing “Tales of a Hollywood Housewife” received an excellent review from the BlueInk Review, from which we have included an excerpt her.

Read more: http://www.iuniversepublisher.com/non-fiction/tales-of-a-hollywood-housewife

Restoring Power to Parents and Places

Richard S. Kordesh, iUniverse published author of “Restoring Power to Parents and Places”, suggests that those roots (the family) need to be unearthed in order to recognize the dignified place that productive family institutions have long been accorded in our national identity. This book received Five Stars from the Clarion Review and has, therefore, earned a special place in our iUniverse Book Reviews. “Restoring Power to Parents and Places” is available at the iUniverse Bookstore.

“Married adults in the United States may soon be in the minority as more parents live together outside of marriage and single parents raise children alone. This growing group tends to have less education and financial security than the traditional family unit. Richard S. Kordesh addresses this and related concerns about changing family mores in Restoring Power to Parents and Places.

This nonfiction book represents a serious study of the causes of and possible solutions to the loss of parental power in modern American society. Kordesh suggests that “thicker” parental roles existed when most people lived and worked together as extended families on farms. The Industrial Revolution caused many to leave the farm in favor of lucrative factory jobs in cities. That type of work kept fathers and sometimes mothers away from home all day, establishing a norm that continues today. Public school systems took over the task of looking after and educating children during the work week. Other public and non-profit entities came into existence to provide services for urban youth, further “thinning” parental roles.

The father of four children himself, Kordesh earned a master’s degree in social work and a doctorate in political science. For more than twenty years he has researched, taught, and written about how parents can create stronger, more productive families within their communities.

According to Kordesh, people of Native American and African American descent have each suffered a serious loss of identity because of the exclusionary treatment their populations received from white people. Many children, separated temporarily but sometimes permanently from their birth families, lost the advantage of living closely with parents during their formative years. Regarding the continuing struggle of African Americans, Kordesh writes, “Industrialized racism established through slavery must be taken into account to explain the perilous conditions faced by their children today.”

Kordesh also asserts that families have become primarily consumers, paying for tasks that used to be accomplished at home. Commercial enterprises now grow and prepare food, manufacture and sell clothing, and provide home and lawn maintenance. Parents could begin to build stronger connections with their children by working with them in the garden and kitchen to both create and prepare meals. In this way, home-based family businesses could be started. The author contends that community development groups have not established workable methods to encourage and facilitate this reversal.

Populism in today’s society is weaker than in previous centuries, but Kordesh suggests that its rich origins in American political history can and should be revitalized to advocate for stronger parental roles. He states, “those roots need to be unearthed in order to recognize the dignified place that productive family institutions have long been accorded in our national identity.”

Kordesh has crafted a thoughtful and comprehensive book that deserves attention. Sidebars and end-of-chapter summaries provide effective reinforcement of important points, and charts lend clarity to the written text. Notes that explain or document historical and sociological highlights appear throughout the book. The bibliography and index give additional reference information.

Those involved in supporting the growth of family-based productive activities, especially parents, educators, and community and political leaders, will benefit from reading this book.”

Source: http://www.iuniversepublisher.com/non-fiction/restoring-power-to-parents

Confessions of an Rx Drug Pusher

In “Confessions of an Rx Drug Pusher”, iUniverse published author Gwen Olsen states that:-

“Prescription drug use has become the third-largest killer of Americans behind heart disease and cancer.”

Her book received four stars from the Clarion Book Review which earns it a spot on our Book Reviews website. “Confessions of an Rx Drug Pusher” is available at the iUniverse Bookstore.

“More than 180,000 people die annually from the effects of legal drugs.” This sobering fact is at the heart of Olsen’s provocative and chilling insider’s look at the pharmaceutical industry, the medical profession, and the government’s failure to provide adequate oversight.

For more than fifteen years, Olsen worked as a representative for major drug companies, enthusiastically introducing new drugs to doctors, even though the drugs might lack adequate long-term testing. She says that doctors’ prescription information is sold by pharmacies and tracked by the drug industry, and that reps are handsomely rewarded for sales.

“It would take many years and dozens of conscience-altering experiences before I really comprehended the scope of just how much my profession affected the medical industry and the contribution I had made to harming thousands of trusting people,” she writes.

The author’s confessions go beyond anger toward the pharmaceutical industry, the high cost of prescriptions, drug advertising, and the willingness of medical doctors to use pills in potentially lethal combinations. Olsen confesses her own drug use, which started in college, and the devastating effect that prescribed drugs had on her when she was depressed. She also confesses the wild dysfunction prevalent for generations in her family, and her struggles to find acceptance, meaning, and good health through taking responsibility for her own well-being.

If statistics, case studies, court cases, and scientific data about the dangers of prescription drugs aren’t enough to create a call to action, the heartbreaking story of Olsen’s niece, Meg, should do it. Olsen begins the book with the horror of Meg’s suicide by fire. Meg, a college student, had been given painkillers after an automobile accident, then took ephedra, and the combination gave her manic delusions. Olsen says Meg was later simultaneously prescribed narcotic analgesics, nonsteroidal anti-inflamatory drugs, antidepressants, anxiolytics, antibiotics, muscle relaxants, anticonvulsants, and anti-psychotic meds. She became despondent, dropped out of school, used street drugs, never received therapy, and eventually killed herself. “Compassion is what Meg really needed, not more drugs,” Olsen writes.

Olsen’s research underscores her concerns about the wide use of prescription drugs and the devastating effects that can occur. The book is a mix of these reports and her personal observations of children and adults on heavy meds. Instead of asking doctors to prescribe glamorous advertised drugs, patients should be better consumers and ask questions about the clinical trials and side effects, she urges.

Well-written and thought-provoking, the book would be better served by a professionally designed cover, an index, and a foreword written by a medical professional to support Olsen’s conclusions.

Olsen’s book sounds a wake-up call, especially as the national healthcare debate continues to boil. Reform in the pharmaceutical industry alone could save dollars—and more importantly, lives.”


Source: http://www.iuniversepublisher.com/non-fiction/confessions-rx-drug-pusher

Yoga and the Path of the Urban Mystic

iUniverse author Main advises the reader to aspire for the spiritual clouds, while at the same time keeping at least a foot on the ground. Emphasizing that yoga is a “middle path” to connect the spirit to the body. He stresses a way of living that restores peace and unity to a life lived in the contemporary world. Anyone who has ever attempted to make progress on a “spiritual path” can identify with the predicament of a seeker continually forced to balance spiritual pursuits with the exigencies of real life such as a job, relationships, money, or sex. The book is divided into two sections. The first defines the basic principles of yoga, and the second provides the textual and scriptural basis underpinning the practice.

The author bases his exploration of yoga on years of experience as both a practitioner and a teacher, and he supplements his own personal experience with a wide-ranging knowledge of ancient texts whose complexities he unravels by pointing out similarities to more familiar (for Westerners) sources of wisdom: Jesus, Einstein, Saint Paul, Isaac Newton.

Source: http://www.iuniversepublisher.com/non-fiction/yoga-and-the-path-of-the-urban-mystic

Scarred

“Scarred” from iUniverse publishing tells the story of author, George Molho’s horrifying childhood experience at the hands of his father. His memoir focuses on the year his father abducted him, and held him captive in the remote mountains of Greece. His story is a powerful and ice cold testament to willing yourself back into existence. Taking the hand you’ve been dealt and change the rules of the game.

“Dum spiro, spero. Dum Spero, spiro- while I breath I hope, while I hope I breath,”

This inspires us all to embrace the life we have.

His prose is as chilling as it is brilliant. He has distilled the essence of this horrific experience into something the reader can identify with. His feelings of guilt for his own abuse at his father’s hands, reminds all who have ever flagellated themselves for past mistakes to break these shackles. His strength through the confusion and violence are as inspiring as they are heartbreaking.

Read the full Clarion Five Stars Review of the iUniverse published “Scarred”

“Though countless children throughout the world have been abducted by a parent and held against their will, George Molho’s story will touch even the most jaded reader. Divorce often turns children into game pieces on a strategy game board, but few pawns of domestic violence have experienced the degree of physical and psychological torture as his ominous title suggests. This exploration of a seven-year-old boy’s hell on a mountain in Greece is a candid glimpse of a family torn apart, as well as a revealing look at desperate father’s misguided attempt to control his son in a secluded environment far removed from Molho’s accepted home in Texas where he lived with his mother.

Molho was inspired by a resilient Jewish grandfather and a Christian grandmother, both of them attached to the Greek underground and survivors of Nazi imprisonment. This detailed memoir is more than a graphic account of a dirty cellar, the implements of restraint, and the scars these bonds left behind. The trauma of his horrific encounters in Greece follows him into adulthood, influencing his relationships and disrupting his inner peace. The book moves through time, alternating past with present, juxtaposing abusive scenes with his father and recent events with family and friends. Though at first Scarred reads like a work of fiction, the tone quickly changes to one of genuine disclosure and intellectual discussion. Written with dramatic flair, Molho’s in-depth study of self and the sincere meaning of life deserve a high mark for composition and intriguing presentation. Articulate and descriptive, his words flow like the effortless prose of a seasoned literary craftsman. His is a story of discovery and rebirth, or, in twenty-first-century lingo, the author has reinvented himself without lingering on or sensationalizing the brutal elements of his youth. The following passage offers conclusive proof that he retained his ability to appreciate joyful, contemplative moments while away from his lovI spent the first weeks of our separation fantasizing about each time we passionately collided. I replayed the montages of heat, sweat, and moans in my head, reliving those images over and over. The secrets I only knew: the curve of her back, the small, inconspicuous dimples that only a lover can brush against, and the spontaneous giggle evoked by my five o’clock shadow brushing against her inner thigh. I smelled the rose hips, jojoba, and mountain spring water in her shampoo as she arched above me and her hair played against my chest like Medusa.”

Julia Ann Charpentier: Clarion

Born in Galveston, George Molho now lives in Houston, where he grew up. For over fifteen years he worked as a medical consultant, and today he is a recognized public speaker about child abduction. This award-winning iUniverse self-published author has created a promising literary career on his path to healing and self-awareness.

Source: http://www.iuniversepublisher.com/non-fiction/scarred

But One Husband

iUniverse publishing has unearthed another title that has received a coveted red star from BlueInk in their review of the historical autobiography by Luella Pool Saxby- “But One Husband: The Truth about Mormon History by a Woman Who Lived It.”

Here is the full BlueInk review:

“But One Husband The Truth about Mormon History by a Woman Who Lived It”
by Luella Pool Saxby

The subject of this mesmerizing historical autobiography is Sarah Ann Thirkell Pool’s gripping family journey from Yorkshire, England, to America during the mid-19th century and the family members’ travails as they begin a new life as Mormons. The details, drawn directly from Pool’s intimate diaries, were written into book form by Pool’s granddaughter, Luella Pool Saxby, over the course of 25 years. Sarah is just 13 when her family is recruited by Mormon missionaries to join the Mormon faith with the promise of a life of equality and brotherhood. They set sail in 1852, only to be confronted with a long and miserable voyage across the Atlantic and an even worse trek across the rugged West with scant water, rattlesnakes and deadly plague. After finally reaching Salt Lake City, the family is shocked to find that the rumors of polygamy are true. In addition, their life is a constant daily fight as they face against near-starvation, diphtheria and the tragic deaths of many of their children.

Devastating Circumstances

But One Husband takes an intimate, emotional look at a real family’s devastating circumstances, yet still works in the bits of joy they experienced through babies’ births, daily antics, and deep friendships. It also gives insight into the strict rules and secret rituals early Mormons were expected to follow and the difficulties faced by some men who preferred having just one wife when urged to take many.

Dramatic scenes, well-written dialogue and colorful, creative writing all contribute to a book that sings while advancing smoothly through events from 1849 to 1884. Black-and-white period photos are an added enhancement. While readers will generally be able to keep track of the great number of adults and children mentioned, a family tree would have been helpful.

Honest, heart-breaking and true, But One Husband gives fresh insight into families whose lives were trampled upon despitebright promises from a charismatic yet faulty leadership. It is sure to enthrall a wide audience.”

iUniverse, 364 pages, Available in hardcover, paperback and ebook. (Reviewed: March, 2013)

iUniverse thanks BlueInk

iUniverse reviews thanks BlueInk and wishes self-published author, Luella Pool Saxby, every success with “But One Husband: The Truth about Mormon History by a Woman Who Lived It.

Source: http://www.iuniversepublisher.com/non-fiction/but-one-husband