Tag: She Writes Press

The Ghost Marriage by Kirsten Mickelwait

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Book Genre "Memoir" with person writing with pen
Book Genre Block - "Emotional" Person standing between bright earth and desolate earth

Rating: 5 out of 5.

What an absolutely stunning story! I was completely entranced by this memoir! Mickelwait lays her emotional journey out in the pages of her memoir, bringing us all into her life.

When Kirsten Mickelwait married Steve, she could see the bright future they had ahead of them, but years down the road, the life isn’t so bright and beautiful. Steve is addicted to opioids, cheating on Kirsten, and emotionally abusing her. They divorce, but then Steve dies, and Kirsten finds out there’s one more blow to come. Steve has left her with $1.5 million in debts.

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Stitching a Life: An Immigration Story by Mary Helen Fein

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Rating: 4 out of 5.

What I Loved:

Following the story of Helen from Lithuania to America was just wonderful. Helen is the kind of character you just need to see succeed. I loved reading about her story and her determination.

My Synopsis:

This historical fiction is based on the author’s grandmother’s experiences,but is a work of fiction. Helen (Hinde), just sixteen-years-old, lives in war-torn Lithuania where Jewish people are persecuted daily. At her brother’s 12th birthday, the army comes to take him away to force him into their ranks. After hiding him during the army’s visit, the family knows that they must leave to keep their children safe.

Helen’s father is first to go to America, working to save enough money to bring Helen over next so that she can assist in working and saving money to bring the next family member over until everyone is safely in America.

Helen travels by ship from Lithuania to America in search of a better, safer life for her and her family. She begins work in the garment section of New York and works hard to bring her siblings to America.

How I Felt:

Stitching a Life: An Immigration Story follows Helen on her journey to America and her life there. It was a beautiful story featuring a determined, hardworking main character, and her love for her family.

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Book flat lay

I’m So Glad You’re Here by Pamela Gay

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Rating: 3 out of 5.

My Synopsis:

I’m So Glad You’re Here is a memoir written by Pamela Gay. She shares her very traumatic early life experiences and how those shaped her life. Pamela witnessed her father’s forced removal from their family home at a young age. He was restrained and wheeled out right in front of her, leaving a terrible mental imprint on her. Pamela’s family later moved to Florida leaving her behind, which further impacts her mental health.

Pamela shares with the reader that she was later diagnosed with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. She tries a multitude of methods to help her, but finally finds eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) as a therapy method and finds that it helps her. This leads her to the beginning of her healing process.

How I Felt:

Pamela Gay’s story was written with such an honest, emotional voice. I thought that she was very open about her experiences and her recovery process, and I appreciated that. She talks a lot about her family’s dynamic, how they interacted with one another, and also about their mental health history. I like how this information helped to shape her story, and I found it very interesting.

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