memoir Archives

Captive in Iran

"Whatever God has planned is what will happen." Authors: Maryam Rostampour and Marziyeh Amirizadeh Maryam Rostampour and Marziyeh Amirizadeh are tricked into visiting the Iranian police station, responding to an incorrect notice about a car registration. What happens next is their sudden, vicious imprisonment for being Christians and a 259-day stint in the world’s most notorious prison, Evin. As Captive in Iran unravels, Maryam and Marziyeh share the story of their imprisonment, the deprivations and unexpected moments of connection and hope. They were both given a simple out: renounce Christ and stop sharing Christianity with strangers and they would be [...]

Frances Carden2025-07-14T18:15:11-07:00July 14th, 2025|Tags: book review, Christian, Christianity, evangelism, Iran, memoir, nonfiction, prayer, read, reading|

The S Word: A Memoir About Secrets

Secrets. Silence. Standing Alone. Author: Paolina Milana S stands for secrets. For silence. For sin. For schizophrenia. For sinister. For standing alone. In this memoir, Paolina Milana documents her childhood and teen years, growing up in a chaotic family, dedicated to taking care of Paolina’s increasingly schizophrenic and often violent mother. The father of the family is overwhelmed, and after a brief adventure with the unhelpful medical system – even bringing the police into the ruse to institutionalize Paolina’s mother – the family caves to fear and secrecy. They are on their own, shunned, struggling, trying to keep a secret that [...]

Frances Carden2025-05-08T09:35:06-07:00May 8th, 2025|Tags: abuse, book review, memoir, mental health, read, reading|

After the Eclipse: A Mother’s Murder, a Daughter’s Search

"Grief requires imagination: mental images of the one you've lost, of the world that would have been." Author: Sarah Perry Sarah Perry’s life is divided into the before and after. There was her childhood, imperfect but still eclipsed by love, and then there was her mother’s brutal murder and everything that came afterwards. After the Eclipse is Sarah’s memoir in which she relives the murder, the trauma, the blame and suspicion, and seeks answers. It’s not fiction – so don’t expect the gumshoeing aspect, the grand payoff, the whodunnit that ties everything together into a neat bow. Instead, expect the poignant, [...]

Frances Carden2025-05-06T09:51:39-07:00May 6th, 2025|Tags: memoir, read, reading, true crime|