Showing posts with label memoir. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 24, 2024

Review of An American Story: Everyone's Invited by Wilmer Valderrama (#Memoir)

I want to welcome Wilmer Valderrama to Books R US. Wilmer has recently published a memoir called An American Story: Everyone's invited. Thanks to the publisher, Harper Select, I received a copy to review.

An American Story: Everyone's Invited

Author: W. Valderrama

Publisher: Harper Select

Publication Date: Sept 17 2024

Genre: Biography, Memoir

The remarkable true story of a young immigrant from Venezuela who had a dream to change the world, a talent for entertaining, and a determined spirit to build a new life, taking as many as possible with him on the journey.

An American Story is the stirring memoir by actor, producer, and activist Wilmer Valderrama, delving into his upbringing in Venezuela where he was raised by two hard working parents as they navigated their family through a rapidly changing country and the rise of Hugo Chavez. With the economy crashing around them and their livelihood disappearing, the family decides to flee the country. Suddenly, the young boy who had loved riding his horse and dreaming of being Zorro from his favorite black and white tv show had to grow up quickly, journeying as a teenager from a tiny little pueblo in Venezuela to the big city of Los Angeles.

My Thoughts:

Wilmer's story was inspiring, authentic, compelling, and captivating. The book drew me in from the first page. It was easy to read, and Wilmer wrote from his heart. Despite being born in the USA, he faced numerous hardships that he had to overcome. English is a difficult language, and he had to adapt to a new culture and way of life because he lived in Venezuela until age 13. I never knew how difficult it was for an actor to gain popularity in the industry, but after reading the book, I now know how challenging it may be. Wilmer auditioned for numerous commercials and parts, but one major problem was, "This kid has an accent." Well, that accent helped him get the part as Fez. As I was reading, whenever that statement came up, I had to laugh because that did not hold him back, and he succeeded. I loved the book, and the section with the pictures tied the book together. Great Job, Wilmer!

Thanks for stopping by:

Disclaimer: I was given a copy of the book by the publisher for my honest review and I was not compensated for my review

Tuesday, September 10, 2024

Guest Post by Laurel C. Fox Author of braving the way (Spotlight)

I want to welcome Laural C. Fox to Books R Us. Laurel is the author of Braving the Way. Laurel has written a guest post For my readers. Thanks for stopping by my blog.

The story of a mother’s love and a child’s grit and determination. Written as real-talk, conversational and easy to understand...

GUEST POST

The Inspiration Behind Braveing the Way

In 2014, I got a phone call that no parent ever wants to receive. My daughter Taylor was in a horrible accident, and was being transported to the biggest trauma center in Los Angeles. When I began writing and digging into an on-line journal everyday, not only to escape the madness, but to also communicate with everyone-- I learned that it was my comfort. Then my comfort and my cathartic writing process slowly became bigger than that. My writing started with journals from day one and those went on until day two hundred and eleven. It was when I stopped posting the journals on-line that inspired me to turn this into something bigger than a journal. I began mentoring another parent through her child's traumatic brain injury recovery; and at the same time people from all over were writing and calling --to tell me that they missed my journals. They missed reading what I had to say. That made me think that this story of mine, could actually be a book.

My story is about a trauma that happened to my daughter, Taylor, when she was fourteen years old. My book braveing the way takes you deep into my own journey while being beside my daughter in her separate journey of survival.

We spent sixty six days in the hospital as a family never knowing the outcome. Many of my journal excerpts are in the book, and I write about traumatic brain injury and what that looks like, what it does to a family, and what it takes to be a survivor. I write about what it’s like to be a mom through that, and watching your daughter fight the fight. Spending months in the hospital, and going through Taylor’s recovery process --as an author I take you through my personal deep dive into myself--which was not always an easy process.

It’s a book about moving through a trauma with my two daughters, and my own self-reflection while going through it, and always being ‘mama bear’ every step of the way. It is not only a beautiful story about maternal sacrifice, it is also about building tenacity, strength and courage through intense struggle. I hope to encourage and bring bravery to people who don’t think they have it.

About the Book:

Title: Braveing the Way

Author: Laurel C. Fox

Publication Date: June 20, 2024

Pages: 186

Genre: Memoir

When Laurel’s fourteen-year-old daughter experiences a life-altering event, her entire world is upended overnight. Faced with her child’s precarious fight to survive and the daunting road of rehabilitation ahead, Laurel discovers fountains of courage and devotion she didn’t know she possessed.

Despite the hardships and her own private grief, Laurel tackles each grueling day with positivity, resilience, and humor. She becomes a tireless advocate for her daughter by pushing past exhaustion and uncertainty, focusing on savoring small triumphs, finding meaning amidst tragedy, and opening the door to the healing force of community.

Sharing her deeply personal experience, she delivers an emotionally charged story that reveals the extraordinary power of a mother’s love, underscoring the lengths a parent will go to for their children. Laurel’s own self-discovery will both encourage and inspire you.

Laurel says to her readers “My book is about a trauma that happened to my daughter, Taylor, when she was fourteen years old. My story ‘braveing the way’ takes you deep into my own journey while being beside my daughter in her separate journey of survival.”

Braveing the Way is available at Amazon.

Watch the Trailer

https://youtu.be/RVyz-pGxcrk

About the Author:

Laurel C. Fox was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and raised in Aspen, Colorado from the age of nine, through high school. She went back to Milwaukee for her first year of college at the University of Wisconsin at Madison/WI. After one year at Madison, she moved on to finish college in California, earning a BA in Liberal Arts at Excelsior College, with her course studies done at UCLA in Los Angeles.