Damaged: A First Responder’s Experiences Handling Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder by James Meuer

https://www.amazon.com/Damaged-Responders-Experiences-Handling-Post-Traumatic/dp/1449799558

One man’s journey as a first responder suffering from post traumatic stress disorder. He takes you through real emergency calls; some are graphic and have scarred his heart forever and so has PTSD. He was a hero in the eyes of most, and yet PTSD tried to take that away from him. He’s haunted by what he has seen and by the dreams that follow. The dreams are wicked and prevent him from sleep. Daytime does not ward off the attacks; even small things like a door slam send him into hyper-vigilance. He will lose everything before he will find his way.

Howie, The Unusual Bear by Laure Stack

Authorlaurestack.com

https://www.amazon.com/Howie-Unusual-Bear-Laure-Stack/dp/B0FRGGRGDT

Howie wasn’t your average bear. He looked different, acted differently, and did things unlike any other bear. Longing for companionship, Howie sets out on a journey to find a friend who will accept him for the unique bear he truly is. Will he succeed?

About the author
With over 20 years as an educator, Laure Stack has spent her career supporting children through their struggles and dreams. Her deep understanding of young minds leads to her heartwarming stories.

Through Once Upon a Boy, Howie the Unusual Bear and more future books, Laure hopes to inspire children to dream big and never let doubt keep them from reaching their full potential.

Hearing The Voice of GOD: The Exciting life of a Poet by Ivery Savannah

Iveryswordsofpoetry.com

The purpose of this book is share with the world the story of a nine year old little girl who never felt like she fit anywhere in this world. She starts to write to express all that was being bottled up inside her with no one to share her inner most feelings and emotions. As she began writing for her grandmother, then she went on to writing in a diary like most young girls do. But as this young girl grew she started writing poetry. Poetry became her most talented gift of expression. It is truly exciting to be a poet, BUT it is more exciting to hear the voice of her Abba Father, creator, Lord and King. There are many conversations between the writer and God the Father and it is expressed in her poetry and in many of her testimonies. Put on your virtual glasses and take a ride in the Spirit as you read and experience “Hearing the Voice of God, The Exciting Life of a Poet”!!!!

Unseen Leadership: Interrupt the Instincts That Block Your Success by Amy J. Clark

https://www.amazon.com/Unseen-Leadership-Interrupt-Instincts-Success/dp/B0GM67TYS7

We are often told to trust our instincts. But what if those instincts are quietly working against us?

Unseen Leadership: Interrupt the Instincts That Block Your Success challenges what leaders have long been rewarded for. Through decades advising and coaching senior executives, author Amy J. Clark has seen firsthand how instinctive habits that once drove achievement now create blind spots that block progress.

Through powerful stories, insight, and reflection, the book introduces the CARE Leadership Activator™—Curiosity, Adaptability, Resilience, and Empathy, a new measurement of leadership designed for an unpredictable future. These are not soft skills; they are the strategic edge leaders need to stay credible, trusted, and influential when conditions change faster than comfort allows.

This is the shift no one taught you to trust—how to move beyond instinct, interrupt old patterns, and lead with deeper awareness and impact.

Unseen Leadership invites you to redefine how you measure success and lead at the level you are built for.

About the author
Amy J. Clark is an executive advisor, coach, and C-Suite executive who has spent more than two decades guiding senior executives and organizations through complex change. Amy helps leaders interrupt the instincts and patterns that limit their impact and activate the strategic capacity to lead inside uncertainty.

As the author of the best-selling book Growth Point and co-author of Talent Impact, Amy’s work has influenced leaders across Fortune 500 companies, mission-driven organizations, and emerging enterprises. Today, she partners with executives and teams to redefine relevance, build credibility that lasts, and develop leaders for the business they are becoming, not the one they have been.

Her proprietary framework, The CARE Leadership Activator™ (Curiosity, Adaptability, Resilience, and Empathy), helps leaders shift behavior, expand influence, and lead effectively in moments where instinct alone is no longer enough.

100 Paintings: An Artist’s Life in New York City by Rob Mango

https://www.robmango.com/100-paintings-an-artist-life-in-new-york

https://www.amazon.com/100-Paintings-Artists-Life-York/dp/0692263136

Equal parts monograph and memoir, 100 Paintings: An Artist’s Life in New York City is one man’s artistic journey from his native Chicago to a pioneering residency in Manhattan’s storied neighborhood of Tribeca. Rob Mango, as much an athlete as an artist, has explored New York City on foot since 1977–its architecture and its denizens, its streets and its harbors providing the former track star with the inspiration for much of his highly individualistic work. As noted in the foreword by art critic Robert Mahoney, ”Mango’s paintings can be seen as being produced by a man whose body was fed oxygen to a fantastical high while running through the city.”
With more than 200 full-color artworks and photographs, this book documents Mango’s journey and the body of work he has created over the past four-plus decades. From the birth of Tribeca to the horrors of 9/11 and its aftermath, Mango reveals the details as only such a singular artist can. Along the way, he rubs shoulders with Wall Street titans, the art world’s up-and-comers, punk rockers, and such celebrated downtowners as Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, Andy Warhol, Larry Rivers and Bob Dylan. A central hub of Tribeca was the Neo Persona Gallery, which Mango founded in 1984 to represent and exhibit the work of the neighborhood’s burgeoning art scene.

Mango’s diverse body of work, depicted here, includes vividly imagined, surreal meditations on the artist in the city and abroad, animated by figures from his personal mythology. Drawings, assemblages, sculptures, paintings, and groundbreaking painted-sculptural hybrid works, from 1975 2014, represent Mango’s entire life as an artist, including stints in the Midwest, New Mexico, Paris, Prague, Venice, and Tuscany. Featured in this retrospective are a series of epic, large-scale paintings set in a fantastic New York, replete with the city’s iconic architectural landmarks, but populated by gods, warriors, shamans, and other figures drawn from many epochs and cultures. Also here are portraits of the famous and infamous, pastoral scenes from a rural Tuscan village, and Mango’s breathtaking series of nudes.

About the author
Interview originally published in Du Jour, Oct 21, 2014.

What brought you to New York City in the ’70s, and how did the city influence you and your artwork?

I quickly became aware that the center of the art universe was New York City. The fantasy of coming to [the city] and becoming part of it was launched by painters I encountered while roaming the halls of the Art Institute of Chicago as a teen–Rivers, Johns, DeKooning and Rauschenberg. My obsession with New York became so highly evolved that it sustained me long after I arrived. In many ways, the fantasy of New York exceeded the actual experience initially, which was, in a word, cruel. My Midwestern fantasy of New York sustained the creation of numerous major works, which blend realistic detail and imaginative or surreal invention, particularly “Millennium” and “Return to the City.”

Mumba the Lion Who Forgot to Roar by Subomi Macaulay

https://www.amazon.com/Mumba-Lion-Who-Forgot-Roar/dp/B0GVYTPDBY

Subomimacaulay.com

Mumba the Lion Who Forgot to Roar is a powerful and heartwarming tale about identity, courage, and the importance of owning your story.

Deep within the lush forests of the Congo lives Mumba a strong, wise, and respected lion whose silence leads others to misunderstand who he truly is. When his story is twisted and doubt begins to grow, Mumba is faced with a life-changing realization: if he doesn’t speak his truth, someone else will define it for him.

Guided by resilience and self-discovery, Mumba embarks on a journey to reclaim his voice. With the courage to rise above fear, he learns that true strength is not just in power but in honesty, expression, and authenticity.

Written by The African Storyteller, Subomi Macaulay, this beautifully woven story draws from rich cultural traditions to inspire readers of all ages. It teaches timeless lessons about confidence, self-expression, and the power of storytelling.

Perfect for children, families, and classrooms, this book encourages every reader to find their voice and never forget to roar.

About the author
Subomi Macaulay, affectionately known as The African Storyteller, is a Cultural Ambassador whose voice bridges generations and connects the richness of African heritage to modern-day narratives. Through her storytelling, Subomi imparts timeless lessons rooted in African culture, history, and personal experience.

Her journey as a storyteller began in the heart of West Africa, where she learned the craft at the feet of her maternal grandmother. Through these early lessons, Subomi discovered the power of stories to teach resilience, empathy, and cultural pride. Today, she continues to weave narratives that both honor and reinvent African traditions, creating stories that resonate with audiences worldwide.

Subomi’s work spans across multiple formats: from live performances to written works, workshops, and cultural consulting. Her stories have touched the hearts of youth and elders alike, offering a powerful reminder that through storytelling, we can heal, connect, and transform.

Like, Follow, Subscribe: Influencer Kids and the Cost of a Childhood Online by Fortesa Latifi

`
https://www.amazon.com/Like-Follow-Subscribe-Influencer-Childhood/dp/1668080508

A searing investigation into the child influencer industry and the perils of childhood internet fame, Like, Follow, Subscribe is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the costs of internet fame, and the ethics of online content.

What is it like to grow up with a camera in your face 24/7? To have your childhood moments sold as “content” to millions online? What happens when someone who works in a largely unregulated multi-billion-dollar industry sells away their childhood and has no financial safety net as an adult? What does it feel like to have your private moments—your medical diagnoses, your first period, your first break up, your tantrums, potty-training, and breastfeeding-weaning—broadcast to an audience of millions? Like, Follow, Subscribe shines a spotlight on the deeply troubling world of the child influencer industry.

Journalist Fortesa Latifi dives into the lives of children whose parents mine their everyday activities for monetizable content, exposing issues like privacy violations, financial abuse, and the absence of child labor protections. Through expert interviews with psychologists, labor scientists, and even former child influencers and family vloggers, she uncovers the pressures, trauma, and consequences for children thrust into the spotlight.

This timely and eye-opening book doesn’t just reveal the harm of toxic social media culture: it also provides a roadmap to better regulating influencer families, safeguarding children, and questioning the role of audiences in perpetuating these cycles of exploitation.

S.R. Longshore’s Muse-Dream Mysteries by S.R. Longshore

https://www.amazon.com/S-R-Longshores-Muse-Dream-Mysteries-Longshore-ebook/dp/B0FWRZ42H9

This book contains three very different short novels of mystery and determination.

The first story is about a little boy who is set on discovering the secret of a door. He feels somewhat like an outcast but believes that once he makes the discovery, he will be famous and well liked. However, he has no idea how much the door is looking for him.

The second story is about a man who loves a woman so much that he gives up everything to be with her. Together they flee only to end up back where they began. This takes place in a kingdom not of this world.

The third one is about how people go on with their lives, consumed with their own agenda without realizing the consequences of their actions. Later only to find out that their consequences turn out to be more than what they could have ever imagined.

Plus there are two bonus reads.

The first one is about a young girl who feels disconnected and unfulfilled. Unaware, she has a peculiarity which in turns puts everything in perspective and is often her saving grace.

The second one is about a woman on vacation with her husband. They initially decide to visit a remote area after leaving his family’s home. But later, she is not sure if she has had a bad dream about the place or a severe warning.