Thank you, LInda Appleman Shapiro, for your five-star review of my historical novel, Papa's Shoes, recently published by Aberdeen Bay. I hope it encourages many of your readers to find out what's between its covers. PAPA’S SHOES by Madeline Sharples A Must Read! I was invited by WOW! Women on Writing's virtual blog tour to write this review for PAPA’S SHOES. It has been my great pleasure to do so, especially because I am the daughter of immigrants, similar to those who fill the pages of this remarkable story. On the dedication page of PAPA’S SHOE’S author Madeline Sharples refers to her grandparents’ courage when immigrating from Poland to America at the turn of the 20th century and apologizes for her audacity in fictionalizing their story. I immediately felt compelled to experience that “audacity.”I was then held in her grip from the very first page, as she immediately brings to life the many complexities common to all immigrants – the adjustment to a new world with its new … [Read more...]
Let’s celebrate with Linda Appleman Shapiro
Linda Appleman Shapiro's memoir, She's Not Herself is celebrating its second anniversary. And it has a lot to celebrate. Just take a look at these wonderful reviews: An honest and compelling story by a brave and gifted writer. ~ Wally Lamb NY Times best-selling author of She's Come Undone, I Know This Much Is True, and many other novels. Winner of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill's Kenneth Johnson Award for the anti-stigmatization of mental illness. A story that applies to us all truthful, carefully crafted, and created with a clear-eyed affection. ~ Watts, M.D., poet, writer, musician, NPR commentator We identify with the author's sense of alienation from the first chapter and agonize with her longing for a normal life. She's Not Herself is a revelatory account of someone who grew up with a mentally ill parent and grew up to become an effective, loving mother and a successful professional healer. ~US Review of Books, Barbara Bamburger Scott I loved … [Read more...]
Regina Brett’s life lessons
My friend Linda Appleman Shapiro, author of She's Not Herself (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Dream of Things), sent these 45 lessons to me and asked me to share them with my friends. What better way than to post them here on Choices? I hope you'll read them through to the end and marvel with me at the wisdom of this beautiful and stylish 90-year-old woman, Regina Brett. Regina Brett, 90 years old, of the Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio, said, "To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most requested column I've ever written. My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more: Life isn't fair, but it's still good. When in doubt, just take the next small step. Life is too short, enjoy it. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and family will. Pay off your credit cards every month. You don't have to win every argument. Stay true to yourself. Cry with someone. It's … [Read more...]
Welcome our guest Linda Appleman Shapiro
Thanks to WOW! Women on Writing blog tours I'm pleased to welcome author and psychotherapist Linda Appleman Shapiro. I feel so fortunate to have her here on the first day of her tour to promote her new memoir, She's Not Herself: A Psychotherapist's Journey Into and Beyond Her Mother's Mental Illness, published in September 2014 by Dream of Things. Here's Linda, as she speaks openly about mental illness coming out of the closet and constantly being in the news. Most importantly, she personalizes what it is like to live with a family member suffering from a mental illness by sharing her experience growing up with a mother who suffered from major depressive disorder. An Open Discussion about Keeping Secrets about Family Illnesses by Linda Appleman Shapiro Secrets about an illness in a family is the breeding ground for a wide range of emotional problems, and, yes, even mental illness. I've learned this not only from personal experience, but also from 30 years as a … [Read more...]
103 five-star reviews – oh my!
I'm so honored to have received a five-star review of my memoir, Leaving the Hall Light On, especially, from Linda Appleman Shapiro who is a professional Psychotherapist/Addictions Counselor (M.S., A.S.A.C.) She is also certified in Neuro-Linguistic Programming and Ericksonian Hypnosis/ Named Best Blogger in the field of Mental Health by WELLsphere and finalist in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards for FOUR ROOMS,UPSTAIRS: A Psychotherapist's Journey Into and Beyond Her Mother's Mental Illness. Thank you so much, Linda. I am proud to publish your review verbatim here. *** Linda Appleman Shapiro's Review of: LEAVING THE HALL LIGHT ON: A Mother's Memoir of Living with Her Son's Bipolar Disorder and Surviving His Suicide We live in an age where telling one's personal story is nearly epidemic. There are those who gain fame from revealing salacious facts about their lives, appearing on television talk shows and then writing memoirs because audiences embrace their narcissism, gain … [Read more...]
