Health - Autobiography
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Books – Health – Autobiography

Books 1 to 20 of 43 – Autobiography

Heartbreak Diet  by Thorina Rose
Thorina Rose’s husband unexpectedly began an affair with a woman whose photograph he’d taken (he’s a photographer) and who became his running partner. The Heartbreak Diet starts here and follows Thorina, and her children, through the dissolution of the marriage and finding their footing together in the aftermath with resourceful strength and humour. In beautiful black and white painted panels and lovely handlettering, this personal and playfully illustrated memoir charts the realities of the all-too-common situation of divorce with children. Interspersed are occasional quotations from wise women (Ella Fitzgerald, Coco Chanel, Dolly Parton.) It earns every laugh and tug of the heartstrings

Hardback,  176 pp,  $27.95. Buy now

My Bump and Me  by Myleene Klass
‘If you are crying over the nursery curtains being the wrong colour, or because your partner forgot to put a kiss at the end of his text message, this book is for you.’ When Myleene Klass discovered she was pregnant, her initial joy was quickly replaced by fear the moment she read her first pregnancy book. It was full of ‘don’t do this, don’t do that’ – and Myleene was terrified that she had already endangered her baby’s life. Every book she read afterwards was either too technical or too fluffy – none of them described how she was really feeling, and she felt very isolated.My Bump and Me is about everything Myleene did ‘wrong’ during her pregnancy, how her hormones turned her into a woman she hardly recognised, and how incredible it feels

,  256 pp,  $49.95. Buy now

Confessions of a Carb Queen  by Susan Blech
When her doctor told her she could suffer a stroke just by walking across the street, Susan Blech knew drastic action was called for. She was only 38 years old, and the scale registered a life-threatening 468 pounds. Rejecting the idea of gastric bypass surgery, Susan relocated to Durham, North Carolina, giving up all that was familiar and $70,000 of her life savings to devote herself to losing weight and getting healthy on the famed Rice Diet. In Confessions of a Carb Queen, Susan Blech speaks candidly about topics no obese person has dared to address: fat sex, eating binges, the lies you tell others, and the lies you tell yourself. She explores the psychological component of overeating and the connection between her own binge eating and t

Paperback,  346 pp,  $22.95. Buy now

HOW TO GET RICH  by Felix Dennis
‘Making money is a knack, a knack that can be acquired. And if someone like me can become rich, then so can you – no matter what your present circumstances. Here is how I did it and what I learned along the way.’ So writes Felix Dennis, who believes that almost anyone of reasonable intelligence can become rich, given sufficient motivation and application. How To Get Rich is a distillation of his business wisdom. Primarily concerned with the step-by-step creation of wealth, it ruthlessly dissects the business failures and financial triumphs of ‘a South London lad who became rich virtually by accident’. Part manual, part memoir, part primer, this book is a template for those who are willing to stare down failure and transform their lives. Can

Paperback,  352 pp,  $24.95. Buy now

Eating Myself  by Candida Crewe
Candida Crewe wonders whether there’s anything ‘normal’ about any woman’s relationship with food and weight. While she appears enviably slim to everyone but herself, Candida has always worried, sometimes obsessed, about her weight. This title chronicles her life with food, and the story of her everyday struggle with weight

Hardback,  256 pp,  $35.00. Buy now

Minus Nine to One  by Jools Oliver
Being pregnant for the first time changed Jools Oliver’s life. Having longed for children since before she can remember, she was suddenly faced with an array of unfamiliar, unexpected and sometimes downright embarrassing emotional and physical reactions. And when Poppy (and a year later Daisy) was born she had to learn a whole new set of skills. From trying to conceive and a first positive pregnancy test to Poppy’s first birthday, Minus Nine To One takes you through the worries, surprises, excitement, miracles and sheer bloody hard work that Jools and all new mums in their own different ways have to cope with along the way. As Jools writes, This certainly isn’t meant to be read as a guidebook, or a medical reference book. It is simply my st

Paperback,  320 pp,  $26.95. Buy now

Busy Body, My Life with Tourette’s Syndrome  by Nick van Bloss
Nick Van Bloss was 7 years old when he had his first tic: a sudden compulsion to shake his head from left to right, twice in rapid succession. It wasn’t until 15 years later that he was diagnosed with Tourette’s syndrome. This book allows us into the heart and mind of a wonderfully witty and talented man

Paperback,  256 pp,  $29.95. Buy now

Drugs Are Nice; A Post-Punk Memoir  by Lisa Crystal Carver
In 1987 in the small town of Dover, New Hampshire, Lisa and her best friend Rachel – both seventeen – set up a punk show at the Veteran’s Hall. When the headlining act got lost and drunk and never showed up, the audience was angry and the promoters hid in the bathroom. Then Lisa got an idea. The girls put on the ‘Saturday Night Fever’ soundtrack, mounted the stage, smoked cigars, caterwauled, took off their clothes and hit things and people. Suckdog – called “the most interesting band in the world” by “Melody Maker” – was born. Lisa Carver left for Europe at the age of eighteen, quickly becoming a teen publisher (of the fanzines “Dirt” and “Rollerderby”), a teen bride (to French performance artist Jean-Louis Costes), and a teen prostitu

Paperback,  310 pp,  $19.95. Buy now

The Real Fight  by Kim Dalton
21-year-old Taekwondo champion Kim Dalton was diagnosed with a rare and terminal form of cancer. This is her account of coming to terms with the disease. An important feature of the book is the author’s trenchant criticism of the cancer industry: the inspirational books, quack cures and doctors who play God; her recognition that most people find her illness confronting – not least because of her youth – is also described with perception and sympathy. Throughout, she emphasises the importance of knowledge: finding out everything possible about her cancer, even at the risk of alienating her doctors, has been crucial in her taking control. This book describes a journey through a universe of despair, hope, anger and understanding.

Paperback,  208 pp,  $27.95. Buy now

Drink Me  by Skye Rogers
You don’t fall in love with an alcoholic – you fall in love with a man. At least at first. But why do women fall for ‘damaged’ men? And why do women keep looking for love to fix everything? Dan’s drunkenness seemed comparatively joyous. He never got ill – not even a cold. There were no scars. If this was self-destruction‚ perhaps it wasn’t so bad after all. Skye Rogers tells her moving story about the great love – and fight – of her life. Lyrically written and many-layered‚ Drink Me is a book everyone who has ever loved should read.

Paperback,  352 pp,  $27.95. Buy now

Living the Good Life  by Linda Cockburn
Author Linda Cockburn and her family decided to take a huge plunge. For a six-month period they grew, made or bartered for all their own food, generated all their power needs from the sun, collected their own rainwater, and aimed not to spend a single dollar. They put the car keys away and resorted to bikes, stopped eating all takeaway, and became utterly in tune with the seasons. Living on just an average-sized house block in Queensland, the Cockburns have put true power in the saying that change begins in your own backyard. Linda’s diary entries take you with her on the journey. Alongside are fascinating facts and anecdotes on the environment, recipes and tips for people interested in changing their own way of life.

Paperback,  304 pp,  $29.95. Buy now

Anything I Can Do… You Can Do Better  by Tessa Souter
Part inspirational memoir, part secrets-divulging interviews with celebrities and others who have successfully pursued their dreams, this book will show how Tessa Souter took herself from teenage mother to become a successful artist. This memoir also provides strategies and advice to tackle the numerous problems in life and how to survive

Paperback,  208 pp,  $31.95. Buy now

What’s My Motivation?  by Michael Simkins
As a boy, Michael Simkins always wanted to be someone

Paperback,  320 pp,  $27.95. Buy now

Birth Stories  by Katrina O’brien
There is nothing more deeply personal, moving or unique than the birth of a child. In Birth Stories women from all walks of life share one of the most private and profound experiences they will ever have. Featuring high profile women such as Nikki Gemmell and Amanda Keller, and not-so-famous but equally fabulous mums, each story gives a fascinating insight into what it is to bring a new life into the world. Every birth is unique, and so too every story told here. Some mothers give birth naturally; at home, in the garden or even in the bush – either by choice or necessity. Others are thankful for the medical professionals who helped bring their baby into the world. All the stories will touch and move you.

Paperback,  240 pp,  $27.99. Buy now

Dancing with Dementia, My Story of Living Positively with Dementia  by Christine Bryden
‘Dancing with Dementia’ is a thoughtful exploration of how dementia challenges our ideas of personal identity and of the process of self-discovery it can bring about

Paperback,  200 pp,  $29.95. Buy now

Fat Stupid and Ugly  by Debrah Constance
The founder of the “A Place Called Home” youth mentoring program, here, describes the cruel labeling in her childhood that established her low self-esteem, her adult alcohol abuse, her divorces, and her battle with cancer before she found the courage and hope to survive

Paperback,  300 pp,  $18.95. Buy now

Thank You, Your Opinion Means Nothing to Me, A Year of Hot Flashes, Flashbacks, and Finding My Voice  by Nancy Blair
A true story about love, healing the past, forgiveness, changes, big changes, and waking up to what is real and true and wonderful, one breath at a time

,  256 pp,  $45.00. Buy now

The Story of My Father  by Sue Miller
In the spring of 1986, Sue Miller found herself more and more deeply involved in caring for her father as he slipped into the grasp of Alzheimer’s disease. The Story of My Father is a profound, deeply moving account of her father’s final days and her own response to it. With care, restraint and consummate skill, Miller writes of her struggles to be fully with her father in his illness while confronting her own terror of abandonment, and eventually the long, hard work of grieving for him. And through this candid, painful record, she offers a rigorous, compassionate inventory of two lives, a powerful meditation on the variable nature of memory and the difficulty of weaving a truthful narrative from the threads of a dissolving life.

Paperback,  208 pp,  $22.95. Buy now

The Quality of Mercy  by Ross Anderson
In May 1999, Ross Anderson’s wife and soul mate, Irene, was diagnosed with terminal, inoperable and incurable cancer of the pancreas. The medical profession gave her six months to live. Irene was determined to die with dignity. 1071 days later, her husband Ross fulfilled her wish, helping her to end her life with total disregard for the criminal implications. Irene died having been lovingly cared for by her husband and daughter. This is the story of an ordinary man who took the law into his own hands so he could comply with Irene’s wish to die on her own terms. It is a potent and controversial addition to the ongoing debate about assisted suicide.

Paperback,  132 pp,  $22.99. Buy now

Bloodletting  by Victoria Leatham
If you had run into Victoria on the street during her darkest days you would never have known the torment she endured. Confident, polite and articulate she could have been your sister, your workmate, your friend, your lover. Yet from her late teens and throughout her twenties Victoria Leatham struggled with the overwhelming desire to hurt herself, a desire that was all-consuming and shaped every aspect of her life. Bloodletting is a frank, compelling and at times darkly humorous memoir boldly challenging the silence surrounding one of mental health’s last taboos.

Paperback,  216 pp,  $29.99. Buy now

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