Robert D. Ballard Dared to Go ‘Into the Deep’ and Resurfaced a Legend [REVIEW]

Oceanographer Robert Ballard has conducted more than 150 underwater expeditions and made countless significant scientific discoveries during more than six decades of ocean exploration. (Photograph by Gabriel Scarlett, National Geographic)

We’ve always been big fans of Clive Cussler’s Dirk Pitt and NUMA books because the idea of having underwater adventures, locating sunken ships and digging up buried treasure is just so darn cool. But you know what is even better? Knowing that there are actually people in this world who actually get to have similar escapades in real life! Enter Robert D. Ballard. If you don’t recognize the name, you know what he’s capable of. Don’t think so? Well, have you ever heard of Titanic? He’s the one who discovered the ship at the bottom of the sea! Yet he has also done so much more, a fact his mom doesn’t want you to forget! Now you can read all about his life and exploits in his brand new memoir, Into the Deep, which he co-wrote with Christopher Drew.

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‘Becoming Superman’ Requires Facing Off With Real Life Villains [REVIEW]

Superman sketch

Comic books taught J. Michael Straczynski to triumph over adversity. (Photo by Mark Grambau, Flickr)

Through his writing, one man has transported us to new worlds and parallel universes, introduced us to mythical characters with superhuman powers, and ultimately challenged us to transcend our circumstances and seize our dreams. But his own life was not always as inspiring as his work. In a dazzling new memoir from one of Hollywood’s greatest minds, discover how J. Michael Straczynski triumphed over adversity and forged the life he wanted in Becoming SupermanRead more of this post

War Correspondent Turned Ambassatrix Reveals the Very Real Dangers of Journalism in ‘Dirty Wars and Polished Silver’ [REVIEW]

Lydna Schuster

Whether dodging bullets or working a room as the ambassador’s wife, Lynda Schuster has seen it all and lived to tell about it. (Photo courtesy Lynda Schuster)

Sometimes the very things we try to outrun wind up being the things we embrace. So how does a teenage girl trying to leave behind a brain numbing Midwestern upbringing in search of adventure wind up being a journalist in some of the world’s most dangerous hot zones and ultimately, the wife of an American diplomat? Find out in the fascinating memoir, Dirty Wars and Polished Silver: The Life and Times of a War Correspondent Turned Ambassatrix by Lynda Schuster.  Read more of this post

♦ ‘My Glory Was I Had Such Friends’ Is A Love Letter to the Power of Friendship [REVIEW]

Amy Silverstein and friends

Amy Silverstein and friends at her book launch party for My Glory Was I Had Such Friends.
(Photo via CBS Sunday Morning, YouTube)

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Amy Silverstein knows a thing or two about hearts. She is on her third one! But her second heart transplant almost didn’t happen. She’d almost given up on life when she got sick again, some 26 years after her first transplant. What she hadn’t counted on, however, was the immense power of friendship.  Read more of this post

‘My Lovely Wife in the Psych Ward’ Offers Insight Into the Pain of Mental Illness [REVIEW]

Woman in bed

When a man finds out that his wife is mentally ill, will he have the strength to stick by her? Find out in Mark Lukach’s powerful memoir, My Lovely Wife in the Psych Ward. (Photo by Lawrence Murray, Flickr)

Nearly all of us are taught the classic stories where boy meets girl. But not every couple gets a “happy ever after.” Sometimes, even the most dazzling romances can get dark and twisty, especially when mental illness rears its ugly head. In his memoir My Lovely Wife in the Psych Ward, Mark Lukach recounts the frightening tale of how his beautiful bride became someone he didn’t recognize, and what it took to keep his young family together.  Read more of this post