Before I Forget

Before I Forget is more of a medley than a memoir. It chronicles the affairs of the American University of Beirut during an under studied period comprising and following the Lebanese civil war. In recording his perception of selective periods in his lifetime the author focuses on his AUB experience and documents his text with email exchanges with university officials.

He exposes his personal experience as a student, an administrator and faculty member of AUB during a period that spans over the administration of fourteen presidents (from John Paul Leonard to Fadlo Khuri), several of whom he was closely associated with. During this period, he served in central capacities including: president of the Faculty Association, President of the Worldwide Alumni Association, Assistant Dean and chair of the Senate Steering Committee. In his engaging style the author draws attention to what he considers an association of AUB with US interests.

The book also chronicles the difficulties and strivings the author faced since his family was forced to leave his homeland. It discusses the changes the author experienced moving from Lebanon to the US as a foreign student as well as the lifestyle adjustments he had to undergo when returning to Lebanon after graduation.

Behind the Lines

The year 2020 marks the 75^th anniversary of the German surrender in World War II. The 10^th Mountain Division, the army’s first mountaineering unit, led the Allies to victory in Italy in 1945. Their soldiers are often celebrated for their heroism and ingenuity and remembered for their steep losses in the campaign to defeat Nazi Germany. Yet it has been estimated that no more than 14% of troops overseas in World War II ever saw combat.

Behind the Lines is the story of a 10^th Mountain Division soldier from the other 86%, someone who toiled to deliver munitions and supplies to troops on the battlefront and who documented his experiences in letters home to his wife in Minnesota. Narrated by the soldier’s daughter who, some 70 years later, finally read the correspondence between her parents and became acquainted with them as they were when she was a baby, the experiences of this soldier and of the wife he left behind reveal the day-to-day challenges of their plight, the tensions but also the unexpected rewards of their situation, and the all-too-common prejudices of a tumultuous era often dubbed ‘heroic’. Behind the Lines mines the correspondence to describe the anguish and the longing of a young couple separated by a war that would change the course of modern civilisation.

Beyond the Dragon’s Mouth to the Land of Milk and Money

Embark on an extraordinary memoir that chronicles the remarkable odyssey of a man determined to transcend adversity, conquer racial prejudice, and fulfil his dream of becoming a Chartered Engineer. This captivating narrative traces a history that stretches back to the 1840s when his forefathers, descendants of indentured laborers from India, were brought to toil in the sugar cane fields of a British colony after the abolition of slavery. From this rich tapestry of ancestry to the present day in England, the author’s life unfolds as a testament to resilience.

Spanning continents and centuries, this memoir offers a poignant glimpse into the life of a young boy growing up on a British island colony in the mid-twentieth century. It vividly contrasts the stark realities of a tropical upbringing with the challenges of adapting to life in a temperate climate, from fog and snow to relentless drizzling rain. The simple act of donning thick clothing becomes a novel experience, as does huddling by a Valor paraffin stove in a quest for warmth and cocooning beneath scratchy wool blankets.

As the narrative unfolds, you’ll witness the profound transformation of a penniless immigrant who, against all odds, blossoms into a prosperous family man. His journey is a testament to unwavering determination, resilience, and a remarkable integration into British society, providing an intimate and insightful perspective on the trials and triumphs of one man’s quest for excellence.

Breaking Chains – ‘The Word’

Childhood abuse and trauma has consequences: black holes, where voids are born, mental ill health acquired and self-love diminished. The cause of these voids and the power to heal them lies solely in one force alone, or lack thereof, and this force is love.

Let’s journey together sharing knowledge, vulnerabilities, synchronicities and the word of God, of pure, unconditional Love, through a memoir incorporating science, nurture, toxicity, personality and the true depths of the void. We will analyse, psychologise and be present in our own individual stories, breaking chains that bind us in order to truly heal and be set free, turning black holes into shining stars.

Butterflies in My Soup

With most of her friends married, Sylvia at 23 can find no good reason for turning down her boyfriend’s proposal of marriage. In her heart, though, she knows that she longs to be free to see more of the world before settling down to what she feels would be a humdrum life of a domestic city in the early 1960s. Having been dissuaded from accepting a teaching job in the USA, she continues her quest for an overseas posting until one day, she finds exactly what she's been looking for. A boarding school in Lushoto, a township in the Usambara Mountains, Tanganyika (Tanzania) needs a teacher.

With scant information about her destination, other than that African violets grow wild in the Usambara, Sylvia flies off to East Africa leaving her anxious family and a fiancé whose determination to wait for two years for her will be severely tested.

Nothing could prepare Sylvia for the amazing life that she was to lead, with experiences, friendships, and challenges that she could never have imagined, and with memories that she would cherish and try to recapture on a return visit many years later.

Called to Serve and Protect

How does a farm boy brought up on an isolated farm with no electricity, or running water supply, leaving school at fifteen with no academic qualifications, have a successful career in the police force and become an overseas police adviser? John describes his motivation to serve and protect, and takes you through his police career, including when he climbed the headstock of a disused colliery to talk down a disturbed teenager, had a convicted killer hold a knife to his throat, and took a loaded shotgun out of the hands of an aggressive teenager. He enumerates his progression through the ranks and describes an occasion when he refused to obey an order from his Chief Constable, which probably cost him a promotion.

Post-retirement, he worked for a private security company involved in the escorting of prisoners to courts and prisons and describes having to spend three days in the witness box at an inquest into the death of a prisoner in transit to prison. As an overseas police adviser sitting in a restaurant in Addis Ababa with his wife, a colleague and his wife, John saw a hand grenade come to a standstill just inches away from his legs and he expected to die, but miraculously survived.

Flown back to the UK for treatment he had his moments of fame, appearing on TV news and on the Big Breakfast show on Channel 4. Attending a presentation function at the Café Royal, he sat next to Lois Maxwell, the original Miss Moneypenny and the lady on whom her character was based.

Caring for Cancer, the Real Journey

I was married to my best friend for 12 years before he was given the diagnosis of stage 4 gastroesophageal cancer in 2018. He passed away in 2019 after a life-changing journey.

This is my uncensored real-life journey of caring for someone with cancer and how I coped with the emotions and expectations surrounding bereavement and grief.

It is written using real thoughts and feelings and based on factual events. It provides a raw insight into the pure emotions experienced on a day-to-day basis and how, ultimately, I used those experiences to forge my way through bereavement and onto an inspirational journey of finding hope, encouragement and a renewed lust for life.

In my journey, I sadly lost the love of my life but I also gained a new outlook on my future by finding a way to create a ‘new normal’ despite my life changing. If you are going through a similar situation, I hope this book will show you that you are not alone and that the thoughts and feelings you go through are very real. I also hope it shows that despite the darkest of days, it is possible to remember the ones we lose with courage and a determination to turn something so difficult into a life of purpose and hope.

This book offers a real-life insight into the cancer experience from the carer’s perspective. However you read this book, whether you be a carer yourself, a family member, a friend or a medical professional, it can offer a profoundly inspiring and unique insight.

Carnival

Starting in Ushuaia, at the southern tip of the South American continent, this adventure goes through the windswept plains of Patagonia and past settlements whose immigrants from Wales brought their language and customs with them. The Patagonian plains give way to pampas before reaching the major urban centre of Buenos Aires for some culture and relaxation.

A journey of 1,200 kilometres northwards reaches the magnificent thundering Iguazú Falls on the border of Argentina and Brazil and then crosses into Brazil. There is a lot to explore in the Pantanal area of wetlands to see piranhas and capybaras, a giant member of the rat family, before heading to Rio de Janeiro for the extravaganza and colour of the carnival, the biggest party on earth where everyone is invited. Have you ever wondered what it is like to be in a city where everybody is partying for a week? But Brazil is a big country and what else is there to see? And that is before traversing the three Guyanas and a space port to reach the Caribbean coast of South America.

Chain Breakers – From Darkness to Light

This book is a story of abuse, love, hate, relationships, and forgiveness. Fay’s life was full of heartache, pain, and sorrow but on reading it you meet a strong girl who won’t be crushed, who will touch your heart, who will make you laugh and cry at the same time, you’ll be angry for her, you’ll want to protect her. She is a fighter there’s no doubt but she was damaged by the very ones who were supposed to protect and love her. The relationship she has with her brothers is strong, protective, and funny and the love she has for her sister is like that of a parent. You will learn how she overcame physical, mental, and sexual abuse. Read and see how hate turns to love, fear turns to trust and anger and rage to peace and joy inside these pages. God moved, hard to believe you may say, but you won’t know unless you read it.

Chapters in the Mind of a Schizophrenic

The essence of my book

I lost my mind

And got it back with time

My mind is a complex thing

Only I know what it is like within

Concealed in my skull

It’s anything but dull

I tried to keep it sane

But it has its own brain

I lost control and got it back

But it’s that trust I lack

Not knowing what comes next

I converted my thoughts to text

To try and understand

Before I’m buried in the sand

I kind of know how you tick

But to society I am sick

Labelled as mentally ill

But I have a strong will

To conquer my brain

And learn how to maintain

A level of sanity

Enough to have clarity

And function within the norm

Without causing a storm

I lost you twice

As I rolled the dice

Gambling with my mind

Because I didn’t know what kind

Of illness I was dealing with

Now I know schizophrenia it is

I try to make my peace

With a mind that is never at ease

Now I wrote this book

And that much suffering it took

To describe my mind

But I think now it is perfectly timed

To share this book

With all the pain and sweat it took

I hope to spark a conversation

That puts us on track to that far destination

Where acceptance is key

And we can all live free

By YM Mehanni

Childhood Awaits Every Person

“I didn’t know it was like this,” exclaimed an eight-year-old. This book reveals the depth and extent of childhood yearning for the natural world and their enjoyment and wonder of it. Learn to appreciate this desire and discover the child within yourself so you too can discover your own inner child’s love and care for the planet. Addressing the climate crisis begins with the discovery of our own inner child and that deep yearning, wonder and enjoyment of nature.

You will also delight in the story which ends with the plea: “Please, please can the world not crush this child, his gentle, profound, and astonishing soul. So remember – trees are part of love, and the land is always there, under the concrete. And if there arises in Suffolk a guru, a visionary, a spiritual leader of awesome ability – I won’t be surprised if he’s called Paul, and has freckles, and skips now and then when he walks.

Childhood Memories at Twilight

Childhood Memories at Twilight shows the turbulent relationship between the author and her mother where her siblings were favoured and her emotional journey to become who she is today.

This is a story of a feisty young girl trying to overcome being belittled and bullied, struggling to get out of her mother’s clutches and be independent through education.

She managed to get a degree in Economic Sciences and met her boyfriend who is now her husband of 34 years. She then took a risk and left her country to be with her boyfriend in Antigua where she learnt to sail. Coming from a landlocked country this was very frightening for her because she can’t swim! She got married 18 months later and they moved to England. Sailing became part of her life as her husband was a sailor. She managed to win 3 cups from her Royal Yacht Club Logs. 

The book is about her childhood and sailing to new places and discovering new ways of anchoring on rocks to get privacy, especially in Sweden.

She feels believing in yourself is the way forward to achieving your goals.