Memorable Memoirs

“The Choice: Embrace the Possible” is a memoir by internationally renowned psychologist Dr. Edith Eger. As one of the last remaining Holocaust survivors, Edith Eger tells her incredible story of resilience and survival in one of the darkest chapters of human history. At sixteen, Edith, a trained ballet dancer and gymnast, was sent to Auschwitz where she was forced to dance for the amusement of Josef Mengele. He rewarded her with a loaf of bread which she shared with her fellow prisoners—a choice that would later save her life. Along with her sister, Edith survived multiple death camps and the Death March. In 1945, when American troops liberated the camps, Edith was found barely alive in a pile of corpses. She spent decades struggling with flashbacks, nightmares, and survivor’s guilt. She remained silent about her experiences even as she raised a family and practiced psychology. Thirty-five years after the war, Edith returned to Auschwitz and was finally able to forgive the one person she blamed the most for her tragic history—herself.

“A Speck in the Sea: A Story of Survival and Rescue” is the story of the harrowing ordeal of being lost at sea written by John Aldridge and Anthony Sosinski. In the dead of night on July 24, 2013, John Aldridge was thrown off the back of the Anna Mary—the fishing boat he co-owns with Anthony Sosinski. Anthony was fast asleep down below at the time and could not here his partner’s cries for help. Hours ticked by as Anthony, their families, the local fishing community, and the US Coast Guard in three states mobilized an unparalleled search effort that ended with an unlikely and thrilling success. Interwoven with the narrative of the massive rescue effort are the harrowing details of John’s struggle to survive. This is a story of survival and perseverance, but also one of community and cooperation among strangers.

“Sin Bravely: A Memoir of Spiritual Disobedience” is by Maggie Rowe. Maggie grew up in a moderately religious household, but she took the idea of salvation very seriously. This obsession with salvation eventually turned into a childhood terror and, at nineteen, Maggie checked herself into an Evangelical psychiatric facility—and, so begins her story. She finds herself surrounded by a group of rabble that includes a former biker meth-head, a set of identical twins obsessed with their mother, and a chronic depressive who becomes Maggie’s greatest confidante. Told with both humor and reverence, Maggie decides to make the most of her treatment and, thus begins a crusade to live by the words of Martin Luther, “Sin bravely in order to know the forgiveness of God.”

“Endurance: A Year in Space, A Lifetime of Discovery” is the memoir of Astronaut Scott Kelly. As a veteran of four spaceflights and the American record holder of the most consecutive days spent in space, Scott Kelly relays his record-breaking year aboard the International Space Station. This is also the story of the brash young man who became a Navy pilot and, along with his twin brother, Mark, became an astronaut. Kelly describes how he navigates the extreme challenge of long-term spaceflight, the devastating effects on the body and psyche, how colliding with space junk can be catastrophic, and how helpless you feel when tragedy strikes at home. Kelly’s remarkable compassion, humor, and determination shine through as he describes his New Jersey childhood, his inspirations for walking the path to becoming an astronaut, and his genuine wonder about our universe.