Devastating family drama, abandonment, and drugs are balanced with laugh-out-loud humor that will keep you turning pages. You'll laugh, cry, and be left begging for more. The story begins with an episode that occurred in 1974. When Tom Bross (age 12) experiences a sudden move from Davis to San Anselmo to live with their God Family. Just two months later they move back to Davis with no place to live. His brother and sisters are dropped off at their friend's houses.

This is a story of a boy called Denny coming of age against all odds. It’s a story of hope for an unwanted child. And it’s a tale of setbacks, resilience, and how adults can positively influence wayward teens and gently guide them towards a more hopeful future. At 13 years old Denny hitchhiked from Detroit, Michigan to San Bernardino, California, where he took control of his own life.

In 1957, when Amy Turner was four-years-old, her father had to be talked down from a hotel ledge by a priest. The story of his attempted suicide received nationwide press coverage, and he spent months in a psychiatric facility before returning home. From then on, Amy constantly worried about him for reasons she didn't yet fully understand, triggering a pattern of hypervigilance that would plague her into adulthood.

At age 14, Wendy Gossard was drawn by the tranquil blue eyes and personal magnetism of a man known as Yahowah, leader of a spiritual group called the Source Family. Fleeing her own family and becoming a fugitive from justice in the state of California, Wendy followed the 1970s cult group across settlements in California and Hawaii on a quest for spiritual direction, communal harmony, and basic survival. Growing up, the teenager, called Mushroom by Yahowah, had questions about her pregnancy, relationships, and place in the universe.

Growing up in 1970s and '80s suburban Houston, Judy Haveson is funny, sarcastic, and fiercely loyal, especially to her family, friends, and big sister, Celia. When she suffers a series of unimaginable traumatic events, her seemingly idyllic childhood comes to a halt, changing her life forever. In Laugh Cry Rewind, Judy takes listeners on her journey of self-discovery, sharing funny, touching, and heartbreaking stories from her childhood all the way to the birth of her son.

Teeny, Sonny Boy and Vic have been swallowed up by the desperation and devastation of the Great Depression, but the trio is buoyed by the fantastical tales Teeny weaves around campfires in hobo jungles and migrant camps, including the story of the raffle baby. As the three navigate the ravages of poverty and prejudices, they form a family bond as strong as the forces against them. But when a solemn pact fails to protect them, their lives are forever changed. And Sonny Boy is left to tell their story, and his own.

Is it too much to ask that a managed care facility refund a year’s advance payment when your grandfather dies before he can move in? Frank Johnson doesn’t think so, which is why the 33-year-old now lives in a nursing home, locked in a chess-match feud with management that doesn’t occupy nearly enough of his time. When foster kid Elroy is thrust into his life, Frank decides to turn this forced relationship to his advantage - launching a string of absurd decisions, inappropriate behaviors, and unexpected glimpses of tenderness that ultimately turn a New Jersey suburb upside down.

Bernadette Rogers swore she’d never put her father in a nursing home. Does that include euthanizing him to keep her word? Her mother thinks it does. Bernadette isn’t so sure. And even if she were, it’s not like you can walk into a drug store and buy Nembutal.

Richard Trenton Chase started life without a hitch. Popular and well-liked, his future looked bright as the Cali sun...but those around knew nothing of the dark truths that he fostered. His parents’ marriage was rapidly falling apart, and soon he began to suffer from strange health problems. Rapidly declining, he decided there was only one solution….

Based on a true story, Queenie of Norwich is the compelling tale of one remarkable girl's journey to womanhood. Spanning the first half of the 20th century, Queenie's story is one of heartbreak and triumph, love and loss, and the power of family. It is a story of redemption, and how, with grit and determination, anything is possible.

When the police arrest Piper Winslow’s mother, claiming she stole a newborn infant 17 years ago, Piper is shocked. When she learns she was the baby, her life is destroyed. Piper’s birth family is about to reclaim her to a life as foreign as the birth name they gave her - Greta. What can Piper do while her world crashes around her? Run, of course.

With all his family and friends gone, 100-year-old Murray McBride is looking for a reason to live. He finds it in Jason Cashman, a 10-year-old boy with a terminal heart defect and a list of five things he wants to do before he dies. Together, they race against the limited time each has left, ticking off wishes one by one. But when tragedy strikes, their worlds are turned upside-down, and an unexpected gift is the only thing that can make Jason's final wish come true.

Matt Walker was a chancer; he’d spent his entire profession chasing the next job. His personal life took on a similar mantra. Life was slowly drifting him by. Until one evening, in a hotel bar, following a fortuitous meeting with the quiet and unassuming Julia. She knew of an opportunity that would be the perfect fit for Matt; one he simply couldn’t let go. Not only did the subsequent interview provide him his with dream job; it would also be where he met the love of his life. Matt and Amelia spent each day working hand-in-hand, and every evening in premarital bliss.

A bright and welcoming haven, the playgroup sits at the heart of the town, tucked away inside a red-brick building. The Nest should have been the safest place for my rosy-cheeked, pink-obsessed daughter, Florence. Run by mothers like me, I trusted my newfound friends–Alice, Beth and Georgie–to take care of my child. But now my choice has left Florence fighting for her life.

Every choice you make carries a consequence. What if your consequence was an unwanted pregnancy? Theresa graciously agrees to share part of her life for a biographical paper being written by two high school students. She surprises her unsuspecting interviewers with stories of a broken childhood, tales of love found and lost, and the strength summoned to make the hardest decision of her life.