An anthology of short memoirs published by a non-profit organization and written by persons living with a mental illness related to social justice issues and the stigma of mental illness in our society.

Different People, Different Voices

Health, Fitness & Dieting

Van Fleteren, Michael

Van Fleteren, Mary

Mental Health

Outsider Press

Skagway Stories

Ide, Kris

"The originality in his approach and his grip of humor writing knock the wind out of me." -Boulder Weekly When thick wildfire smoke lingers in a small Oregon town, daily life begins to more closely resemble an apocalyptic sci-fi film than summer vacation, and the locals all go a bit nuts. However, the Gilbert family just goes a bit more nuts than usual. The father, Greg, is so depressed he barely gets out of bed, choosing instead to haunt online conspiracy forums about why the fire hasn't yet been extinguished. The mother, Lina, tries to volunteer at various charities to alleviate her guilt over the state of the environment, but consistently ditches to smoke pot. Emma, the daughter who just returned from college as a vegan eco-radical, spends her evenings in campaigns of petty sabotage directed at anyone over thirty for their complicity in climate change. And the high school age son, Shannon, seeks literal escape by taking a job as trail guide to a Bigfoot seeker in the mountains beyond the smoke's reach, but finds that the constant trips in and out of the smoke begin to warp his sense of reality. Each chapter is told from a different character's POV, weaving multiple plot threads together as the Gilbert family unravels. They are each simultaneously at war with the weather, with each other, and with their fracturing senses of self and order to the universe. By summer's end, nothing will be the same. "[His] are the kind of soul-molesting stories that are difficult to forget, and would be a shame to miss out on." -LauraReviewsBooks.com "Sweet, merciful Christ thank you so much for something decent, delightful, original, and inventive to edit. The shit-eating grin hasn't left my face since the first page." -Joan Rogers, copyeditor for Summer of Smoke

Summer of Smoke

Literature & Fiction

Gross, Josh

Humor & Satire

Life keeps knocking 12-year-old Alan down. Can he find the courage to get back up?
Orphaned at a young age, all Alan Michaels wants is a place to belong. But the independent, street–smart kid, who lacks self-confidence, has no clue how to deal with disappointment – or a formidable bully who won’t back down. And New York City is a tough town to grow up in if you are a kid who doesn’t have much. But when he starts training at Sensei Hideki’s School of Karate, he hopes his life will change forever.
Determined to prove he’s got what it takes to become a true warrior, he pushes his body and mind to the limit. But just when the karate school starts to feel like home, tragedy strikes again. Does Alan have the courage and inner strength to overcome the odds stacked against him?
 “When you get knocked down, you just keep getting back up. …You never give up.” Sensei paused for a moment and spoke louder. “That’s what takes real guts.” He stared at Alan intently. “You know, sometimes failures are your steppingstones to success.”
You Gotta Have Heart is hopefully a new addition to the great coming of age novels in the tradition of S. E. Hinton, Jerry Spinelli, Gary D. Schmidt, J.K. Rowling, Rebecca Stead and E.L. Konigsburg.

You Gotta Have Heart

Children's Books

Bernstein, Bruce

Action & Adventure

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