“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson Born with severe brain defects, Suzy was sentenced to a life of “nevers.” With the unwavering support of her mother, Jane, and extended family, Suzy’s miraculous journey has given many experts reason to question the medical textbooks that have been written. From predictions that she would never walk, talk, or function in society, Suzy overcame all these obstacles with determination and perseverance—not even allowing final-stage renal failure at the age of twenty-four to deter her. This book is not just a tribute to Suzy, but a roadmap for all parents experiencing the challenges of raising a child with disabilities and/or medical issues. Never a victim, Suzy proceeded through infant stimulation, studies in public and specialized schools, and summer programs geared to the disabled community. Her achievements include winning medals during the Tournament of Champions, performing in a dance recital, celebrating a Bat Mitzvah, living independently, and holding a position as a classroom assistant for the past twenty-three years. Her joy of life to this day, offers us hope while showing us that giving up is not a choice. While her IQ score identifies Suzy with severe intellectual disabilities, she never ceases to show kindness, empathy, selflessness, and compassion for others. Told with the hope that other parents will learn from her successes, and failures, this is also a story of the power of perseverance, courage, and love.

“Katherine Rosman has a great gift for articulating the yearnings of daughterhood and the mysteries of motherhood.” — Jeffrey Zaslow, coauthor of The Last Lecture “Katherine Rosman’s voice rings with truth, pain, and hard-won humor as she reports from the heart in this bold, cathartic tale of a daughter’s search to find meaning in her mother’s death.... This book beats with a heart of its own.” — Janice Y.K. Lee, author of The Piano Teacher In lively, intimate prose, Wall Street Journal culture reporter Katherine Rosman reconnects with her late mother by reporting on the life she led outside of her roles as mom and wife.

A drug-fueled lesbian love triangle leads to murder in this New York Times–bestselling true crime—updated with shocking revelations and a second trial! In 1995, Austin, Texas was rocked by the brutal murder of Regina Hartwell. Even though Regina's body was burned beyond recognition, police had two suspects within days. One was the beautiful ex-cheerleader who was the object of Regina's desire. The other was a man who would take the fall for murder . . . In this new edition of her bestselling book Wasted, true crime master Suzy Spencer chronicles a fatal love triangle as three lives are driven out of control by sexual desire, drugs, and shocking childhood demons. Four years after Regina Hartwell's murder, a new charge was brought against one of her suspected killers. Now, Suzy Spencer adds a new chapter to Wasted—detailing a killer gone wild, a nerve-wracking legal standoff, the shocking twists that would take place in a second, explosive trial . . . Sixteen pages of shocking photos!

A mother's advice to her daughter--a guide to daily living, both practical and sublime--with full-color illustrations throughout. One sleepless night while she was in her early twenties, illustrator/writer Hallie Bateman had a painful realization: her mom would die, and after she died she would be gone. The prospect was devastating, and also scary--how would she navigate the world without the person who gave her life? She thought about all the motherly advice she would miss--advice that could help her through the challenges to come, including the ordeal of losing a parent. The next day, Hallie asked her mother, writer Suzy Hopkins, to record step-by-step instructions for her to follow in the event of her mom's death. The list began: "Pour yourself a stiff glass of whiskey and make some fajitas" and continued from there, walking Hallie through the days, months, and years of life after loss, with motherly guidance and support, addressing issues great and small--from choosing a life partner to baking a quiche. The project became a way for mother and daughter to connect with humor, openness, and gratitude. It led to this book. Combining Suzy's wit and heartfelt advice with Hallie's quirky and colorful style, What to Do When I'm Gone is the illustrated instruction manual for getting through life without one's mom. It's also a poignant look at loss, love, and taking things one moment at a time. By turns whimsical, funny, touching, and above all pragmatic, it will leave readers laughing and teary-eyed. And it will spur conversations that enrich family members' understanding of one another.

This wild ride of a debut thriller is packed with insider details that reveal the fascinating world of a New York lawyer who’ll stop at nothing to secure justice. Introducing Tug Wyler, a dogged and irreverent New York City personal injury and medical malpractice attorney. He is as at home on the streets as he is in the courtroom, and larger than life in both places. Once you’ve met him, you won’t ever forget him. When Henry Benson, a high-profile criminal lawyer known for his unsavory clients, recruits Tug to take over a long-pending multimillion-dollar lawsuit representing a tragically brain-damaged child, his instructions are clear: get us out of it; there is no case. Yet the moment Tug meets the disabled but gallant little Suzy Williams and June, her beautiful, resourceful mother, all bets are off. With an offbeat, self-mocking style, Tug Wyler’s a far cry from your ordinary lawyer. Unswerving in his dedication to his mostly disadvantaged clients, he understands only too well how badly they need him with the system stacked against them. Tug is honest about his own shortcomings, many of them of the profoundly politically incorrect variety, and his personal catchphrase, handy in all situations, is “At least I admit it.” When his passionate commitment to Suzy’s case thrusts him into a surreal, often violent sideshow, the ensuing danger only sharpens his obsession with learning what really happened to Suzy. Blending razor-sharp intuition, intellectual toughness, and endlessly creative legal brinkmanship, Tug determinedly works his way through a maze of well-kept secrets—encountering a cast of memorably eccentric characters along the way—to get to the truth. Among the many fresh-to-the-genre pleasures of Suzy’s Case is its eye-opening portrait of the brutally tough world of medical malpractice law in New York City, an aggressive, very-big-bucks, winner-takes-all game in which lawyers relentlessly cut corners, deals—and throats. With Andy Siegel as the expert guide to his daily home turf, that largely unseen medicolegal universe, where life—and death—always have a price, you’ll experience its addictive, risk-taking reality. The result is a stunning debut as gripping as it is unexpected, as rollicking as it is compassionate, revealing Andy Siegel to be a bright new voice of remarkable energy, wit, and style.

In this powerful, unforgettable memoir, acclaimed novelist Darin Strauss examines the far-reaching consequences of the tragic moment that has shadowed his whole life. In his last month of high school, he was behind the wheel of his dad's Oldsmobile, driving with friends, heading off to play mini-golf. Then: a classmate swerved in front of his car. The collision resulted in her death. With piercing insight and stark prose, Darin Strauss leads us on a deeply personal, immediate, and emotional journey—graduating high school, going away to college, starting his writing career, falling in love with his future wife, becoming a father. Along the way, he takes a hard look at loss and guilt, maturity and accountability, hope and, at last, acceptance. The result is a staggering, uplifting tour de force. Look for special features inside, including an interview with Colum McCann.

The author explores the case of Andrea Yates, the Houston, Texas, mother suspected in the deaths of her five children, ages six months to seven years, whom she allegedly drowned in the family home's bathtub in June 2001.

A single mom of newborn twins seeks a path through post-natal depression—while also trying to keep her beauty salon afloat—in this powerful, emotional novel. Kat’s life has become a blur of dirty nappies and sleepless nights. She has moved into the flat above the salon she owns—without Max, the father of her children. To make matters worse, Max has revealed he plans to remarry. With her twin babies taking up all of her time and Max never around to help, Kat feels constantly on edge—and when she’s diagnosed with post-natal depression, she feels more alone than ever . . .This conclusion to the trilogy that began with Holding Myself and Losing Myself is an emotional, uplifting novel about a woman searching for the light at the end of the tunnel and the strength she finds in the people in her life—and in herself. “An amazing character.” —Gemma’s Book Reviews

How odd the world is when there’s nobody in it! Capturing the moment when the world went quiet, Wendy Funnell’s debut Out and Around in Lockdown records life beyond the front door after we walked away from shops, buses, pubs, streets, the places we ordinarily share.