From New York Times bestselling author and blogger Heather B. Armstrong comes an honest and irreverent memoir—reminiscent of the New York Times bestseller Brain on Fire—about her experience as the third person ever to participate in an experimental treatment for depression involving ten rounds of a chemically induced coma approximating brain death. For years, Heather B. Armstrong has alluded to her struggle with depression on her website, dooce. It’s scattered throughout her archive, where it weaves its way through posts about pop culture, music, and motherhood. In 2016, Heather found herself in the depths of a depression she just couldn’t shake, an episode darker and longer than anything she had previously experienced. She had never felt so discouraged by the thought of waking up in the morning, and it threatened to destroy her life. For the sake of herself and her family, Heather decided to risk it all by participating in an experimental clinical trial. Now, for the first time, Heather recalls the torturous eighteen months of suicidal depression she endured and the month-long experimental study in which doctors used propofol anesthesia to quiet all brain activity for a full fifteen minutes before bringing her back from a flatline. Ten times. The experience wasn’t easy. Not for Heather or her family. But a switch was flipped, and Heather hasn’t experienced a single moment of suicidal depression since. “Breathtakingly honest” (Lisa Genova, New York Times bestselling author), self-deprecating, and scientifically fascinating, The Valedictorian of Being Dead brings to light a groundbreaking new treatment for depression. The Valedictorian of Being Dead was previously published with the subtitle “The True Story of Dying Ten Times to Live.”

The Valedictorian consists of five short stories about the lives of specific teenagers. The stories are set in the states of Massachusetts and Maine; and are geared to empower teenagers to take control of their lives in difficult and hopeless situations. THE VALEDICTORIAN Amber, a model student in a parochial high school in Maine becomes pregnant, but has not told a soul; and fortunately for her there are no physical signs to give her pregnancy away. And graduation is a few months away. Then, how did the Mother Superior find out that she is pregnant? She braced herself for the ramifications. THE FLIGHT Janine and Tanya are childhood friends and are the same age. However, Janine resents the fact that Tanya is constantly telling her what to do, and treating her as if she is older and wiser. Ultimately, Janine discovers that Tanya’s protective and annoying behavior virtually saved her life one day. THE TRANSFORMATION Stephanie is treated like an outcast by the kids in school. She is ostracized simply because she comes from a poor family and cannot afford to wear designer outfits like most of the other kids. She is openly laughed at because of the old and unflattering clothes she wears; and no makeup. Francine sees the cruelty in the way Stephanie is treated, and takes her on as a friend. Ultimately, Francine decides to do something to change the discriminatory attitude of the rest of the kids in the school. UNSCHOOLED Esther, a despondent teenage girl, encounters an older woman, Gwen, at the beach in Revere, Massachusetts. She descends on the beach with a repugnant attitude because of her problem, but her encounter with Gwen brings about a reversal of that attitude. NOT IN MY HOUSE Now with a degree in engineering, and an impressive position as the personnel manager of a prestigious firm, Josh is in the process of interviewing applicants to fill some vacant slots in the maintenance department. He recognizes one of the applicants as Thomas Hartley, who was the lead bully in his high school several years back. At the end of the day, as Josh drives home, he is flooded with memories of the culture of the school at the time he and Thomas were there. It was a culture that he kept out of his home. Dr. Maya was born and raised in Nigeria, and has traveled the world extensively. Before her full time position at North Shore, she was an adjunct English Instructor at Community colleges in the Boston area. She was also employed by the Boston Public Schools for many years as a substitute teacher; an (ESL) English as a Second Language instructor in the Adult Education Program; and also as an (EDP) External Diploma Program Advisor.

Previously published as Misadventures of a Valedictorian Like most girls at Ridgeville High, Clare Winston has spent years fantasizing about sexy star quarterback Eric Hayward. He’s gorgeous, talented, and untouchable. While Clare studies her way to the top of the senior class, Eric and his best friend Travis Whyte have stayed busy throwing game-winning passes and taking the cheer squad to bed. Shy and mostly solitary after a tragic loss, Clare has never been on the radar of any social scene. Then a steamy chance encounter changes everything. Suddenly one naughty misadventure isn’t enough—for either of them. Eric is determined to open Clare’s eyes to every kind of pleasure, even if it means exploring an unconventional arrangement and ultimately taking a chance on something deeper. But with change comes new challenges. Temptation lurks at every turn, and Clare has to decide if Eric is the one who deserves not just her body but her heart.

Growing up with odds stacked against him, born to alcoholic parents, and forced to depend on only himself since the age of eight, Wilbur strives for success through intelligence, hard work, and education. Unfortunately, lifes devastating blows overshadow Wilburs remarkable achievements like a one-two punch. Wilbur eventually concludes that his life has been a cruel jokeuntil one person lifts the veil, and Wilbur learns what his true purpose has always been.

She's hated him since high school. He’s secretly wanted her all along. Ten years later, can these former enemies become more when they end up stuck together overnight? Zack Strovers is the worst. The poor little rich boy was the worst in high school when he beat me in the presidential election. He was the worst when his dad called in favors to help him ace classes while I burned the midnight oil to graduate at the top of our class. And now he's really the worst when he shows up to our ten-year class reunion looking handsome as ever. I don't want to want him. But when we end up stuck in the school library overnight, with no one but each other, we have to make nice for once. We quickly discover there's a thin line between hate and love. Especially when the lights go out and the sparks ignite. Best-selling authors Kate Tilney and Lana Dash deliver a new steamy series about second chances, redemption, and true love with the Curvy Girls’ Class Reunion. Check out The Valedictorian and the Big Man on Campus if you enjoy enemies to lovers romance full of banter and slow burn tension.

This important book is based on the findings of the Illinois Valedictorian Project, the first systematic research study of high school valedictorians. Lives of Promise examines the question of what doing well in school actually means. The study follows the academic and nonacademic lives of eighty-one high school valedictorians for fourteen years after graduation. The author, Karen D. Arnold, documents not only a generation who began their adult lives in America during the 1980s and 1990s, but also the viability of some of our fundamental assumptions about what our schools measure and reward. Written in accessible, jargon-free language, the book explores the obstaclesincluding those of gAnder and racethat hinder our presumed future leaders.Using illustrative examples, the author provides lessons about the nature of success, the consequences of academic achievement, and the conditions that foster attainment in early adulthood. The book addresses head-on the urgent national debates on the failure of American education to develop future leaders from our pool of increasingly diverse youth. Some of the study's findings include the following:** at all levels of education, hard work, perseverance, and focus, as opposed to natural ability, are the most important factors for academic success** committment and involvement of faculty are key to the academic and career success of women, minorities, and first-generation college students** minority valedictorians struggle with obstacles such as financial problems, lack of support by faculty, and isolation in predominantly white universities.Social scientists, psychologists, high school and college administrators, educators of the talented and gifted, school counselors, student development scholars, college admissions professionals, and parents will find this book an invaluable resource if they are to chart the course for valedictorians of the future.

"A former Ivy League admissions officer offers an inspiring battle cry for sanity in the college application process that looks beyond the rankings to successfully determine what's truly the best school for you or your child. After years as a college admissions director for Dartmouth, Becky Munsterer Sabky had seen it all. The perfect grades, the perfect scores, and the perfect extracurriculars. The valedictorians were knocking at the gate, but in their quest for perfection they didn't realize what prize they were trying to win. In Valedictorians at the Gate, Sabky looks beyond the smoke and mirrors of the admissions gauntlet and places the power firmly where it should be: in the hands of the students themselves. Offering prescriptive, actionable advice for applicants and their mentors, Valedictorians at the Gate is the needed tonic for overstressed, overworked, and overwhelmed students on their way to the perfect college for them." -- page [4] of cover

Most of us think that valedictorians can write their own ticket. By reaching the top of their class they have proven their merit, so their next logical step should be to attend the nation’s very best universities. Yet in Top Student, Top School?, Alexandria Walton Radford, of American Institutes for Research, reveals that many valedictorians do not enroll in prestigious institutions. Employing an original five-state study that surveyed nine hundred public high school valedictorians, she sets out to determine when and why valedictorians end up at less selective schools, showing that social class makes all the difference. Radford traces valedictorians’ paths to college and presents damning evidence that high schools do not provide sufficient guidance on crucial factors affecting college selection, such as reputation, financial aid, and even the application process itself. Left in a bewildering environment of seemingly similar options, many students depend on their parents for assistance—and this allows social class to rear its head and have a profound impact on where students attend. Simply put, parents from less affluent backgrounds are far less informed about differences in colleges’ quality, the college application process, and financial aid options, which significantly limits their child’s chances of attending a competitive school, even when their child has already managed to become valedictorian. Top Student, Top School? pinpoints an overlooked yet critical juncture in the education process, one that stands as a barrier to class mobility. By focusing solely on valedictorians, it shows that students’ paths diverge by social class even when they are similarly well-prepared academically, and this divergence is traceable to specific failures by society, failures that we can and should address. Watch an interview of Alexandria Walton Radford discussing her book here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F81c1D1BpY0

Like most girls at Ridgeville High, Clare Winston has spent years fantasizing about sexy star quarterback Eric Hayward. He's gorgeous, talented, and untouchable. While Clare studies her way to the top of the senior class, Eric and his best friend Travis Whyte have stayed busy throwing game-winning passes and taking the cheer squad to bed. Shy and mostly solitary after a tragic loss, Clare has never been on the radar of any social scene. Then a steamy chance encounter changes everything. Suddenly one naughty misadventure isn't enough--for either of them. Eric is determined to open Clare's eyes to every kind of pleasure, even if it means exploring an unconventional arrangement and ultimately taking a chance on something deeper. But with change comes new challenges. Temptation lurks at every turn, and Clare has to decide if Eric is the one who deserves not just her body but her heart.

Learn about a mother’s journey in curing her depression by going to the extreme and dying ten times. A mother who would do anything and go to extreme lengths to save her own life, even if that meant dying ten times. A mother who would go to the extreme to feel joy again in her life. This is the story of Heather Anderson as she experiences radical treatment for her depression, which involves nearly dying to live again. Heather was put into a medically-induced coma ten times over the course of a few weeks, and she details her experience in this memoir about her journey and struggles to overcome mental illness. Do you want more free book summaries like this? Download our app for free at https://www.QuickRead.com/App and get access to hundreds of free book and audiobook summaries. DISCLAIMER: This book summary is meant as a preview and not a replacement for the original work. If you like this summary please consider purchasing the original book to get the full experience as the original author intended it to be. If you are the original author of any book on QuickRead and want us to remove it, please contact us at [email protected]