“Gripping and true in all ways. This fine, affecting memoir will stay with me for a very long time.”—Meg Wolitzer, author of The Female Persuasion “In this vividly written memoir novelist O’Hara shares a painful but ultimately beautiful account of her daughter Caitlin’s life with cystic fibrosis. . . . Her compelling story will resonate with anyone seeking a light in the darkest depths of grief.”—Library Journal In the vein of The Year of Magical Thinking and Beautiful Boy, an emotionally raw and inspiring memoir that illuminates a mother’s grief over the loss of her adult child and considers the hope of soulful connections that transcend the boundary of life and death. When their only child was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis (CF) at the age of two, Maryanne O’Hara and her husband were told that Caitlin could live a long life or be dead in a matter of months. Thirty-one years later, Caitlin lost her battle with this devastating disease following an excruciating two-year wait on the transplant list and a last-minute race to locate a pair of healthy lungs. The sudden spiral of events left Maryanne in an existential crisis, searching to find an answer to the eternal question: Why we are here? During her final years, Caitlin had become a source of wisdom and comfort for her mother—the partner with whom she shared a deep spiritual quest to understand what it meant to have a soul. After Caitlin’s passing, Maryanne began to notice signs—poignant, persistent synchronicities that seemed to lean toward proof of Caitlin’s enduring presence. Weaving together a series of interconnected meditations with illuminating glimpses of life rendered via text messages, e-mails, and journal entries, Little Matches is a profound reflection on life and death, motherhood, the pain of chronic uncertainty, and finding inspiration in the unexpected sparks that light our way through the darkness.

The oldest and most respected martial arts title in the industry, this popular monthly magazine addresses the needs of martial artists of all levels by providing them with information about every style of self-defense in the world - including techniques and strategies. In addition, Black Belt produces and markets over 75 martial arts-oriented books and videos including many about the works of Bruce Lee, the best-known marital arts figure in the world.

At the height of World War II, a surprise air raid has left a remote Japanese farming village in ruins, changing the world of three young women forever. In the fictionalized memoir The Day the Sun Shed Bloody Tears, Taka, Yumi, and Miss Tami desperately attempt to survive amid the horrific ruins of war while holding onto a sliver of human dignity and the belief that their future is still full of hope. Twenty-eight-year-old Taka is suddenly thrust into surrogate motherhood as she and her younger sister, Yumi, and a young slave Miss Tami, are left orphaned. Taka must lead the women through poverty, hunger, and fear as the chaos of war destroys everything they have ever known. As Taka chronicles an extraordinary life story that spans over four decades, she narrates how she and her sister survive nearly being sold as sex slaves and move in with an affluent family who teaches them how to love unconditionally, only to lose that same family through the atrocities of war. The unforgettable experiences of three Japanese girls during before, during, and after World War II provides a compelling, historical glimpse into how one war transformed the lives of so many forever.