Growing Up Greenpoint by Tommy Carbone

The subject was 1970s Brooklyn on Episode 94 of the GSMC Book Review Podcast as I spoke with author Tommy Carbone about his memoir, Growing Up Greenpoint: A Kid's Life in 1970s Brooklyn.

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In Growing up Greenpoint, Tommy Carbone captures what it was like to be a kid during the 1970s and 80s in Brooklyn. This funny, and sometimes emotional, memoir follows the years Tommy was educated not only in the classrooms of St. Stan’s, but on the streets of Greenpoint. It was there, playing street games with friends, being cornered by muggers, playing kissing games with the girls, spending time with family, and constantly seeking out the best snack foods in the neighborhood, where Tommy learned a lot about life; although he may not have known it at the time.

A simple conversation, years later, about the New York City Blackout of 1977 sparks Tommy to recall his youth in the city he loved. His stories will bring you into the action of what it was like to dodge cars during a ballgame, to take a hike to another borough in search of a particular burger, to the hours spent playing pinball in a corner candy store, and how special it was to build traditions with three generations of Polish and Italian relatives in Brooklyn’s garden spot.

The vivid descriptions of his antics of what it was like to grow up during those years will transport you to the sounds and smells of living in the city during those trying years. Reading this book, you’ll be entertained, and at the same time, you may shake your head wondering how Tommy ever survived - Growing up in Greenpoint. (Source)

This book is a lot of fun. Tommy experienced some pretty major events in the life of New York City, including the  blackout in 1977 and a fairly significant blizzard in 1978. While these were stressful events for the adults who had to deal with all of the logistical issues, they were actually quite the adventure for the kids in Tommy's neighborhood. My childhood was vastly different than Tommy's, so it was fun to read about growing up in an urban environment. It was also amazing how many parts of the book I resonated with despite the differences in our upbringings.

Genres:

• Memoir
• Nonfiction
  

What I enjoyed:

• Reading about a childhood so different from mine. I grew up in rural Montana, Tommy grew up in Brooklyn. As a child I knew Brooklyn existed because a friend's mom grew up there and his grandma would come to visit every year, but I had absolutely no concept of what living in an urban area was actually like. It was fun to see childhood through a different lens.
• All of the stories about food. I jokingly asked Tommy how he didn't end up weighing 300 pounds because it seemed like he did nothing but eat growing up. Again, his childhood food experiences were very different than mine, but I still found similarities in some of the stories he tells that involve both food and family. I also now think I need to try and egg cream...and I want to know why it has that name when it has neither egg nor cream...
• Reliving aspects of my own childhood, especially different types of technology (or lack thereof).

Quotes:

• "Looking back, the Greenpoint of my youth certainly had an impact on my personality, my outlook on life, and how I view the city - both good and bad - until this very day."
• "More recently I have resorted to telling people I was just generically from Brooklyn, leaving out the Greenpoint part. I'm not happy about that, so the next time I am asked, I might just give them a copy of this book"
• "This was our type of street food - pickles from barrels, slices from hole in the wall pizza joints, knishes from candy stores, leftover pretzels, sausages from butchers, and smoked fish off a clothesline."

Where you can find Tommy online:

Website: http://www.tommycarbone.com/

Blog: http://tommycarbone.com/blog/

Facebook: @TommyCarboneAuthor

Twitter: @TommyCarbone212

Amazon Author Page: Tommy Carbone

GoodReads: Tommy Carbone

Author Bio:

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Tommy Carbone grew up in Greenpoint Brooklyn during the 1970s and early 80s.  He roamed the avenues, hung out in candy stores playing pinball, and dodged cars chasing spaldeens. Brooklyn was then, as it is now, the “4th largest city” in America.

He now writes from a one-room cabin, on the shore of a lake that is frozen for six months out of the year, and where moose outnumber people 3 to 1. (Source)

Do you want to read Growing Up Greenpoint? You are in luck because Tommy has been kind enough to provide 3 signed copies to give away! All you have to do is go to either our Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram pages and comment on the post with Tom's interview. It's as simple as that: just comment on Episode 94 on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, and you'll automatically be entered to win Growing Up Greenpoint! The last day to enter is July 14th and winners will be announced on July 16th.

To hear the interview with Tommy, please click here.

Not Just Me by Lisa Jakub

On today's episode of the GSMC Book Review Podcast I interview Lisa Jakub about her book Not Just Me: Anxiety, Depression, and Learning to Embrace Your Weird. I read her first book, You Look Like That Girl several months ago (on the train commuting to work where I got a LOT of weird looks because I was laughing, and occasionally snorting, while reading) and greatly appreciated not only humor but how open and matter-of-fact she was in writing about her issues with anxiety and depression.  so when I saw that she had written an entire book on the subject I knew I wanted to read.  When she agreed to be a guest on the podcast it was icing on the cake.

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Lisa Jakub has always been a little weird.

Sensitive. Emotional. Introverted.

What else would you expect from a former child actor turned writer?

But the issue wasn’t just an artistic temperament; Lisa was constantly trying to hide her debilitating anxiety and depression. She assumed that retiring from her eighteen-year acting career and leaving Hollywood was going to be the cure for all of her issues. Guess how that worked out?

Lisa was still having three panic attacks a day and found it hard to leave her house. But when anxiety-induced vomiting claimed the life of her iPod—she knew it was time to get help. It was time to talk about the things that are hard to talk about.

She started to embrace her weird.

In searching for a deeper understanding of mental wellness, Lisa explored her own history and reached out to others to learn how anxiety and depression impacted their lives. She interviewed Veterans with PTSD and ten-year-olds with sensory integration issues, people with eating disorders and cutting habits, those whose lives were saved by medication and those who found yoga to be the answer. She went to Colorado to learn about the effects of cannabis on anxiety, and attended a meditation retreat in North Carolina to sit quietly for hours and hours and hours in “noble silence.” Without a phone.

Not Just Me is a hopeful, entertaining, enlightening look at the root causes of anxiety, the latest research on mood disorders, and ideas for how we can all live authentically with more peace, power, and purpose. Part memoir, part journalistic exploration—this book reminds all of us that we are not alone. (Source)

 

The book description alone gives you a glimpse of how great this book is, equal parts humor and factual information.  As someone who has gone through my own struggles with both anxiety and depression I had so many "yes!" moments while reading.  It reminds us that no matter what that voice tells us, we aren't alone and we aren't weird in how we are feeling.

Genres:

· Memoir

· Non-Fiction

What I enjoyed:

· The way Lisa writes.  The book is full of humor, facts, and it gives a lot of incredibly helpful information while remaining engaging and entertaining.

· The stories of the people Lisa interviewed, who share their own difficult experiences and what they have learned from those experiences.  She interviews people with eating disorders, PTSD, those with substance abuse problems, former cutters, and more, so there is a wide range of struggles that readers might resonate with.

· Lisa's passion about this topic, her honesty about her own experiences, and her willingness to do whatever she can to help others who are struggling.  She gives concrete methods throughout the book of things to try, from yoga and meditation, to breathing techniques, to form letter that can be downloaded to help you talk to your doctor about your experiences.

Who should read Not Just Me?

· Anyone who is or has gone through anxiety and/or depression.

· Families, friends, and support networks of people with anxiety and/or depression.

· Anyone who has ever wondered what it is like to live with anxiety and/or depression.

Quotes:

• "But I've learned that there are actually a bunch of us that feel like this. And not one wants to talk about it. Until someone else brings it up. And then it's all they want to talk about. Anxiety is real."
• "What I really want is for all of us to go sit in a coffee shop and talk about our struggles so we feel less isolated, but there isn't a coffee shop in the world big enough to hold us all. So this book is the next best thing I could come up with."
• "Here's why it's okay for you to be okay: Happy, grateful people are good for everybody. It's more effective to help the world from a place of inner peace than to suffer in solidarity. Greatness does not need to come from suffering; it comes out of being awake to the intricacies of life."

Where you can find Lisa online: 

Website: https://lisajakub.net/

Facebook: @lisajakub108

Twitter: @Lisa_Jakub

Instagram: @lisajakub108

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsFKQdvnjZxTY94lEHsYh2g?view_as=subscriber

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Lisa-Jakub/e/B00O86AB6K/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8442315.Lisa_Jakub

Author Bio:

Source

Hello. I’m Lisa – a writer, speaker, writing teacher, traveler, yoga teacher, and wife. I also make really good spinach gnocchi.

I began my acting career at the age of four in Toronto, Canada. For the next eighteen years, I worked consistently in the film industry in Los Angeles, in projects that ranged from Hollywood blockbuster to cutting room floor.

At the age of 22, I realized that there must be more to life than premieres and pretending to be other people. I suspected that there was something outside of movies that would feel more authentic to me. I left the film industry under the guise of following the man I loved to Virginia. Luckily, the man I loved really was in Virginia, so it all worked out and we lived happily ever after in our own version of a Hollywood ending.

While figuring out how to be a normal person, I have dedicated myself to my lifelong love of words and my profound respect for a well-told story.

My memoir, You Look Like That Girl, is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble or by requesting it from your favorite independent bookseller. Personalized signed copies are available here. It is the story of growing up in the film industry and making the decision to leave in search of some peace.

My second book, Not Just Me,  is a hopeful, entertaining, enlightening look at the root causes of anxiety, the latest research on mood disorders, and ideas for how we can all live authentically with more peace, power, and purpose. Part memoir, part journalistic exploration—this book reminds all of us that we are not alone. Personalized signed copies can be ordered here.

My writing has appeared in Newsweek, Today.com, Huffington Post, Yoga Magazine, US Magazine, Elephant Journal, Thought Catalog, Vanichi Magazine, ASPCA, and Hello Giggles, where I am a contributing writer. I’ve appeared on HuffPost Live, MSNBC, CNN, BBC, and CBC. I do speaking events at high schools, colleges, and conferences and run weekend workshops about writing, yoga, and living an authentic life. (Source)

To hear the interview with Lisa please click here.

Co-Parenting From the Inside Out by Karen Kristjanson

For episode 55 of the GSMC Book Review Podcast I chatted with Karen Kristjanson about her book, Co-Parenting From the Inside Out: Voices of Moms and Dads.  I was contacted initially about having her on the GSMC Relationship Podcast, but wanted to include her on the Book Review Podcast as well.

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Effective co-parenting, or sharing significant parenting time with an ex-spouse, is one of the best gifts separated parents can give to their children. The interviews in Co-Parenting from the Inside Out are with real moms and dads in diverse circumstances, showing them making choices, sometimes struggling, and often growing. Their stories offer insights into wise decision-making, as well as practical strategies that strengthen families. Parents can see that they are not alone as they navigate their feelings and build a future. While pain exists in most stories, there is also hope. Co-parents often feel that they have become more confident and compassionate, and parent better than before. The effects of their personal growth and their children’s are the silver lining in the dark pain of divorce.

Karen L. Kristjanson has brought together real life co-parenting stories that inspire separated parents and help them understand co-parenting better, offering practical tips and tools that directly benefit families. (Source)

Karen wrote this book after her own experience with co-parenting her 2 sons with her ex-husband.  She had wished at the time that there were more resources available that would help them through the process and be a source of support, so when she was in a position to do so she wrote the book she had needed herself.  Karen is passionate and compassionate about the subject and wants to advocate for families to have the best resources possible when making difficult decisions about the future of their family structure.

Karen interviewed 14 fathers and 28 mothers who had gone through or were in the process of Co-Parenting with their ex-partner.  The families involved were fairly diverse from those with special-needs children, both hetero- and homosexual parents, as well as families with financial, addiction, or mental issues.

Genres:

• Parenting
• Family and Relationships
• Non-Fiction

What I enjoyed:

• The stories from the moms and dads Karen interviewed.  The stories are often difficult, but reading them gives a sense of the obstacles, challenges, and successes that can come through the process of Co-Parenting.
• The way the stories were divided into categories based on types of families and experiences.  Anyone reading the book will be able to find situations and families that resonate with their own experiences.
• Karen's passion about this topic, her honesty about her own experiences, and her desire to offer other families a resource to help them through and emotionally charged period in their lives.

Who should read Co-Parenting From the Inside Out?

• Anyone considering or already co-parenting
• Families, friends, and support networks of couples who are co-parenting
• Anyone with questions about this process or who might be wondering under what circumstances co-parenting should or should not be pursued

Quotes:

• "The forty-two parents who told their stories ranged in age from twenty-seven to sixty-five.  Some were straight and some gay. Some struggled financially, some were well off.  Some endured high conflict situations, while others had minimal strife in their separations and divorce. Some parents had children with special needs, and some parents themselves had mental health problems.  Fourteen were fathers and twenty-eight, mothers."
• "We can teach our children only what we have already learned ourselves.  This is a central truth of being a parent."

Where you can find Karen online:
Website: http://www.beyondlimitscoaching.com/
Blog: https://karenkristjanson.wordpress.com/
Facebook: @SharedParentingAfterDivorce
Twitter: @CoParentAuthor

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Karen-L.-Kristjanson/e/B073V7KZX7/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1

Author Bio:

Source

Karen L. Kristjanson, MSc, MA is a professional life coach, writer, and member of Leading Women for Shared Parenting. A co-parent herself, she has over thirty years’ experience supporting adults tackling change, to help them both survive and grow. Kristjanson writes for Divorce Magazine and the Huffington Post Canada. She lives in Surrey, British Columbia.

For the interview with Karen please click here.

Fight Game by Alistair Hendrie

Today's author interview on the GSMC Book Review Podcast is a little different from previous interviews because the book falls into a genre I don't normally talk about:  Sports Non-Fiction.  Which, frankly, is awesome.  I keep saying as I go through this process that I enjoy being exposed to and reading books I might not otherwise read. Fight Game: The Untold Story of Women's MMA in Britain by Alistair Hendrie isn't necessarily a book I would pick up for a little light reading.  I actually watch MMA, Women's MMA in particular.  I didn't used to.  I'm not a huge sports fan, and Mixed Martial Arts didn't seem like something I would ever watch.  Then I got married to a man who did Martial Arts and boxed in college and who watched a variety of combat sports.  I started watching it with him, and while I'm not sure I would watch it on my own, I have grown to appreciate many of the women who participate in the sport, and I am learning about the strategy involved in this complex sport.

But enough about me.  When Alistair contacted the Women's MMA Podcast about possibly doing an interview to promote his book, Tate (the host of the WMMA and MMA Podcast) and I readily agreed.  We asked if we could put the interview on all 3 podcasts, and had a really great time chatting with Alistair from his home in Reading, UK, even though we had major Skype technological problems.

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When Rosi Sexton fought Alexis Davis in 2013, she made history and became the first British woman to compete in the UFC.  FIGHT GAME reveals how Britain's female fighters broke down barriers, offering interviews from stars such as Sexton and the UFC's Joanne Calderwood.

With its intimate take on the grow of the scene, landmark moments and the personalities within the sport, FIGHT GAME is an inspiring tale of dedication, sacrifice, and, ultimately, acceptance. (Source)

As I said, this isn't my usual genre, but I do always love learning new things, and I was amazed at what my brief foray in to the world of Women's MMA had already taught me.  You can tell Alistair is passionate about this sport through his writing, and Fight Game gives a great overview of Women's MMA in Britain, especially showing how the earliest women to join the sport had to struggle to gain a foothold. The book details the evolution of MMA as a sport as well as the evolution of the roles of women fighters within that sport.

Genres:

• Sports
• Non-Fiction
• Women's MMA

What I enjoyed:

• How Alistair's passion for the sport and the people involved in the sport clearly shows in his writing.
• Learning more about a group of fighters I was not that familiar with.
• Learning more about the evolution of MMA as a whole, Women's MMA more particularly, and Women's MMA in Britain most especially.

Who should read Fight Game?

• Fans of MMA, especially Women's MMA.
• Even if you aren't currently a fan but are curious about the sport, this book would give you a good introduction to the world.
• Fans of Sports Non-Fiction.

Quotes:

• "Whenever I asked Britain's earliest female fighters about their MMA debuts, I heard variations of the same response - they didn't have a clue what they were doing.  British women were still working out the sport but more crucially, the sport was also struggling to find its identity."
• "The women's scene was still growing and as Sexton attested, women would suffer from lack of competitive, sustainable matchups, which in turn led to inactivity.  'In order to get picked up by an international promotion, women needed to have a record against decent opponents.  Accumulating that was a real problem because you'd have limited people to fight.  You'd have girls where, if they were a male fighter with the same level of dedication, commitment and training, they'd be 6-0 or 7-0. But simply because they were female they might have struggled to get their first or second fight.'" -Rosi Sexton

Where you can find Alistair online:

If you want to read an excerpt of the book and learn a little more you can do so here: http://ahendriesportsjourno.blogspot.co.uk/2017/11/rosi-sexton-discusses-humble-beginnings.html

Website: http://ahendriesportsjourno.blogspot.co.uk/
Twitter: @allyh84

Author Bio:

Source

Alistair Hendrie is a freelance sports journalist with experience writing for publications such as Boxing News, Mirror.co.uk, Fighters Only and MMA Plus. (Source)