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Who Do You Think You Are?: A Memoir After her mother’s death, Alyse Myers covets only one thing: a wooden box that sits in the back of a closet. Its contents have been kept from her for her entire life. When she was thirteen years old her mother promised she could have the box, “when I’m dead. In fact, it’ll be my present to you.”

Growing up in Queens in the 1960s and ’70s, Alyse always yearned for more in life, while her mother settled for an unhappy marriage, an unsatisfying job, and ultimately a joyless existence. Her father drifts in and out of their home. There are harrowing fights, abject cruelty, and endless uncertainty. Throughout her childhood Alyse adamantly rejects everything about her mother’s lifestyle, leaving her mother to ask “Who do you think you are?”

A personal portrait of a mother and daughter, Who Do You Think You Are? explores the profound and poignant revelations that so often can come to light only after a parent has died. Balancing childhood memories with adult observations, Alyse Myers creates a riveting and deeply moving narrative.
Customer Review: Couldn’t put it down
This book drew me in from the start, and a combination of the writing and the story kept me hooked. People might wonder why someone with a mother who was so frequently awful to them would want to stay connected to that parent. But as is made clear in this book — it’s still your mom. And it’s human nature to want it to turn out o.k. Myers doesn’t try to find excuses for her mother or psychoanalyze her. There’s an acceptance here; not approval of her behavior, and not wishing it wasn’t different. But a realization that her mother was a very flawed human being — and she still wanted a relationship with her. It was a great read.
Customer Review: Read This Book!
This is a truly inspiring book. Not only is the writing flawless and captivating, but Myers tells a story that is real and original. She connects the story of her past to her current life in a manner that reminds us all how we come to be the people we are. This book will force you to examine the relationships in your life and what they mean to you, and in the process is a wonderful read. I could not put it down, and even woke up in the middle of the night just to read what was going to happen next. I am looking forward to reading it again and discovering new things about life, love, and myself. I hope to read another book by Alyse Myers in the near future.

Backstage Passes and Backstabbing Bastards: Memoirs of a Rock ‘N’ Roll Survivor A rock ‘n roll classic, back in print, updated and revised. One of the funniest rock memoirs ever, Al Kooper’s legendary Backstage Passes is available again! Al’s quirkly life, from would’be teenage rocker, to crashing Bob Dylan’s recording session and playing the organ on Highway 61, to forming Blood, Sweat, and Tears and masterminding the Super Sessions, it’s all here…plus, in this updated version, Al rides with us all the way back to the end of the 20th century. There has never been a more wickedly humorous and honest book by a man who has made such rock history.
Customer Review: Al Kooper: One of a kind
One of the great rock musicians of all-time. This guy should definitely be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in fact he should have his own wing. Great writing throughout, this is the most entertaing rock and roll book that I’ve ever read. One of the finest memoirs I’ve ever read for that matter. I wish he would write more.
Customer Review: Not enough
I did not want this book to end. I have been a fan of Al’s since the Blood,Sweat,and Tears days and this book filled in so many unanswered questions I had. I recommend that anyone who likes him in any capacity read this book and see him live.

The Latehomecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir

In search of a place to call home, thousands of Hmong families made the journey from the war-torn jungles of Laos to the overcrowded refugee camps of Thailand and onward to America. But lacking a written language of their own, the Hmong experience has been primarily recorded by others. Driven to tell her family’s story after her grandmother’s death, The Latehomecomer is Kao Kalia Yang’s tribute to the remarkable woman whose spirit held them all together. It is also an eloquent, firsthand account of a people who have worked hard to make their voices heard.

Hero of the Underground: A Memoir