Dark, twisted, and outrageous, 29 Jobs and a Million Lies is not the story of your all-American girl seeking glory and success, but a glimpse at counterculture’s underbelly and attempts to succeed within that world. From demented B-movie, roach-infested film production offices chock full of freakish characters to the Cannes Film Festival; from starting a punk rock record label to its hard but inevitable crash; from a grimy, Greenwich Village restaurant kitchen to failed attempts at joining the Navy, you gotta ask, What’s a nice girl from the suburbs doing all of this dirty work for, anyway?
29 Jobs and a Million Lies is the gut-wrenching, self-deprecating account of how ambition to stand out was wiped out by clumsy choices, immaturity and self-defeating righteousness. Energized to prove to the doubters that she could succeed despite the unorthodox approach, this litany of boneheaded decisions portrays how the author painfully hurled heart and soul into a long trail of draining pursuits, failing so often that success was invisible. 29 Jobs is a post-GenX novel, except it’s true, and in the vein of Sarah Vowell, Chuck Klosterman, and Dave Eggers.
Free ($7.77 for print)
144 pages
(1 votes, average: 10 out of 10)
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Her name is Lori Foroozandeh, and this is her true story.
Lori lived her young years as a victim of abuse. As she grew older she fell into a classic pattern of self-destructiveness. But by the time she was twenty-seven, she was doing her utmost to create a sane life.
Mohammad Foroozandeh seemed like a man she could trust, a man who would care for her and respect her. Though she knew he engaged in drug use, she ignored the warning signs and married him. Two years later, he asked her to move to Iran, promising that she could pursue her career, assuring her that the country was quite modern. For four years, Lori adjusted as best she could to the oppressive customs of the land, but as her husband grew more demanding of her, he also became more violent.
After the World Trade Center bombings, Mohammad told her they must leave Iran. He purchased bus tickets that he said would take them out of the country and eventually to America. But before they could escape, armed guards attacked and kidnapped her. Lori was blindfolded and taken to a paramilitary POW camp somewhere in the hills.
Then the nightmare began…. six weeks of horrific beatings, raping, torture, and starvation.
The reason I’m writing is that I truly want this story to get out. It took me eight years to write it, and the reason I went with a self publishing company was that any correspondences I had with the larger publishers required me to edit my book and leave out certain details. (For example my childhood sexual abuse and drug addiction…they only wanted the book to focus on IRAN ).
Once a girl from Bahrain and I escaped the camp (will elucidate when requested) we went to Ostandary a place in Iran to help foreigners in trouble. Since there is no American embassy in Iran , I was taken (flown to) Dubai, UAE, where our embassy paid my way home. But before doing so they made me sign a non disclosure agreement that I wouldn’t talk about what happened to me.
On Nov. 14th I arrived back in the USA . since then I’ve been writing my story but wanted no publicity, until the book had been published which took eight years. Now that it is published I would like the people to know.
I am also not a squeeky clean person, I fled to Iran due to having false prescription charges I was facing due to being a nurse and addicted to Vicodin.
The above and my childhood sexual abuse is also accounted for in the book.
When I arrived home on Nov.14, 2001, I had severe head trauma and brain injury that I now have dealt with. I have had seizures due to this, and I was injured internally when I was raped there with a rifle barrel. They also did public rapes. I also taught english at Zabanamoozan Language School in Iran until one of my students were drowned in her fathers swimming pool for not being a virgin on her wedding night.
– Lori Foroozandeh
Author Website
(1 votes, average: 10 out of 10)
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The sequel to the bestselling memoir Blood, Sweat & Tea. Tom Reynolds is an ambulance worker. On any given day he can be attacked by strangers, sworn at by motorists, puked on, covered in blood and other much more unpleasant substances. He could help to deliver a baby in the morning and witness the last moments of a dying man in the afternoon. He deals with road accidents, knife attacks, domestic violence, drug overdoses, neglect and suffering. And you think you’re having a bad day at work? Tom blogs about his experiences at the end of each shift. His Random Acts of Reality website has a huge following with over 30,000 visitors every day. He is an internet legend and a remarkable writer. His first book, Blood, Sweat & Tea came out of nowhere to be a surprise bestseller in 2006. Readers were stunned by the stories he had to tell and impressed by the sheer quality of his writing. Critics who sneer at blogs-to-books have never read this one. More Blood, More Sweat and Another Cup of Tea charts the past two years of Tom’s life as an ambulance worker. He is tired, he is frustrated and he is more pissed off than ever but he still manages to capture the more moving, heartwarming and inspirational moments alongside the chaos.
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Craig Murray’s adventures in Africa from 1997 to 2001 are a rollicking good read. He exposes for the first time the full truth about the “Arms to Africa” affair which was the first major scandal of the Blair Years. He lays bare the sordid facts about British mercenary involvement in Africa and its motives.
This is at heart an extraordinary account of Craig Murray’s work in negotiating peace with the murderous rebels of Sierra Leone, and in acting as the midwife of Ghanaian democracy. Clearly his efforts were not only difficult but at times very dangerous indeed. Yet the story is told with great humour. Not only do we meet Charles Taylor, Olusegun Obasanjo, Jerry Rawlings and Foday Sankoh, but there are unexpected encounters with others including Roger Moore, Jamie Theakston and Bobby Charlton!
Above all this book is about Africa. Craig Murray eschews the banal remedies of the left and right to share with us the deep knowledge and understanding that comes over 30 years working in or with Africa. Gems of wisdom and observation scatter the book, as does a deep sense of moral outrage at the consequences of centuries of European involvement: even though he explains that much of it was well-intentioned but disastrous.
Note: Follow the Amazon link to author Craig Murray’s blog where you can buy the print edition from Amazon or buy a signed copy direct from the author (includes a donation to charity). You can also read the amazing story on how this book came to been released as a free ebook.
(2 votes, average: 8.5 out of 10)
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Glenda has cerebral palsy. A lack of oxygen at birth meant she would not be able to walk, her hands would not function well and her speech would be almost impossible to understand. Her parents were advised to institutionalize her. She wouldn’t amount to anything, the experts said.
Yet, this gutsy redhead proved them wrong. Glenda was integrated into a regular classroom long before mainstream was a buzzword. She went on to earn the Canada Cord, the highest award in Girl Guides, and the Outstanding Junior Student Award. The girl who could not walk won a gold medal in horseback riding!
How did she do it? Read Glenda’s inspiring autobiography I’ll Do It Myself! Glenda intimately shares her life story to show others cerebral palsy is not a death sentence, but rather a life sentence.
The stories are wonderful. Even in the sad, painful ones, Glenda finds a way to identify the humour and irony in them.”
- Tony, Burnaby, BC
“There is nothing better than a wicked sense of humor, and Glenda has it in spades!”
- Jerry, Surrey, BC
“Glenda’s writing is amazing, when I was reading it, it was like… I felt like I was there with her. Glenda’s writing style is very comforting… like it pulls a person in, gives them a warm hug, and makes them want to crawl into bed to read more!”
- Faith, Virginia, USA
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