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Title: Confessions of a Bad Teacher

Subtitle: The Shocking Truth from the Front Lines of American Public Education

Author: John Owens

Narrator: James Killavey

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 23 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-02-14

Publisher: John T. Owens

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 36 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

An explosive new look at the pressures on today's teachers and the pitfalls of school reform, Confessions of a Bad Teacher presents a passionate appeal to save public schools, before it's too late.

When John Owens left a lucrative job to teach English at a public school in New York City's South Bronx, he thought he could do some good. Faced with a flood of struggling students, Owens devised ingenious ways to engage every last one. But as his students began to thrive under his tutelage, Owens found himself increasingly mired in a broken educational system, driven by broken statistics, finances, and administrations undermining their own support system-the teachers.

The situation has gotten to the point where the phrase "Bad Teacher" is almost interchangeable with "Teacher". And Owens found himself labeled just that when the methods he saw inspiring his students didn't meet the reform mandates. With firsthand accounts from teachers across the country and tips for improving public schools, Confessions of a Bad Teacher is an eye-opening call-to-action to embrace our best educators and create real reform for our children's futures.

Members Reviews:

Telling it like it is.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. People really need to understand how bad conditions can be.

What did you like best about this story?

I have been a teacher for 30 years. If you wonder what it's like to be a teacher should read this book. I've quoted a review of the print version below that I totally agree with.

Which character as performed by James Killavey was your favorite?

I thought the reader good but a couple of people did not and, in the "Days of Trump" it's not enough to say you don't like something. People have to go to extremes like...."Terrible, really terrible, Believe me, Believe me!." Sad but true. So I say..I think he's good but don't believe me..or them. Listen to the sample and decide for yourself.

Any additional comments?

"This book accurately describes my own experiences right down to the language used

by the students and the pettiness of the administration. The central message of the book,

according to my biased view as a teacher, is that teachers should be supported financially

(dedicated teachers are spending thousands of their own dollars for classroom supplies

and demonstration apparatus), logistically (removal of knuckleheads from class), and emotionally (regarded with the esteem they deserve). I could recite my own litany of abuse by assistant principals, extreme behavior problems, too many kids with special needs and not enough time, but John Owens has already described my experience with remarkable accuracy. I realize now that this is not just a local problem, but a systemic one pervading school systems across the nation. Education reform has relieved students of responsibility for their own education and placed it all on the teacher. Thirty percent of the school year is consumed by preparing for and taking high-stakes tests. Education reform is the worst thing to ever happen to education. Teachers should be supported and appreciated. Education reform is a big part of the problem, good teachers hold the key to the solution. We should listen to them.

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Title: Man Repeller

Subtitle: Seeking Love. Finding Overalls.

Author: Leandra Medine

Narrator: Leandra Medine

Format: Unabridged

Length: 5 hrs and 41 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-31-13

Publisher: Hachette Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 102 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

Silk parachute pants. A gold lamé jumpsuit. Ankle boots with fringe. Were these fashion-forward items sending men running in the opposite direction? Maybe, but Leandra Medine never cared.

Slipping into drop-crotch shorts and a boxed sequin blazer in the dressing room of Topshop in downtown Manhattan, a brokenhearted Leandra had an epiphany. Looking in the mirror, she suddenly realized she didn't have a boyfriend because of the way she dressed. And the more she thought about it, the more she realized that such outfits said a lot about her life-romantic and otherwise.

Now, in her first book, the acclaimed blogger and fashion darling recounts her most significant memories through the lens of her sartorial choices. With her signature sass, blunt honesty, and some personal photos, Leandra shares details of the night she lost her virginity right down to the pair of white tube socks she forgot to take off, as well as when and why she realized her grandma's vintage Hermès ostrich skin clutch could hold much more than just keys and a cell phone. Through it all, she proves you don't need to compromise even your most repellent qualities to find your way into that big white dress (and an organza moto jacket). See? You can have your yeti and wear it, too.

Showcasing the singular voice that has won Leandra millions of fans, this book is a collection of awkwardly funny experiences, a sweet love story, and above all, a reminder to celebrate and embrace a world made for women, by women.

Members Reviews:

Leandra is amazing

She can do no wrong. Even today this book is super relevant and super funny!

Loved it.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I, too, have had a natural fixation on fashion since childhood. I also live in Manhattan and love shoes (duh). I have seen Leandra around Soho, enjoyed looking at her blog... but had only done so maybe 2 or 3 times. I chose to listen to this book anyway, because I was curious to know more about her besides her affinity towards shorts and pants of the high-waisted variety. Well, I loved it. I am a painter and listen to books while I paint, and this one made me laugh AND cry. Productive hours flew by. It also put me in a really good mood. However, I am now sad it is over. MORE please! I enjoy the way she chooses to word her sentences. Funny girl, unique style.

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Title: Forever Different

Subtitle: A Memoir of One Woman's Journey Living with Bipolar Disorder

Author: Christine F. Anderson

Narrator: Kristi Alsip

Format: Unabridged

Length: 3 hrs and 45 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-19-13

Publisher: Forever Different Book

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 25 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

An uncut, raw and gripping story of one woman's life struggle with the extreme highs and lows of Bipolar Disorder I. The denial of her diagnosis and the eventual acceptance of her medication and disease. She takes us from her innocence as a child to her adult criminal lifestyle, which led to a subsequent 70 month federal prison sentence for Securities Fraud. A tale so unbelievable and elements so disturbing, you would swear you were listening to fiction.

Members Reviews:

A wakeup call for all of us

A good listen after listening to (An Unquiet Mind by Dr. Jamison). In this book Christine tells it just how it is. She explains how mania ruind her life by making her prone to irrational thinking, and making her have a wild life that included: over spending, buying expensive clothes, cars, houses, maxing out credit cards, and even fraud, theivary, stealing money from clients credit cards, and identity theft. She was diagnosed many times by doctors and was prescribed with Lithium, which is very effective for bipolar by the way, but she didn't take them because she felt good after a while and was gaining weight.

Mental illness is just like any other illness, it is hard, we need the support of the people around us, those who love us and care for us. And we should always stick to the advice of a doctor we trust, and take the medication as prescribed.

amazing!!!

this book was perfect and real! I loved the rawness of her story and the love she had for it.

Boring

I really wanted to enjoy this book .It was just so bloody boring.

Not a bit self help at all.

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Title: Stranger Here

Subtitle: How Weight-Loss Surgery Transformed My Body and Messed with My Head

Author: Jen Larsen

Narrator: Dani Cervone

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 30 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-29-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 57 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

Jen Larsen always thought that if she could only lose some weight, she would be unstoppable. She was convinced that once she found a way to not be fat any more, she would have the perfect existence she'd always dreamed of. When diet after diet failed, she decided to try bariatric surgery, and it worked better than she ever could have dreamed: she lost 180 pounds. As the weight fell away, though, Larsen realized that getting skinny was not the magical cure she thought it would be and suddenly, she wasn't sure who she was anymore.

Stranger Here is the brutally honest, surprisingly hilarious story of one woman's journey from one extreme of the weight spectrum to the other, and of the unexpected emotional chaos it created. Insightful and unsparing in her self-examination, Larsen depicts the exhilarating highs and devastating lows she experienced as a result of her weight loss, the incredible joy of finally beginning to look like the image of herself she's always carried inside her head, and the crushing pain and confusion of feeling like a stranger in her own body after losing the weight that has always defined her.

Members Reviews:

Touching on difficult issues, with funny bits

I really liked this book, it was able to capture the feelings and complexities of what it means to be fat in society and what it means to lose weight when being fat was a part of your identity both of which are complex issues that the author portrays well.

Very American

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Not necessarily very subjective story about an individual's experience of gastric surgery and not particularly helpful for those going through or about to go through gastric surgery but interesting none the less.

Would you be willing to try another book from Jen Larsen? Why or why not?

Yes the story was good

Did Stranger Here inspire you to do anything?

No

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Title: Dumped

Subtitle: A Guy's Guide to Breakin' Up and Movin' On

Author: Kurt Calum

Narrator: Todd Hofley

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 44 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-27-13

Publisher: Open Book Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

Your partner's left you. Your world's been turned upside down. You're no longer part of a couple; you're no longer part of anything. But the worst partthe worst part...is that you feel like you didn't get a say in what your life's become, and your mind keeps tripping up on things you'd prefer not to contemplate. If you wish you didn't have to be alone with your thoughts right now - if you wish you didn't have to be alone with you, right now - this guy's guide to breakin' up and movin' on has your name written all over it. Think of it as a GPS that will steer you off that same old two-way street of sharing and compromise, and have you cruisin' along on your very own, single lane interstate that leads towards the guy you've always wanted to become. Somewhere down the road, there will be plenty of opportunities for looking back. On this stretch of your journey, however, all you need to do is keep your hands on the wheel and set your sight on the road in front of you. So just turn on the stereo and, for the next few miles, look into another guy's rearview mirror. His hindsight may be invaluable. Things don't have to be as bad as they appear to be. And the stories you're about to hear aren't all that bad, either.

Members Reviews:

LOL!... Nuf Said!

Wow!

If you've ever been dumped by your "favorite girl" (and in many cases, even if she wasn't your favorite girl!), this book will get right to the heart of the matter with you, and while very much on point most of the time, the author also keeps it light and easy reading throughout.

We all know that breakups are not the easiest things to get through, but we've got to get through them at some point (without becoming a total fool, acting like an idiot or becoming a stalker).

This truly is a "Guy's Guide" and the author does a great job of connecting with virtually everything that us guys go through. Matter of fact, all of us guys probably could have written this book ourselves.

Enjoy it for what it's worth, but the book really does offer a lot a great tidbits on how to get over her and move on with your life.

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Title: Who Killed My Daughter?

Author: Lois Duncan

Narrator: Teri Clark Linden

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 36 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-05-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 21 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

The best-selling young adult novelist recounts her daughter's mysterious shooting death and her own investigation into the crime, describing her use of a psychic to contact her dead child and expose the truth.

Editorial Reviews:

In Who Killed My Daughter?, acclaimed young adult author Lois Duncan recounts the harrowing story of her own daughters tragically unsolved murder, and her personal quest to find and bring a killer to justice.

Teri Clark Linden performs this raw and affecting memoir, her calm, even voice bringing some balance to the emotional turmoil evident throughout this intense audiobook. Who Killed My Daughter? is a poignant and elegiac recollection of personal grief and grit in the face of immeasurable horror, and Duncans journey through shock to rage and eventually uneasy acceptance is gripping, and not to be missed.

Members Reviews:

Not a True Crime Novel in the traditional sense

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

The Narrator has a very odd speaking pattern that became increasingly intolerable for me. She reads almost every sentence as an interrogative sentence. Her voice goes up at the end of each sentence as if she is asking a question even when she is reading a fact. So, possibly, I may have enjoyed this book slightly more if it had been read by another narrator.

Has Who Killed My Daughter? turned you off from other books in this genre?

No.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Who Killed My Daughter??

All scenes having to do with psychic readings should have been ommitted. As the genre implies, a true crime novel should be made up of known facts. The endless droning on about the numerous psychic readings the author attended was nonsensical and did not add to the story in any way at all. There is not one "fact" that was offered during any psychic reading that aided the author in finding the answer to her question "Who Killed My Daughter". The readings of these transcripts from the psychic were boring and pointless to this listener and detracted from the story.

reader is incredibly monotone & boring

narrator monotone making it incredibly hard to finish. story hard to follow. don't waste time

True Story

I enjoy reading nonfiction. However, this story (even though there is a sequel) suffers from the number one issue with true stories, it is unresolved. So it is fascinating to read about the family, the case, and all the possible solutions. But you have to be okay without those answers.

Intriguing and Heartbreaking

I have always been a fan of Lois Duncan and I hope that her daughter's murderer(s) are found and convicted.

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Title: Musical Chairs

Author: Jen Knox

Narrator: Laura Jennings

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 3 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-10-13

Publisher: All Things That Matter Press, Inc.

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 4 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

Musical Chairs explores one family's history of mental health diagnoses and searches to define the cusp between a '90s working-class childhood and the trouble of adapting to a comfortable life in the suburbs. In order to understand her restlessness, Jennifer reflects on years of strip-dancing, alcoholism and estrangement. Inspired by the least likely source, the family she left behind, Jennifer struggles toward reconciliation. This is a story about identity, class, family ties, and the elusive nature of mental illness.

Members Reviews:

A powerfully compelling coming of age memoir

A powerfully compelling coming of age memoir, Musical Chairs describes the way a young woman is left to figure out a mystifying world pretty much on her own without much useful help from the adults and peers in her world. I have often felt what this book describes is symptomatic of much of our society: this helpless abandonment of our youth by fundamentally good people with someâalbeit vanishingâauthority but no real power to guide a young bewildered soul who is stretching for her own power. There is a lot of honesty and wisdom in this book. One of the first instances that memorably resonated with me was the observation "that the only way to win a fight with my father was to leave." In addition to the honesty and wisdom, there is also a lot of hope. Despite derailments and mystifications, the author finds a beautiful and meaningful path and somehow has the strength to follow it.

Better than "High on Arrival"

While I was reading Jen Knox memoir, "Musical Chairs", I also happened to be reading Mackenzie Phillips's, "High on Arrival". This gave me a comparative perspective on the two books. If you haven't already read "High on Arrival", my advice would be don't bother and read "Musical Chairs" instead. Jen Knox's book is what Mackenzie Phillips's book should have been.

These books are the first ones for each author. Being a survivor of sexual abuse myself, I'm typically for any book that brings this horrific subject into the public realm. How else can such things be dealt with? Pretending that such things don't happen, or that they always happen to someone else conveniently outside our families, doesn't seem to work very well. So, I was really enthused when Phillips's book came out. I watched the Oprah interview (and one or two of the others) and ordered her book.

In my opinion, Mackenzie Phillips is still in "pretend mode". Her continual justifications of her father's actions and affirmations of her love for him really grew tiresome. At this point I can't even imagine that Phillips will be able to stay away from drugs. Let's face it, she's only been "clean" long enough to write the book (with the aid of coauthor Hilary Liftin - and even that didn't help much). Phillips last arrest for drug possession was only a little over a year ago:

[...]

Problems like Phillips has don't get fixed in a year. Her message seems to be:

1). If you're in an abusive situation, continue in it until your perpetrator dies.

2). Once that happens try to see if you can fix what's left of you, but only after you get thrown into jail for possession.

3).

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Title: The Doper Next Door

Subtitle: My Strange and Scandalous Year on Performance-Enhancing Drugs

Author: Andrew Tilin

Narrator: Eric Michael Summerer

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 40 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-29-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 67 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

What happens to a regular guy who dopes? Surprised to learn that pro athletes arent the only ones taking performance-enhancing substances, journalist Andrew Tilin goes in search of the average juicing Joe, hoping to find a few things out: Why would normal people take these substances? Where do folks get them? Does the stuff really work?

But these controversial drugs often silence their users, and so his queries might have gone unanswered had Tilin not looked in the mirror and succumbed to curiosity. Soon wielding syringes, this fortysomething husband and father of two children becomes the doper next door.

During his yearlong odyssey, Tilin is transformed. He becomes stronger, hornier, and aggressive. He wades into a subculture of doping physicians, real-estate agents, and aging women who believe that Tilins type of legal hormone-replacement therapy is the key to staying young, and he often agrees.

He also lives with the price paid for renewed vitality, worrying about his health, marriage, and cheating ways as an amateur bike racer. And all along the way, he tells us what doping is really like: empowering and scary.

Members Reviews:

Interesting Experiment

What did you like best about The Doper Next Door? What did you like least?

A frank and personal look at what it's like to go on performance enhancing drugs from a middle-aged, amateur cyclist, who's a husband and father. He starts taking high dosages of exogenous testosterone and DHEA and talks about all the pro-'s and con's of this decision.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

I thought it was fine as is.

What about Eric Michael Summerers performance did you like?

Eric did a very good job narrating - smooth reader.

Was The Doper Next Door worth the listening time?

Yes - what I found fascinating was the 'hidden' side effects of the drugs that the author experienced. He was always worried that he might get caught, he felt like a fraud to his cycling coach, there were the mood swings, and also risking his family with secondary contamination. The author did a very good job about taking the reader through his decisions, even going back to key events from his childhood, and recent adulthood, which seemed to have shaped his decision to 'juice' and take the risks.

Any additional comments?

This book probes at the heart of the anti-aging industry. Supplemental hormones are the new panacea for men and women, it seems. This book should shed some good light on the overall effect of these drugs - moth physically, emotionally and psychologically.

What a wimp. He needs a hug or more testosterone.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

No, If you are in to cycling go read another book. If you expect this book to get juicy and really dive into doping then you will disappointed. Mr Tilin doesn't dope, he just takes normal prescriptions for his low testosterone levels. With the way this guy explains his life it seems like he has always been low on T. He behavior while on T just seem to be normal male behavior and don't really warrant a book with a great tittle.

What could Andrew Tilin have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Go beyond bringing his testosterone to normal numbers.

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Title: A Dog Walks into a Nursing Home

Subtitle: Lessons in the Good Life from an Unlikely Teacher

Author: Sue Halpern

Narrator: Karen White

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 4 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-16-13

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 53 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

At loose ends with her daughter leaving home and her husband on the road, Sue Halpern decided to give herself and Pransky, her under-occupied Labradoodle, a new leash - er, lease - on life by getting the two of them certified as a therapy dog team. Smart, spirited, and instinctively compassionate, Pransky turned out to be not only a terrific therapist but an unerring moral compass. In the unlikely sounding arena of a public nursing home, she led her teammate into a series of encounters with the residents that revealed depths of warmth, humor, and insight Halpern hadn't expected. And little by little, their adventures expanded and illuminated Halpern's sense of what virtue is and does - how acts of kindness transform the giver as well as the given-to.

Funny, moving, and profound, A Dog Walks into a Nursing Home is the story of how one faithful, charitable, loving, and sometimes prudent mutt - showing great hope, fortitude, and restraint along the way (the occasional begged or stolen treat notwithstanding) - taught a well-meaning woman the true nature and pleasures of the good life.

Members Reviews:

my mistake!

I imagined this would be a light-hearted collection of goofy dog anecdotes from this therapy-dog owner, and I love a good goofy dog story. Instead, it is a self-indulgent narrative by a quite silly and shallow woman who imbues her dog with human-like reason and emotion. She is amazed to find that people who are old, infirm in body or mind, or alone are yet enjoying life, looking forward, making friends, and are not suffering in silence, but are serene in silence. The author is stunned and (falsely, it feels) humbled by her previous fears and ignorance. Yikes!! keep this dope away from MY nursing home, should I end up in one.

The narrator is one whom I have heard and not enjoyed before. She sounds like an old kindergarten teacher reading to Story Circle, all raised eyebrows, exaggerated emotions, and crazy character voices. Karen White. I will definitely remember to avoid this name in the future.

Good book, not so great narration

I generally liked the story, and appreciated the writing style and unique perspective of the author, so it took me a little while to figure out that the reason I wasn't fully engaged with this book was because of the narrator. I'm not sure if the narrator sounded patronizing, trivializing, or just too pragmatic for this text, but I did not emotionally connect with the book, and I think it was largely because of the way it was read.

Disappointing

I was so excited for this book, as a staff member of a nursing home who has brought my dog with me as part of the "family" for over 10 years. There was no plot and joy to this book and perhaps that wasn't the intention, but it was certainly unclear what the purpose was. It was more of an unorganized editorial. And the reader didn't even sound interested in what she was saying.

Exceptional in every way

I hoped the book would be about the therapeutic process of giving and receiving. I was not disappointed in the least. The author did an excellent job of researching and exploring deep truth and mystery. I am so thankful she allowed me to learn from her experiences. The reader's voice was perfect.

Don't Let This Title Fool You - You Will Love This

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Absolutely.

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Title: With or Without You

Subtitle: A Memoir

Author: Domenica Ruta

Narrator: Domenica Ruta

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 17 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-26-13

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 125 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

A haunting, unforgettable mother-daughter story for a new generation - the debut of a blazing new lyrical voice

Domenica Ruta grew up in a working-class, unforgiving Italian town north of Boston where in the seventeenth century women were hanged as witches. Her mother, Kathi, a notorious figure in this hardscrabble place, was a drug addict and sometime dealer whose life swung between welfare and riches, whose highbrow taste was at odds with her base appetites. And yet she managed, despite the chaos she created, to instill in her daughter the idea that art - via a classic film or a classical education - could transcend this life of undying grudges, self-inflicted misfortune, and the crooked moral code that Kathi and her cohorts lived by. With or Without You is the story of Domenicas unconventional coming of age - a darkly hilarious chronicle of a misfit 90s childhood and the necessary and painful act of breaking away, and of overcoming her own addictions and demons in the process. In a brilliant stylistic feat, Domenica Ruta has penned a powerful, inspiring, pause-resisting, and finally redemptive story about loving and leaving.

Critic Reviews:

In the world of memoir, Mary Karrs and Geoffrey Wolffs exceptional books burn and brighten, like actual stars among strings of tinsel. With or Without You is like that. I will read whatever Domenica Ruta writes. (Amy Bloom)

Make it new, Ezra Pound directed, and Domenica Ruta has. Difficult childhoods are plentiful, the talent to transform adversity into art in short supply. Unflinching in its regard, forgiving in its humor, With or Without You is that rare thing, a story you think you know transformed into one you have to read to the end. (Kathryn Harrison)

Freakishly brilliant, brilliantly freakish, this is one of the best memoirs I have ever read. Domenica Ruta has done something every artist with a failed family must do: She has created herself. (Gary Shteyngart)

Members Reviews:

A real and riveting story-beautifully written

This book makes up for every dud I have listened to on audible. The author is unflinching, unyielding in her description of the insanity and chaos she grew up in, yet she doesn't ask for the reader's sympathy or pity. The love-hate-fear triad she feels for her drug-addicted mother is what makes the story so compelling. As in real life, this book is all shades of gray. A mother who neglects her child, shares drugs with her child, turns a blind eye to sexual abuse, but at the same time is determined to secure the best education for her. A mother who seems to care only about getting high and being in love, yet turns a small, failing business into a million dollar enterprise. And then loses it all to drugs.

The author does an incredible job at portraying a relationship fraught with ambivalence and fear. She has an overwhelming love for her mother, yet prays for her death so as to release her from the bondage of codependency and pain. The redemption comes when the author's instinct for self-preservation appears and she begins the journey to find her authentic self.

Unbelievably Good

This audio book was the best I've heard in a long time. What an amazingly sad yet upbeat story. This book hit me on a very personal level, one which I wish I had the gift to share articulately.