The Guineveres by Sarah Domet

Four girls, each named Guinevere, are all one another have after their parents have tragically abandoned them at The Sisters of Supreme Adoration convent and have left in the care of Sister Fran. The Guineveres, better known as Vere, Gwen, Ginny, and Win are bound together by their name and stand together through all of the circumstances of their plain lives at the convent. Together they learn about God, history, and contrary to the nuns' wishes, sex. With nobody to rely on but themselves and the dream of life outside the convent, the Guineveres form a tight bond and assuage their longing for the family members that have abandoned them. In this coming of age story, the Guineveres struggle to maintain their essence while exploring both their faith and their dreams.

The Guineveres is the first novel from new author Sarah Domet. With beautiful prose the insular world of Catholicism is alluringly detailed. With alternating chapters on less likely known saints, Domet does a wonderful job of illustrating the role of saints in the Catholic church, explaining the importance of Communion, and the flaws of those within the church. 

The Tin Horse by Janice Steinberg

After years of resistance to the thought of selling her home, where she raised her family, octogenarian Elaine Greenstein has finally decided to move into a retirement community. While packing years worth of possessions, Elaine unearths a clue to finding her twin sister, who disappeared from their predominantly Jewish neighborhood of Boyle Heights, California when she was only eighteen. After stumbling on the clue about her sister's disappearance, Elaine begins to retell her family's stories--everything from her mother's immigration to the United States to growing up as the "smart" twin instead of the "popular" one to her Zayde (Yiddish for grandfather) to reasons why her sister disappeared and the fallout from her sister's long ago disappearance.

Janice Steinberg's The Tin Horse is an excellent example of telling stories to remember. The author has done a wonderful job of intertwining Elaine's flashbacks as well as modern day Elaine's quest for her sister. With extreme detail to historical research and Jewish tradition, Steinberg has done a wonderful job of illustrating just how important family stories are to remembering those we love--a concept we should all aspire to.

Carry On by Lisa Fenn

In 2009 ESPN showed a short human interest film featuring a blind wrestler who would carry his legless teammate to and from the mats at meets. The powerful portrayal of hope and friendship caused many people to take an interest into the two boys from Ohio who had every disadvantage one could imagine. One of those people was the producer of the story, Lisa Fenn.

Dartanyon Crockett's larger than life statute was able to hide the fact that he could barely see, and his physical presence on the athletic field gave him a place in a world where he would have few things. He held on to hope, because he wanted to make his diseased mother proud. Leroy Sutton lost his legs in a tragic train accident, and spent his life with his mother squandering what resources should have helped him. He used humor to hide pain, and arm strength to show he could do what anyone else could. These boys became brothers, and we rarely seen without each other. 

When Lisa Fenn was sent the short article from the paper about the boys from her father, a Cleveland local, she knew there was a story there. As a producer for ESPN she knew this was something special, and convinced her boss to see what she saw. What she didn't know is that her life was going to be changed as much as the boys were. With out knowing what she was doing, she started looking out for these boys, hoping to elevate them out of their life of poverty and give them a better life. 

If you are looking for a powerful true story, in the same vein as The Blindside, check out Carry On by Lisa Fenn.

The Blessings by Elise Juska

When John Blessing passes away from cancer at a young age, leaving behind two young children, the loss is reverberated through the entire Blessing family. The Blessings are a close knit, Irish-American, Catholic family from Philadelphia, who take family and tradition very seriously, and with John's death the family comes together like never before. From big family dinners, Sunday Mass, and yearly vacations to the ocean, traditions are the glue that hold this family together amid cancer, death, marriage, eating disorders, babies, and divorce. Elise Juska's The Blessings is told in alternating viewpoints from various members of the Blessing family, with each chapter revealing deeper levels of the Blessing family while uniquely defining the characters of this story.

Testimony by Robbie Robertson

Robbie Robertson is best known as the guitarist and songwriter for The Band  who penned such memorable classic songs as “The Weight,” “Up on Cripple Creek,” and “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” among many others.  The Band was an eclectic group of musicians who backed up Bob Dylan during his transformative years and released the seminal album “Music from Big Pink” in 1968. Robertson covers the Band’s inception and evolving musical journey that culminated in the 1976 Martin Scorsese film documenting The Band’s final live appearance in “The Last Waltz.”

In between, the autobiographical Testimony brings to life a musical journey for Robertson that began at age 16 when he left his home in Canada to join Ronnie Hawkins and the Hawks. Robertson’s heritage is half-Mohawk and his storytelling nature makes for an interesting read. He became close friends with Dylan and mingled with a veritable who’s who of the 60’s and 70’s including every member of the Beatles, Joni Mitchell, David Geffen, Cher, Edie Sedgewick, Jimi Hendrix, Neil Young, Carly Simon, James Taylor and many more.

As a result, the reader is treated with a rich understanding of the evolving music scene and an inside view of a band of musical brothers who are hardened by life on the road; including drugs and other excesses, and eventually burned out by that same highway. Five hundred pages in length, “Testimony” is a large book. However, it engages the reader and Robertson’s ability to weave story after story makes for an easy read.

In a recent interview Robertson explained that the original manuscript was edited down from an original, imposing 800 pages. Those familiar with Robertson’s life know that his talents took him on further artistic journeys beyond the end of the book which covers only up to 1976. As a result, fans can look forward to the second book that will surely include his solo albums, film scores, and acting projects up to the present. Robbie Robertson has lived an interesting life and “Testimony” is a fine addition to rock musical autobiographies.