Pearls Of Wisdom: Surviving Against All Odds - Book 1 This book contains four autobiographies of people over the age of fifty who have decided to tell the trials and tribulations that each one came through, in the hope that someone may be able to change their life for the better and understand that they are not alone. No story is alike but each book in the series touches on the many aspects of life that we might face in our lifetime. The books contain very inspiring tales of real people and how they coped with life. Pearls Of Wisdom: Surviving Life Against All Odds - Book 1 ISBN 0-9767732-1-X $20.95 Autobiographies, Marie Davis and "Survivors" www.authormariedavis.com/ Purchase below at: Amazon.com Reviews “After reading just one of these stories, you will soon learn that the Fifties were not all that they professed to be. As for me – I just can’t stand the waiting for the next one.” Patricia Moore Moore Literary Agency “Each of the ladies has a driving spirit that keeps them going. Their lives are inspirational in this first volume. I hope to see more books of the series in the future. "Pearls Of Wisdom" should be required reading for courses at colleges across the country.” Gary Roen, Reviewer Gary’s Bookshelf "These stories celebrate life's trials and tribulations as well as mistakes and triumphs." Joyce Vanaman, Reviewer, The Press of Atlantic City "Pearls of Wisdom: Surviving Against All Odds" is a collection of painfully honest and deeply moving autobiographies of four women, aged fifty plus, who surmounted various hardships and heartaches. Some of their troubles were caused by poor choices and others due to cruel twists of fate. These courageous women demonstrate that whatever miseries life may hold, the human spirit is indestructible. Hoping that others will identify with them and learn from their mistakes, these bold women share their stories about growing up in the 1960s and before. The first story is the life history of seventy-nine year old Concetta, the oldest person in this series. Concetta's father was an alcoholic who physically abused his wife. Often, in his inebriated state, he threw the whole family out of the house in the middle of the night. At the age of fourteen, Concetta nurtured dreams of becoming a nun, but she was dissuaded by her mother. Later, though she loved a Jewish man, she allowed herself to be pushed by her parents into marrying Robert, who was fifteen years older. Her husband was very impatient with their children and displayed a rather nasty streak. However, Concetta did not have the guts to stand up to her husband and protect the children. Because she has a passive by nature, she was "pulled and pushed" by someone or the other for her entire life. Now holding the wisdom of hindsight, her advice to readers is, "Stand up to anyone when you know that you should. It is better to die protecting the ones you love, than to sit back and watch them be abused." Fifty-three year old Marianne's story is about being raised in a single-parent family, getting married for the wrong reasons, dealing with her husband's infidelity, and continuing in a dissatisfactory marriage for the sake of her sons. Her story is also a journey of self-discovery and survival. The third story is about Peg. It details her coping with a five and a half years of marriage to a man who physically abused her, a daughter addicted to drugs and sex, and a granddaughter who was sexually molested by her stepfather and bore the psychological scars of the abuse. The final story recounts Angel's personal triumph over adversity. When she was about six years old, she was abandoned by her parents. Angel's formative years were spent in a string of foster homes in which she suffered the horrors of mental and sexual abuse. She experienced a second major shock in life when her seemingly loving husband not only deserted her but also took away her baby girl. Angel battles with alcohol, cancer and unemployment. In her career, she enters a traditionally male domain and rises in it to become a supervisor in a maximum- security prison. She is also on a quest to find her lost daughter. Angel's trials and triumphs are inspiring. Each of these struggles for survival is at once heartrending and heartwarming. Written anonymously by the Survivors and edited by Marie Davis, these life stories are intended to inspire at least "one person out of a bad relationship or situation," since "then that is one more person who does not have to tolerate any form of abuse or unhappiness." BookWire July 20, 2005