Millions of people live what appear to be normal lives, yet they are secretly numbing their emotional pain with alcohol, drugs, food and many other lifestyle addictions. Michael Cartwright knows all about it; he transformed his life, becoming clean, sober and a respected pioneer in the recovery field. Now he shares his success in a practical and readable book, Believable Hope: Five Essential Elements to Beat Any Addiction (HCI).

“There was a time when the world wrote me off as just another useless addict with no home, no money and no future,” Cartwright says. “If I hadn’t found my own believable hope, my addiction and mental health issues would have definitely killed me.”

Cynthia Drew’s short stories have appeared in numerous literary journals and magazines and her bestselling novels are available in print and Ebook formats. Her latest book, Where Do Missing Things Go? (Legacy Book Publishing), is a delightfully illustrated children’s story that not only encourages kids to read but, behind the whimsy, has a more meaningful theme with great messages.

We all lose things… but much to the frustration of parents, kids seem to do it more. In Where Do Missing Things Go? Cynthia has woven tender messages into a whimsical story, filled with cute animal characters, flying socks, and washing machines with faces that make kids laugh and remember its messages. The endearing, upbeat style is beautifully complemented by the colorful illustrations of Bill LaRocque, former cartoonist and illustrator for the Washington Post.

The Stevenson family has a unique place in American political history. The first Adlai E. Stevenson, Vice President of the U.S., collected stories, jokes and aphorisms in a loose-leaf binder throughout his long career. They were jotted on napkins, cards — anything at hand. If it was worth keeping, it went in the binder which became known as “the black book.” His son, Lewis Stevenson, Illinois Secretary of State, contributed little, but his grandson Adlai II expanded the black book in his career as a lawyer, senior official in the Roosevelt and Truman administrations, Governor of Illinois, Presidential candidate and Ambassador to the UN.

Adlai E. Stevenson III inherited the black book, including contributions from friends and supporters around the world, and augmented it from his career as a Marine, lawyer, State Representative, State Treasurer, United States Senator, candidate for governor, international investment banker and ever the hereditary global sojourner and public policy activist. The black book was continuously organized and reorganized as a ready source of wit and wisdom for their speeches.

Many of us know someone whose family is dealing with autism; once considered rare, now 1 in 88 children in this country are diagnosed with an Autism Specific Disorder (ASD).

Silently Seizing: Common, Unrecognized and Frequently Missed Seizures and Their Potentially Damaging Impact on Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorders (AAPC Publishing) by Caren Haines, RN, and valuable input by Nancy Minshew, MD, deals with the overwhelming challenge for those living with silent seizures. Many are confronted by anger and falsely accused of disorderly conduct, indecent exposure and drug abuse; while some are even unfairly arrested because the bizarre actions exhibited during a seizure have led to frequent misdiagnosis, medical mismanagement and, in the worst case, commitment to a mental institution.