Bio3

Contributer: Maddie C.
 * //Bloody Mary// by Carolly Erickson**

Would it not be great to be a princess or future queen? That is just what is in store for Mary Tudor, off and on Princess of Wales. The book Bloody Mary, by Carolly Erickson, portrays the hardships of Mary and her Mother’s lives. To Henry VIII, “Mary as a child was a pawn in England’s bitter rivalry with more powerful nations.” Mary’s life was a roller coaster of being in and out of favor with her influential monster of a father. Upon her beloved mothers’ death, Mary took a more forceful role in her religion that was not allowed during Henry’s reign.Mary took refugein the ancient faith of Catholicism, and attempted to stay clear of her fiend of a father. Nearing his death, Henry VIII had to make a vast decision. Who would succeed him? Was Edward VI strong enough to rule the great kingdom he had made? In Henry’s eyes, Edward was all set, and he took the throne that rightfully belonged to Mary. Not long after Edward’s coronation, his privy council started to take advantage of him and attack Mary about her faith. When Edward died, Mary faced the challenges of Dudley, Edwards’ main man. Mary took London by a storm, with thousands of supporters in her train. She won her title as Queen of England. She soon endured the challenges of bringing the divided country together and out of a massive debt. Throughout this thrilling biography, Mary is thrown into treacherous situations that she gets through with her cunning ways.

**//Tales from the Bed// by Jenifer Estess** Contributor: Elizabeth G.

Project ALS is still pushing to find a cure for this debilitating disease. Starting out with symptoms as small as twitching, this disease eventually controls your body. //Tales from the Bed// by Jenifer Etsess, written to inspire, also shows a purpose to Project ALS. Three sisters are the reason for positive changes that will occur in many ALS patients’ lives. These sisters never let the disease break their bond, even when it slowly took over Jenifer’s body. Along her six-year struggle through ALS she decides something needed to be done. This book changes the perspective on life for all readers. An athletic woman who was healthy, Jenifer begins to struggle while walking, then talking, and eventually breathing. She lived every day not knowing which was her last. Jenifer was no “supermodel or pampered pooch” but she “fought for the life she dreamed of having” and succeeded. This book chronicles Jenifer and her sisters’ journey with a disease that made her want to take her own life, and shows how the love of each other gave her the strength to rise above and fight the disease in every way possible.

**//Tales from the Bed //****by Jenifer Estess and Valerie Estess ** Contributor: Kristi R.

Have you ever had a “shiver up your spine” or felt a muscle twitch? Picture these abnormal sensations happening everywhere on your body, but never going away. In Jenifer and Valerie Estess’ biography, Tales from the Bed, Jenifer is forced to constantly experience these life-threatening sensations, until all of her muscles deplete and no longer function. She has to push through these monstrous sensations because of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), a disease that destroys motor neurons which control the muscles of the body until it affects and eventually shuts down the contractions of the heart and the diaphragm, organs that are essential to life. But the dreariness or depressing outcomes of this illness contrast with the energetic and hopeful f Jenifer Estess. Before diagnosis, this young, accomplished woman is diligent, and determined to stay in shape to eat every bite of the delicious muffins from the bustling bakery next door to her New York City apartment. Her life change when she notices the “slithering sea of skin” on her thighs. She raced to specialists dealing with muscle mechanics, not knowing this is something much bigger and a lot more terrifying than what she thought. Jenifer and her family suffer until the day Project ALS is born. Project ALS is an organization created by the Estess sisters, where its sole purpose was to raise money for the research of motor neurons. Although the 35-year-old Jenifer Estess passed away during the evolution of Project ALS, she died knowing the disease would fall to its demise. Jenifer is a role model and an inspiration for all those in moments of hopeless distress. Her words and actions are what drive America to donate and search for a cure against the “undefeatable.”

//** From Pieces to Weight by Kris Ex ** // Contributor: Greg C.

Many people get lost along the road to fame and fortune, but for 50 cent, it was either “get rich or die trying.” He knew where he wanted to be in life so he made sure he got there. 50 Cent’s inspiring and true tale of his journey from being a drug dealer in the streets to being one of the most famous rappers is told in Kris Ex’s biography, //From Pieces to Weight//. When 50 was a child living in Queens, he had a dual education. His grandparents raised him in a Christian home, but local drug dealers took him under their wings, making his childhood full of uncertainty. 50 saw dealing drugs as a shortcut to getting rich, but he would soon find out that taking a shortcut has its price. He was constantly in and out of the U.S. jail system making it seem that the flame that was his dream of wealth had been extinguished. Yet he continued to push through any challenge he faced. Perhaps the life changing experience that rekindled that flame was the same expereience that almost ended 50’s life. How could he rebound from having been shot nine times? Life seemed to work against 50, but he fought back in this enthralling story of sheer determination to gain fame and fortune.

**//A Million Little Pieces //**** by James Frey ** Contributor: Morgan W.

James wakes up on a plane with a broken nose, missing teeth, a gash in his cheek, and eyes swollen nearly shut. What is worse is that he has no notion of the past two weeks, no money, and no job, and he is waiting to die. The most inclusive, heartbreaking book about addiction, A Million Little Pieces, written by James Frey, tells the story of a twenty-three-year-old drug addict, alcoholic, and criminal. He has inexplicably survived the past thirteen years of detrimental abuse to his body, although the clock is ticking. Another sip of vodka or another snuff of crack will ensure him not living to see age twenty-four. His parents have not known how to handle his problem since he was ten years old. Finally, with no other choice, they enroll him in the Minnesota Rehabilitation Clinic. James goes through withdrawal including hallucinations and vomiting. He rejected almost every authority the clinic had to offer, including the twelve steps and a belief in a higher power. But those who understood his past and reached out to him include Lilly, Hank, Leonard, and Miles. When James meets Lilly, they fall in love. The can communicate their hurt feelings and struggles with one another. They understand the feeling of not being loved and being alone. However, having a relationship with anyone of the other gender is against the rules of the clinic and could ultimately endanger their recovery process. James must confront which he loves more, Lilly, or drugs, when he goes into a crackhouse to save her from relapsing. After learning how to love and care for her, he learns that staying clean is a simple decision, one that has nothing to do with God or Twelve steps, other than “twelve beats of my heart.” Yes or no.

**//A Million Little Pieces //****<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">by James Frey ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Contributor: Nicole H.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">How could the decision to mend life’s mistakes be so hard when it is the most important thing one has to do? The autobiography //A Million Little Pieces// denotes the tale of a tremendous trooper, James Frey, on an extraordinary journey throughout his residence at a rehabilitation center. While providing a first-hand look at his own life obstacles, he also offers the opinions of other addicts he meets at the clinic. His comforts of drugs and alcohol, substances he became accustomed to, were soon replaced with seminars and therapy sessions. Could James Frey handle his whole world being turned upside down in a matter of days? After just forty-eight hours, the option of committing suicide resides in the forefront of his brain. However, Leonard, a promising roommate, sorts out his priorities and guides him on the track of success once again. //A Million Little Pieces// provides each reader the blessing of experiencing the journey alongside James Frey. The inspirational story of an “alcoholic, an addict, and a criminal” displays the fact that breaking an addiction can be as tough as living life without a normal person’s necessities, such as food and water. The story is a touching testament to all, representing the idea that finding oneself is not as easy as doctors and therapists make it out to be.

Contributer: Raelynn Noonan
 * //Marley and Me// by John Grogan**

The ideal American dog is supposed to be placid and obedient. A journalist and his wife, John and Jenny Grogan, pursued their wishes and bought the dog of their dreams. He was a beautiful, full bred Labrador. Much to their surprise, Marley was their worst nightmare. John Grogan published Marley’s life journey in a book entitled //Marley and Me.// He chewed through pillows, tore down doors, and practically walked all over his owners. Training the high strung beast was a goal that was not to be accomplished. Grogan pours out the most unthinkable experiences in his autobiography, naming Marley world’s worst dog. John’s family lived the average life, with three children, in the company of an abnormal canine. Marley gained the attention of friends, neighbors, and even movie directors, when he was hired as the “hyperactive family dog of a little league coach” in a film that strived to be a new classic for all families. Marley’s family learned to love and accept him for who he was as he “taught them what really matters in life.” The heartwarming story of the estranged dog proves that no family is perfect. Clearly, Marley lived his life to the fullest with his own bizarre agenda.

**//Same Kind of Different as Me//** **by Ron Hall and Denver Moore** Contributor: Lauren B.

People tend to look at appearance, but God sees the heart, discovering the brokenness the world usually overlooks. He uses seemingly insignificant people, like Denver Moore, to perform His grand intervening work in fading lives like that of Ron Hall. In the eye opening book, //Same Kind of Different as Me,// wealthy art dealer, Ron Hall, is living a comfortable life. To please his enthusiastic wife, Deborah, he agrees to serve dinners at the homeless shelter. He hopes to “sprinkle some of his wealth and knowledge” on the residents and make a quick escape with minimal contact. But God knows the true intentions of his heart and decides to nurture an unlikely friendship that opens Ron’s eyes and perspective. Denver, a vagrant, bitter man who’d suffered through loss, slavery, and inhumane troubles locked in with a broken life of homelessness, has every reason to hate people and God. But nothing is too treacherous to overpower the Holy Spirit. Encouraged by his wife, Ron reaches out to befriend Denver, but, instead, Denver takes a hold of his hand and leads him down a path towards faith, prayer, and love stronger than he had ever imagined possible. As Satan begins unraveling Ron’s life by infesting Debbie with a vicious type of cancer, he falls to his knees and allows the Lord to work His will while being encouraged by Denver and the body of Christ. This unbelievable story is one of forgiveness and friendship, a testimony of the power of faithful prayer, unconditional love towards strangers, and God’s healing mercy and magnitude of His glorious power. This book does not stop as a duo biography, but extends as a challenge to each individual person to “pick up the torch” and follow whole-heartedly after Christ.

//**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Summer at Tiffany by Marjorie Hart **// <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Contributor: Maddy M.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Everyone has a dream, an imagination, and a fantasy world they picture themselves in. A girl is put into that world when a tiny Tiffany blue box with a perfectly tied bow is placed delicately in her hands. Marjorie Hart was after this same experience, which she shares in her book, Summer at Tiffany. Many girls can relate to her story and be inspired to go on their own journey. Her and her best friend Marty could only dream of walking into the Tiffany store in “the Big Apple,” New York City. They were finally given the opportunity to step into this world when a friend told them about numerous job openings in New York. The trip from Story City, Iowa was going to be expensive and rather risky for college-aged girls, even though they seemed to have it all planned out. Before there was even time for thinking over, they were in New York City! Job hunting started right away, no time for looking around. Several high end retail stores turned Marjorie and Marty away. Apparently their friend was wrong; it was not going to be as easy as they originally thought. When things were not looking good, they decided to take a chance and open up the doors to Tiffany. They couldn’t believe it; they had just landed the job at Tiffany! When they were given the news about the low pay there were immediate concerns. How would the rent be paid? What about the latest fashion trends to keep up with? Most importantly, food! These were things to be worked out. The day they put their black leather heels on that shiny marble floor was the day they watched their dream become real. Readers will enjoy going on this journey with these two girls. “Do you remember the summer of your life?”