Self-Help - Memoir
Winner
My Father's Suitcase
Mary Garden
My Father's Suitcase explores my troubled relationship with my younger sister Anna, who died in 2023. It shines a light on sibling abuse, the most common form of family violence occurring 4-5 times as much as spousal or parental child abuse. Like any other abuse, sibling abuse can be emotional, physical or sexual (the most common of intra-familial sexual abuse) and have far-reaching, long-lasting harmful effects on everyone involved. And yet it is the forgotten abuse, under-researched and seldom discussed in the media. It is often dismissed as sibling rivalry.
Sibling abuse occurs mostly in a dysfunctional family, such as my birth family, where parents have not learnt to process their own trauma. There may be spousal violence and parental child abuse, including neglect, already occurring.
My story will help others who have suffered at the hands of a sibling feel less alone, and encourage people to talk about this important issue.
Self-Help - Memoir
Winner
Memoirs From The Frontlines: Four States, Two Years, One Pandemic
Kim Sloan
My memoir is a message to all fellow frontline healthcare workers and non-medical people also. A message to remind those who were not on the frontlines of what we experienced during the pandemic in the ICUs. Why many of us have changed and to hug your family a bit tighter. A congratulations to the fellow healthcare workers on surviving the worst pandemic in our lifetime! We did it together. Whether they experienced situations similar to mine or not, there is a reason that they survived. There is a reason we are all still fighting this fight against COVID. We are the resilient ones. 2020 was the year of the nurse for a reason. We are here as an entity, as frontline workers, who guided the world through COVID-19!
Self-Help - Memoir
Winner
SPLIT: a life shared: living with Multiple Personality Disorder
Maggie Walters
SPLIT is a story of hope in the face of some of the darkest trauma a human can experience. But also a story of discovery as it wasn't until I was diagnosed with Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD) that I was able to come to terms with my abusive history. Through SPLIT, I encourage others to see that a fulfilled life is possible, even with complex mental health challenges. I give the reader an honest look inside my complex mind as I face the normal daily routines, full of struggles and joys as I live with MPD.
It has been a privilege to share my story, speaking out about changing the narrative around mental health and how we can support each other. SPLIT is a tool to inspire. This is how we change the world, one life and one story at a time, where people are encouraged to persist and live the best lives they can.
Self-Help - Memoir
Finalist
Hush: A memoir unravelling the unintended legacy of family
Michelle Catherine Scheibner
In a world where belonging and acceptance often elude us, HUSH dives into family secrets and their profound impact on our lives offering a fresh perspective to those who lack purpose and direction: are going in circles, unable to break free from limiting beliefs, negative thought-patterns and toxic relationships.
HUSH makes real the concepts of inherited trauma and epigenetics in a way no academic book could do, while weaving through introductions to many of the prominent thinkers and writers on these topics. It’s essential reading for anyone with an interest in how secrets and difficult pasts can deeply affect the lives of future generations by helping people see that the unconscious themes passed down through intergenerational trauma did not start with them. This transformative process of delving into experiences and pain of our ancestors can break the cycle, resolve what was holding us back, and step us fully into empowerment.
Self-Help - Memoir
Finalist
A Schizoid at Smith: How Overparenting Leads to Underachieving.
Blair Rochelle Sorrel
This is the first first person female narrative on a rare condition, Schizoid Personality Disorder. The memoir offers parents insight into how to prevent this maladaptation or tweak earlier intervention since this condition accounts for high levels of homelessness. SPD is a double whammy as parents may become a disabled child's lifelong benefactor. For the stricken or those feeling marginalized as "different," this work is a welcome mat that they are not alone. Clinicians rarely see this reclusive population and would value knowing more and this narrative is a boon to teachers, guidance counselors, family, and friends who are frustrated. Here's what Pulitzer Prize winner Junot Diaz had to say, "Eye-opening and hopeful and utterly sympathetic… Sorrel has opened an invaluable window into a world too few of us know anything about.” Finally, its message is a plea for greater tolerance as the ostracized lead harsh lives fraught with a litany of harassments beyond their control.