Joann Corleyschwarzkopf

A gripping memoir and medical suspense story about a young New York Post reporter’s struggle with a rare and terrifying disease, opening anew window into the fascinating world of brain science. One day in 2009, twenty-four-year-old Susannah Cahalan woke up alone in a strange hospital room, strapped to her bed, under guard, and unable to move or speak. A wristband marked her as a “flight risk,” and her medical records—chronicling a month-long hospital stay of which she had no memory at all—showed hallucinations, violence, and dangerous instability. Only weeks earlier, Susannah had been on the threshold of a new, adult life: a healthy, ambitious college grad a few months into her first serious relationship and a promising career as a cub reporter at a major New York newspaper. Who was the stranger who had taken over her body? What was happening to her mind? In this swift and breathtaking narrative, Susannah tells the astonishing true story of her inexplicable descent into madness and the brilliant, lifesaving diagnosis that nearly didn’t happen. A team of doctors would spend a month—and more than a million dollars—trying desperately to pin down a medical explanation for what had gone wrong. Meanwhile, as the days passed and her family, boyfriend, and friends helplessly stood watch by her bed, she began to move inexorably through psychosis into catatonia and, ultimately, toward death. Yet even as this period nearly tore her family apart, it offered an extraordinary testament to their faith in Susannah and their refusal to let her go. Then, at the last minute, celebrated neurologist Souhel Najjar joined her team and, with the help of a lucky, ingenious test, saved her life. He recognized the symptoms of a newly discovered autoimmune disorder in which the body attacks the brain, a disease now thought to be tied to both schizophrenia and autism, and perhaps the root of “demonic possessions” throughout history. Far more than simply a riveting read and a crackling medical mystery, Brain on Fire is the powerful account of one woman’s struggle to recapture her identity and to rediscover herself among the fragments left behind. Using all her considerable journalistic skills, and building from hospital records and surveillance video, interviews with family and friends, and excerpts from the deeply moving journal her father kept during her illness, Susannah pieces together the story of her “lost month” to write an unforgettable memoir about memory and identity, faith and love. It is an important, profoundly compelling tale of survival and perseverance that is destined to become a classic.

The indispensable guide to earning a six-figure take-home income on your own terms, from Forbes.com contributing writer Elaine Pofeldt. The rise of one-million-dollar, one-person businesses in the past five years is the biggest trend in employment today, offering the widest range of people the most ways to earn a living while having the lifestyles they want. In The Million-Dollar, One-Person Business, Elaine Pofeldt outlines the pathways to joining this entrepreneurial movement, synthesizing advice from hundreds of business owners who've done it. She explains how to identify, launch, grow, and reinvent the business, showing how a single individual can generate $1 million in revenue--something only larger small companies have done in the past. Both inspirational and practical, this book will appeal to all who seek a great worklife and a great lifestyle.

Twentieth Anniversary Edition with Contributions from Joe Hill and Owen King ONE OF TIME MAGAZINE’S TOP 100 NONFICTION BOOKS OF ALL TIME Immensely helpful and illuminating to any aspiring writer, this special edition of Stephen King’s critically lauded, million-copy bestseller shares the experiences, habits, and convictions that have shaped him and his work. “Long live the King” hailed Entertainment Weekly upon publication of Stephen King’s On Writing. Part memoir, part master class by one of the bestselling authors of all time, this superb volume is a revealing and practical view of the writer’s craft, comprising the basic tools of the trade every writer must have. King’s advice is grounded in his vivid memories from childhood through his emergence as a writer, from his struggling early career to his widely reported, near-fatal accident in 1999—and how the inextricable link between writing and living spurred his recovery. Brilliantly structured, friendly and inspiring, On Writing will empower and entertain everyone who reads it—fans, writers, and anyone who loves a great story well told.

What if your business was a reflection of you? If you improved yourself, it would improve your business? Author Burke Franklin is a very rare person who has studied personal development (some call it awareness & consciousness) for more than 35 years, applied it directly to running a business, and then wrote a book about it! According to Franklin, "35 years ago I attended my first "awareness & consciousness" workshop, magic occurred, and I have been into that ever since! (I've been through the "woo woo&" stages so we now get to what I think of as a "pragmatic consciousness.")" He adds, "I hate it when good products, companies or people fail! And I wanted to share what I've learned from building my own business over 27 years compounded by creating software to help others build theirs. That said, here is a collection of true stories of successful business building..." Business Black Belt is for entrepreneurs who want to know where to go when there is no one else to follow... A black belt means strength, speed, flexibility, quickness -- personal power! This new book written by Burke Franklin, founder of JIAN and creator of the best-selling business plan software (BizPlanBuilder), is unlike anything you've read before. In fact, very few people have ever addressed these business topics at all. Yet, they kick you in the butt every day. At the same time Burke started his now highly successful software company, he began his Tae Kwon Do training. Burke is a 2nd degree black belt and more than 2,000,000 people have used JIAN's software and templates to succeed in business. Business Black Belt, is packed full of powerful lessons learned from synthesizing the past 27 years' experience into building JIAN as well as the businesses of others. It's more than philosophy from 10,000 feet, but 70+ of up-close-and-personal anecdotes you can use to develop your business intuition. It reveals concepts unlikely to appear on the radar screens of business schools, big companies or among most consultants... Your business must be profitable and sustainable -- without you losing control, your mind or your shirt! Read Business Black Belt now for a 20-year headstart!