The funniest, most popular kid in school, Charles Aubrey Rogers suffered from depression and later addiction, then ultimately died by suicide. "Diary of a Broken Mind" focuses on the relatable story of what lead to his suicide at age twenty and answers the "why" behind his addiction and this cause of death, revealed through both a mother's story and years of Charles' published and unpublished song lyrics. The closing chapters focus on hope and healing-and how the author found her purpose and forgave herself.

The Glass Castle meets The Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother in this dazzlingly honest and provocative family memoir by former child actress and current Fox Business Network anchor Melissa Francis. When Melissa Francis was eight years old, she won the role of lifetime: playing Cassandra Cooper Ingalls, the little girl who was adopted with her brother (played by young Jason Bateman) by the Ingalls family on the world's most famous primetime soap opera, Little House on the Prairie. Despite her age, she was already a veteran actress, living a charmed life, moving from one Hollywood set to the next. But behind the scenes, her success was fueled by the pride, pressure, and sometimes grinding cruelty of her stage mother, as fame and a mother's ambition pushed her older sister deeper into the shadows. Diary of a Stage Mother's Daughter is a fascinating account of life as a child star in the 1980's, and also a startling tale of a family under the care of a highly neurotic, dangerously competitive "tiger mother." But perhaps most importantly, now that Melissa has two sons of her own, it's a meditation on motherhood, and the value of pushing your children: how hard should you push a child to succeed, and at what point does your help turn into harm?

Allison Etcheverry is homeless, estranged from a wealthy family that refuses to acknowledge her, and on the run from the drug lords responsible for her parents' deaths. But she has more than her own survival to think about. To fulfill her late mother's last wish, Allison needs to find the money her mother hid before the killers do. An unlikely haven appears in the form of an elderly man, devastated by the loss of his wife. As Allison reaches out to him and his family, she finds that she has the strength not only to overcome her own struggles, but to help others do so as well. Her Mother's Diary combines suspense and romance in a tightly woven, fast-paced story that you won't want to put down.

Even when mothers and daughters love each other very much, the teenage years can be a trial of miscommunication and hurt. Daughters feel like no one can understand what they're going through, while mothers desperately try to impart the wisdom they have gained from their own experiences-and yet, all too often, both end up talking past the other.For women trying to help their daughters or surrogate daughters, A Mother's Diary is a blessing. In this anthology, Kiana Shaw and eleven other women relate stories from their lives about mistakes they have made and problems they have overcome. They go on to address their own daughters and, through them, all others who can benefit from the guidance of experienced mommies. These women share an unflinching glimpse into their pasts and let their unfailing love for their daughters show through.

Shira Sebban had long abandoned hope of uncovering more details of her mother Naomi's past, especially after her death in 2013 following a long battle with Alzheimer's disease. That was before Sebban and her sister discovered a diary Naomi had kept during a study trip to Israel in the mid-1950s. Unlocking the Past: Stories From My Mother's Diary brings Naomi's vibrant and descriptive diary entries back to life as a series of creative non-fiction short stories. In so doing, Sebban embarked on a fascinating journey, exploring a place and space so different to her own. Not only was her mother still single, but she had also become somewhat of an outsider, having returned to her birthplace after a decade away in Australia. Covering an 18-month period, from late 1955 until mid-1957, beginning with Naomi's arrival in the then divided city of Jerusalem to take up a scholarship at the Hebrew University, the chapters portray what life was like in the new State of Israel, particularly in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Disparate events are covered, from social, cultural and political public happenings to more personal concerns like love and loss. Naomi's friends included future advisor to Margaret Thatcher, Alfred Sherman, renowned concert pianist, Nelly Ben-Or, and Ilan Hartuv, now best remembered as one of the Entebbe hostages, whose elderly mother, Dora Bloch, was among those killed. Importantly, we gain an understanding of what it was like to be a single, young and intelligent woman during the foundation years of Israel.

Cartoon Cathy meets Erma Bombeck in this hilarious collection of short stories that will keep you laughing and crying from cover to cover. Christine Hohlbaum reels you into the world of child mayhem as she recounts tales of life with small children. From potty-training to the magic of Santa Claus, this book tells all about the ups and downs of parenting. A splendid addition to your leisure reading list!

When you were a kid, what were some of the things you dreamed of being when you grew up? What's something you wish you had asked your parents, but never did? These and other thoughtful questions will get Mom talking. One thing's for sure: Doing the interview will help make wonderful new memories, along with a volume that will be prized for generations to come.