It was published on June 24, 2014, from Simon & Schuster, for the Chicken Soup for the Soul franchise, chickensoup.com 400 pages. I think it costs about $15. Please buy it from your local independent bookstore.
Mine is one of the stories, "I Work." Don't take that quite literally. I mean simply, I can function at a basic level. Like if you turn on a radio, it will make a sound. How good that sound is, well, that would be another level. I'm not there.
I deeply believe in the mission of this book: to be helpful in both practical and inspirational ways to anyone --- and my heart is especially with Veterans and 'Wounded Warriors' --- who has suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury, or TBI.
It is also especially useful, I believe, for the family members and caregivers and friends of TBI and PTSD survivors. Those folks who look at us and live with us and wonder, "what the hell is going on?" "Why is she doing that?" "Is that normal? It doesn't seem normal?" (No, it probably isn't normal, except it IS very normal for someone who has had a traumatic brain injury. It is normal for us to look in the mirror and wonder, 'who is that?')
While every one of us who suffers a TBI suffers it and experiences it in our own unique way, with some extremely devastating, others not so much, but all with our own variations of symptoms and quirks, I found reading the book to be a catharsis. There are some things fairly common to us all. And in that way, I felt 'normal,' given that I'm not normal, if you know what I mean. I think my kids would read the book and go, "Oh, that guy is like mom." So I'm just a normal not normal, in the old way, person. That feels good.
Whether you have suffered a traumatic brain injury yourself, or are a caregiver for someone who has, you will find help and encouragement in this new book.
It is not as much about war and veterans as I expected. And, that, I realized, is for a reason. The complexity of those wounds are unique and, I believe, require their own book. And their own communities of survivors who are active in online chat rooms. That's as it needs to be.
However, veterans and their families will see themselves in this book too. So I'm still giving out free copies to the family members of my friends who are Vets.
AND, this is way cool: the Foreward is a very moving story by Lee Woodruff, the wife of Bob Woodruff, the news anchor who was almost killed by an IED in the early days of the Iraq war. His TBI was terrible. She writes about it with great skill and empathy for others who have been in war and experienced similar devastation, and for their families. I highly recommend the Foreward!
PLUS, proceeds from the sales of this book go to the bobwoodrufffoundation.org, a wonderful organization that has already given over twenty million dollars in care for wounded veterans, to make sure they have care for as long as they need it. I'm totally in favor of supporting that! Buy a book!
If your friendly local retail bookstore doesn't have a copy, you can get them to order one for you and, if you pick it up, you won't have to pay for shipping. And you will have kept someone, maybe a veteran or their spouse, or a recovering survivor of a TBI, in a job in your local economy. Something to think about.
You can even call and order a copy from my very friendly and helpful local bookstore, The Tattered Cover, at
303-470-7050 They can deliver and everything! Perfect! You might have to pay for shipping but it won't cost more than, well, you know. (The book will cost a few dollars more but it's all worth it.)
You will find courage, tenacity, tenderness, deep and abiding love and patience, and great bravery in these stories. I can't wait to read them all!
One of my personal goals is to get this book into the hands of as many veterans who have TBI's as possible. To that end, I am connecting with local organizations, clinics, and rehab centers. I am able to afford to give some copies of the book away. If you would like to help out in that effort, too, leave a message and let me know.
If you live in the Denver or Front Range area of Colorado, please plan to join us on August 17 for an author event/book-signing at 2:00, at The Tattered Cover bookstore in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. It is easily accessible from C-470, exit at either Lucent or Broadway.
I'll post more about that in an upcoming blog. There will be three of us who contributed our stories to the book at that event and we'd love to meet you.
This blog is going to continue, as "Anneli's" blog and it will cover topics related to TBI and PTSD and similar issues. I also have been diagnosed recently with Parkinson's Disease, so expect to hear about that.
It will also range into the wild blue yonder. But mostly, I want to write about life, about light, about letting it in, living it fully, freely, with hope and energy and power. Don't be surprised, either, if we go on a few international 'trips.' It will be me, my style, my quirks.
So, you can find me here, at:
http://www.annelinorrland.blogspot.com This blog title is Light Gets In
The most direct way to reach me is at this email: epfam@aol.com
There is a Google Plus page for Anneli Norrland. These pages both will link to Google Plus circles and vast amounts of information about TBI, PTSD and related topics. Please join my circles if you use Google Plus, and invite me to join yours.
This is the Google Plus URL:
https://+.google.com/118178100852550516875/post (Anneli Norrland)
{you can also get to the Anneli Norrland Google Plus page by clicking
the hyperlink on the Anneli Norrland blog, above the sidebar, next to
the red G+ logo; that's a lot easier!}
It's a good thing: life. I have had three TBI's -- the first at age three in a car accident -- so I feel like I'm super lucky to be around to enjoy this world, it's abundance and beauty, and to live in a spirit of generosity and grace. It's all about grace!
I look forward to sharing this journey with you! Be in touch!
__Anneli
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