Check it out

There’s inspiration in tales about those who have overcome life

challenges with body and spirit intact. Find it in these recently

published personal stories about surviving physical and emotional

adversity:

“Three Quarters, Two Dimes and a Nickel” is Steve Fiffer’s poignant

memoir about creating a normal life after a paralyzing wrestling injury.

Refusing to be defined by his physical condition, he explains that he may

not be a dollar bill, but that “three quarters, two dimes, and a nickel”

add up to the same thing. His battle to develop the mental toughness to

put the accident behind him and embrace adult joys and responsibilities

is described with candor, humor, and a total lack of self-pity.

“Surviving the Toughest Race on Earth” captures the brutal insanity of

the Raid Gauloises -- the ultimate endurance adventure calling for

five-person teams to navigate Earth’s hottest, muddiest terrain by foot,

bike, raft, kayak and camel. Written from a dual perspective of sports

journalist and athlete, Martin Dugard’s riveting saga reveals much about

the power of group dynamics and the need to test one’s limits.

“Fighting Fire” chronicles the experience of one of the first women to

penetrate the all-male bastion of the San Francisco Fire Department -- a

strikingly beautiful Stanford grad set on realizing a dream that burns in

her soul. Caroline Paul’s descriptions of blazing infernos, day-to-day

dangers and her fight to match her colleagues physically and mentally

make for a captivating tale about personal discovery. “The Diving Bell

and the Butterfly” is the startling memoir of Jean Dominique-Dauby, the

editor-in-chief of “Elle” magazine, who suffered a debilitating stroke

that left him able to communicate only by slight facial expressions.

Determined to escape the paralysis of his diving bell, Dauby devised a

means of using the only tool available to him -- his left eye -- to

dictate the inspiring chapters of this graceful book.

“Cleaving” provides an unflinching look at a marriage marred by

infidelity, infertility, drugs and alcoholism, written in the alternating

voices of writer/spouse duo Dennis and Vicki Covington. The dual

perspective of a union based on “cleaving” -- taken from the Biblical

injunction for a man to leave his parents, and meaning both to cling and

to split -- is both disturbing and exhilarating in its honesty.

“Educating Esme” is a spirited account of a spunky 24-year-old

teacher’s first year in an inner-city, fifth-grade classroom in Chicago.

While it’s a story about an idealistic educator, this hip, funny diary

speaks volumes about frustrations found in any workplace, about resisting

conformity and taking a stand against mediocrity.

“The Hungry Ocean” tells the story of a fishing trip over 1,000

nautical miles, narrated by female captain Linda Greenlaw. Originally

profiled in Sebastian Junger’s hugely popular “The Perfect Storm,”

Greenlaw recounts the perils of weather, mechanical failure and crew

in-fighting, expertly detailing the dangerous world of deep-sea fishing.

CHECK IT OUT is written by the staff of the Newport Beach Public Library.

This week’s column is by Melissa Adams, in collaboration with Steven

Short.