"This is an insightful memoir, giving insights into a life, a family dynamic, and a particular era. Connie Langhorst has an engaging and unique writing style. I recommend this book as I greatly enjoyed reading it, and only partly because we are contemporaries sharing the same hometown and high school!" Stormdancer
"This is a wonderful book! If you are from Cincinnati you will enjoy pictures and information on our hometown. I really appreciated Connie's story. It was interesting to look at a situation I was faced with as a child with a different outcome." Linda M.
"Connie Langhorst has shown true courage in tackling two difficult subjects, divorce and domestic violence. As she dives deep into the fathom of unspeakable grief, caused by the disintegration of her parents marriage, she gives us a chilling child's eye-view of the ensuing emotional damage done to herself and her two siblings. Fortunately, Connie (Tina Marie) and her younger sister and brother had the steadfast and unconditional love of grandparents and other family members,to soften the slings and arrows of life. Set in Cincinnati, Ohio, in the 50's to 60's era, she provides a close-up look at the cultural shifts that were brewing, along with fascinating tidbits of local color, providing a rich history lesson of the sights and sounds of this great mid-western city during those years. We, as the reader, are invited to grow along with her, as she matures and finds a place of healing and perspective, that allows her to grow into the happy, productive human being she felt destined to be. This is a book that will have your emotions running high. It is a tale of a nostalgic time, a time that was simpler in some respects, yet full of life's complexities and human drama. You will feel for her, cheer for her, laugh with her, admire her, and thank her for sharing her story." Charlene R.
"Connie Langhorst's memoir is brave and heartwarming. Langhorst describes it as a "story about the treasures and torments of a Midwestern girl's childhood." Tina Marie's journey is both ordinary and extraordinary. In her unique and emotive voice, Connie does what so many of us would like to do: make some sense of our past. I found myself laughing out loud and even crying along with Tina and her siblings. This book is a great joy and I will treasure it for years to come." Jessica L.
"In FINDING HAPPY, Connie Langhorst takes the reader by the hand on a nostalgic journey into the past to meet her inner child. On the way, we encounter the angels and demons who shaped her life. As Connie leads us through the emotional highs and lows of her childhood, we learn how the past, no matter how painful, can be faced with courage and grace, and how love can ultimately free us to live a happy and fulfilling life." Jackie M.
"Visiting the past and trying to make sense out of it is what few people have enough guts to do. Tina Marie realized that she she had to examine the past in order to understand and enjoy her future. The nostalgic descriptions take the reader back to the 50's and 60's in a magical way. A fun read with some hard corners of life, yet graceful in the presentation." Valerie
"Not all soldiers win their bravery awards on the battlefield; some, like author Connie Langhorst, earn a bravery medal by writing and sharing with readers a troubled childhood and the struggle to grow up, not only in body, but in mind and spirit. Connie put the good, the bad, and the ugly into a 'real time' perspective. That should free her, now, to live her life to the fullest. We are all richer for her sharing her childhood loved and lost, her deep love of family, and love of her hometown, Cincinnati, Ohio."
This review was offered by Alice Hornbaker. Alice was an author, journalist, and host of The Alice Hornbaker Show on WMKV 89.3 FM in Cincinnati, OH.
"Enjoy this astounding collection of short stories, essays, poems, and memoirs from talented women writers from around the globe. Aspiring to Inspire is a wide-ranging collection that is a true literary delight for readers, both men and women alike. This amazing anthology celebrates the world of independent women writers in honor of Women's History Month, 2014. The featured authors include Hannelore Moore, Chantal Bellehumeur, Sherri Wright, Mira Desai, Dana Bowman, Nicola McDonagh, Mellissa Black, Elizabeth Bernays, Patrina C. Jones, Joyce H. Ackley, Christine Valentine, Danita Berg, Muesser Yeniay, Lisa Ann Battalia, Catherine Moore, Julia Rose Grey, Lisa Rizzo, Amanda Kay Oaks, Patricia D'Innocenzo, Pat LaPointe, Elizabeth Gertwagen, Connie Langhorst, Joan M. Roberts, Chella Courington, Carol Smallwood, and April J. Durham. "