Rise - 2nd Edition by Cara Brookins (Paperback)

About the Book

The magnificent true story of a woman who, after losing everything, found a way to heal and build a new life. One family's rise from battered victims to stronger, better versions of themselves through an extraordinary do-it-yourself project.

Book Synopsis

The magnificent true story of a woman who, after losing everything, found a way to heal and build a new life

Cara Brookins escaped an abusive marriage with four children to provide for and no one to turn to but herself. In desperate need of a home but without the means to buy one, she did something incredible.

Equipped only with YouTube instructional videos, a small bank loan, and a mile-wide stubborn streak, Cara built her own house from the foundation up with a work crew composed of her four children.

It would be the hardest thing she had ever done. With no experience nailing together anything bigger than a bookshelf, she and her kids poured concrete, framed the walls, and laid bricks for their two-story five-bedroom house. She had convinced herself that if they could build a house, they could rebuild their broken family.

This must-read memoir traces one family's rise from battered victims to stronger, better versions of themselves, all through one extraordinary do-it-yourself project.

Review Quotes

"This rousing memoir beautifully illustrates how one family can look apprehension dead in the eye and scoff at it. For readers looking for inspiration to accomplish a daunting task, they need look no further than Brookins's highly engaging and encouraging book." -Booklist

"A tough, honest memoir. Brookins deftly narrates the extreme learning curve her family experienced while putting a family back together again." -Publishers Weekly

"Cara Brookins turned trauma into power and fear into courage. Her extraordinary memoir tells the story of her resurrection from victim of domestic abuse to badass mom with a hammer and a carpenter's square." -John Grogan, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Marley & Me

"Rise is a compelling story, lovingly told, that will uplift and inspire readers whatever their circumstances." -Martha Beck, New York Times bestselling author of Finding Your Own North Star

"Sometimes the universe puts us in a bad place and dares us to fight our way out. Cara Brookins did just this. We should all be as strong as her." -Tom Hart, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Rosalie Lightning

"At once heartbreaking and deeply inspiring, readers will be torn between believing Cara is a one-of-a-kind hero, and that anyone can be." -Hilary Liftin, coauthor of the New York Timesbestseller sTORI Telling

"It has been a very long time since I have read a book as singular and as profoundly moving as Rise. Rise gives new meaning to the concepts of heroism and sacrifice, and it is a remarkable construct in itself." -Les Standiford, author of Water to the Angels