Unsung is a riveting, emotional memoir not for the weak of heart but for all who have wished for hearts capable of enduring in spite of loss. Unsung is about a mother and daughter's battle to cope with schizophrenia, a disabling mental illness that resists treatment and affects the lives of everyone close to those living with it. Unsung cuts scalpel-like to the rotten core of our current mental health care system, exposing pharmaceutical companies, mental health care centers, and psychiatrists for the often unconscionable role they play in doing everything but healing those who are mentally ill. It is a memoir in which the truth is unbelievable. And the unbelievable is true. Fired with a mother's fury and passion. Laced with love and laughter. Irreverently reverent about everything from affairs of the garbage industry to Zen, rich with one-of-a-kind friendships, it is one woman's journey to heal her daughter and to find herself. The journey is both heartbreaking and heartwarming. There is romance so strong some readers will buy the book simply to read and reread Haley's passionate encounters with Jake Welch-a German Italian bad boy and full-time mechanic, twelve years her junior. But there is more than one love story in these pages, along with many surprises. The memoir takes its readers through cross country moves, an eviction, a car wreck, hurricanes, a near drowning, the loss of two jobs, loss of credit, an audition for a reality t.v. show, suicides. Women of all ages will read Unsung because it will take them from the place they are and the things they have feared to who they can be. Men will read Unsung for a thoughtful, funny woman's take on who they are and who they aren't. Those living with mental illness will read Unsung to learn and to grieve and to find hope. Those who love action and suspense, thrill seekers, will read Unsung for an unbelievably believable adventure. Romantics will read Unsung for its unusual love story. Those who love true stories will read Unsung to connect with a mother's real experience with her child's illness. Unsung is both timely, with our newfound awareness and appreciation of the fact women do blossom as they age, and topical, since most of our lives are affected in one way or another by mental illness. But it is much more than that. With its honest, often funny, always courageously tender human voice, Unsung is a memoir that urges its readers to hitch hike through stars, to fly through water, to swim the earth, to dive down deep enough to find themselves.

The book reflects the training and life on the first thirty female fire officers that were selected to undergo training in the Trinidad and Tobago Fire Service. The idea for the book first came to me (Leisa Hamilton) in 2004 when I was having a telephone conversation with one of my female batch and best friend, Lisa St. Rose - Folkes (we remained friends since 1992). We were talking about the struggles that we the females face and have gone through each day and are still going through with no proper recognition in the job. Lisa St. Rose - Folkes wish was, "if the females can have their own "Brigade" (Fire Service)." I got where she was coming from immediately. I had recently completed, a thesis, though it's not a book, but it led me to cover social research, so I sought to conduct interviews with the remaining batches and some of our male colleagues to gather their views of the females more so the first batch. The book begins with a historical background, the selection, the training and ending with a small biography or profile of each of the females that were interviewed. At this time it was difficult to get the assistance of everyone as we are scattered all over Trinidad and Tobago and elsewhere. One may gather that it is difficult for females who are assertive, independent, intelligent, and strong willed to survive in this male dominated field of work. Some may or may not talk about their experiences as there may be fear as one remains in this field and for their prospects for promotions. As to date there are no promoted female officers. Victimization and discrimination remains a crucial factor as there are some Senior Officers who micro manages, and who cannot think and use theirinitiatives as they themselves live and work in fear and contends with doing as he says. As the female officers remain oppressed, we are left without a neutral body to attend to the needs of women. Fire fighting is indeed a stressful job and most women are in their time of child