Home Is Within You

Nadia Davis

Description

Two-time 2023 NYC Big Book Award Winner—Memoir and Non-Fiction

2023 International Latino Book Award Winner—M​ost Inspiring Non-Fiction, Honorable Mention

Dear Son, I’m going to tell you a story, the most difficult one to share. 

As a young Latina and Native American lawyer and former wife of California’s attorney general and treasurer, Nadia Davis has long been subjected to public scrutiny. In this powerful homage to finding one’s worth in the face of mental health struggles, addiction, and public shaming, Davis shares her remarkable story. She reveals the depths of the darkness she went through, while gracefully offering transformational healing and an end to the choking grasp of shame. 

Lyrical and captivating, Home Is Within You recounts the author’s experience of trauma and addiction amid a highly publicized abusive relationship. Davis is brutally honest about her experiences and generous in revealing the paths she found to wholeness through spiritual advocacy, healthy co-parenting, and a dedication to preventing generational trauma. 

Home Is Within You shares one woman’s courageous journey to recovery as a mother and as a woman, and her narrative is a defense of privacy, parenthood, and autonomy. 

Sujets

• Ethnic
• Cultural
• Biography
• Hispanic and Latino Americans
• Memoir
• Hispanic
• Regional
• Latina
• Autobiography
• Latino

Informations

• Publié par: Girl Friday Books
• Date de parution: 25 avril 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 3
• EAN13: 9781954854956
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Praise for Nadia Davis
“A powerful example of following our light within to break a cycle of trauma and consciously choose a life of happiness. Nadia is a true warrior spirit and champion for the fight against injustice.”
— Chris Gardner, author of The Pursuit of Happyness , also a major motion picture
“Nadia Davis is a brilliant writer, attorney, and crusader for causes. Her book, Home Is Within You , encompasses her journey from crisis to redemption. It’s truly a compelling read.”
— Leigh Steinberg, American sports agent and author
“The courage of Ms. Davis to share her journey in her book is an incredible demonstration of selflessness. Ms. Davis has lived through challenges of addiction and recovery, and she has survived. By sharing her story, Ms. Davis has removed the shame and loneliness that plagued her and has plagued so many others. Her personal reflections and work are presented in her book and can give hope and success to others who find themselves in similar human conditions.”
— Nancy O’Malley, Alameda County district attorney, founder of Alameda County Family Justice Center
“I have followed Nadia’s journey from the time she was the wunderkind Santa Ana school board member doing courageous things such as supporting charter schools and have followed her successful effort to overturn a wrongful conviction of a defendant who was a convenient fall guy for a crime he didn’t commit. Nadia’s extraordinary book tells how she rose to great heights, took quite a hit, and successfully battled back. Inspiring story!”
— Richard Reisman, publisher and CEO, Orange County Business Journal
“Writing a book, any book, requires commitment, focus, and fortitude. To write a book like Home Is Within You requires all that along with a level of honesty, belief, and vulnerability that is nothing short of extraordinary. For anyone who knows Nadia, of course, it’s not the least bit surprising, since she has always committed herself to those who need help or feel helpless. I first became aware of her when she was as an attorney tirelessly working for the release of a young man convicted of a crime he did not commit —a ‘lost cause’ she eventually won. That’s the Nadia Davis her friends know, a woman of generosity and grace who readers can trust to help guide them home.”
— Steve Lowery, former editor, OC Weekly
“I have known Nadia since she was a little girl. Inspired by her father, Wally Davis, a close mentor and friend who was a pillar in our community, she carried on his legacy of public service, improving the lives of others in more ways than one. Here in California Hispanic leadership circles, we never doubted her comeback story would strike the world with hope!”
— Ruben A. Smith, Esq., attorney and former president, Hispanic Bar Association of Orange County
“It takes courage to tell your story, and Nadia Davis has acted with such courage and transparency in telling her story in a creative and conscientious way. We who have experienced trauma can all learn from her bravery and raw honesty.”
— Casey Gwinn, Esq., president of Alliance for HOPE International
“This is a can’t-put-it-down book that will keep readers engaged from the beginning to the very last word. Nadia has masterfully woven such beauty and grace into her first memoir. By exploring her family’s cultural background, her passion for those in need, her legal advocacy, and a string of addiction-fueled choices that resulted in chaos and trauma for herself and her family, Nadia has woven together rigorous honesty and unrelenting grace in a way rarely seen in contemporary memoirs. Nadia tells her story with such passion while managing to tap into broader societal issues related to her Mexican and Native American roots, gender dynamics, and personal trauma that led to a promising young attorney spiraling down and ultimately crashing in a very public way. But that’s only the beginning of her story. The real story is one of compassion, resilience, love, and eventually recovery. As a professor and clinical therapist, I plan to refer to this book often with students, clients, and friends.”
— Michelle Martin, PhD; MSW; therapist; associate professor, Department of Social Work, California State University, Fullerton
“Nadia Davis’s memoir is a deeply personal story of addiction and motherhood and the heart-wrenching, almost debilitating shame and stigma uniquely borne by women with addictive disorders. Nadia’s resilience is a testament to the power of a mother’s love and to her inner spirit, which fought to reclaim not just her personal dignity but also justice for anyone shamed in the middle of a mental health breakdown.”
— Ahbra Kaye Schiff, producer, REEL Recovery Film Festival, and director of operations, Writers in Treatment
“Arthur Carmona was my son. Nadia shares the fight for the truth in her book. Arthur and I were blessed to have her take on this monumental case. During that journey, Nadia’s compassion and dedication to fighting for the truth regardless of the challenges amazed me. Hope came in the form of a woman named Nadia Maria Davis. I highly recommend Home Is Within You as a must read. It is a rare opportunity to journey with Nadia as she shares her truth. The book allows you to feel her emotions about her victories as well as her hardships.”
— Ronnie Sandoval Carmona, cofounder of the Arthur Carmona Center for the Wrongfully Convicted
“Nadia is a testament to the power of trauma work and breaking through the bonds of our minds that separate us from our core true innocence and being.”
— Mariam Paul, MFT, trauma specialist
“Nadia’s journey of recovery is deeply admirable. I commend her as a mother, a professional, and a former spouse for having the courage to share her journey in order to help others.”
— Bill Lockyer, former Attorney General and Treasurer, State of California; Nadia’s former longtime spouse
“I have had the honor and privilege of witnessing the many twists and turns on Nadia’s journey from being utterly lost to finding her way to her own inner home, where she belongs unconditionally. I am in awe of her perseverance, integrity, and conviction in spite of the cascade of adversities she has faced in her life. Through Home Is Within You , she now inspires countless others to seek that unconditional home that resides within them. This book is a must read!”
— Priya Jain, spiritual life coach; kundalini yoga trainer; founder of Seventh Chakra Yoga Institute of Spiritual Sciences; author of Awakening Sutras of Japji Sahib
“Very few of us have the courage to write about the challenges life throws our way. Nadia’s courage and strength —not only to endure so much but also to share so that others can heal —are beyond heroic. I have personally known Nadia for decades, since she first hit the ground advocating for improving the lives of others less fortunate. Even after her near-death car accident, I witnessed her being in the hospital, still unable to walk, and yet going through paperwork to help others. She is an inspiration to women all over the world, regardless of color, heritage, religion, and financial status. I never doubted she’d make it through the hardships, and I am beyond grateful that she survived and now thrives.”
— Bethzabe Martinez, founder and president of Nuestro Pueblo; human resources manager



Copyright © 2023 by Nadia Davis
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.
This is a memoir, and the events and experiences detailed in it have been presented as the author currently remembers them, to the best of her ability. Some names, identities, and circumstances have been changed in order to protect the privacy of individuals.

Published by Girl Friday Books™, Seattle www.girlfridaybooks.com
Produced by Girl Friday Productions
Design: Paul Barrett Production editorial: Laura Dailey Project management: Kristin Duran
Image credits: Cover photograph © John Gilhooley
ISBN (paperback): 978-1-954854-94-9 ISBN (ebook): 978-1-954854-95-6
Library of Congress Control Number: 2022917265

This memoir is dedicated to my three sons, Diego, Harrison, and Elijah. May you always remember that home is within you.

Contents
Foreword
Preface
Introduction: Dear Son, when I visited the angels, you were there.
Chapter 1: Dear Son, poverty is not living in a small house, it is living in a small world.
Chapter 2: Dear Son, you are not a body nor the thoughts your mind makes.
Chapter 3: Dear Son, this too shall pass.
Chapter 4: Dear Son, justice is but an idea, unless someone makes it real.
Chapter 5: Dear Son, the truth is the truth and it must win.
Chapter 6: Dear Son, always wear your seat belt.
Chapter 7: Dear Son, any time you ask for help, you deserve an award.
Chapter 8: Dear Son, you are the best thing that ever happened to me.
Chapter 9: Dear Son, please make self-care your best friend.
Chapter 10: Dear Son, you can make it through anything in life, and are never alone.
Chapter 11: Dear Son, if anyone hurts you, I got your back. Our Creator takes care of the rest.
Chapter 12: Dear Son, guilt is ok. Shame never is.
Chapter 13: Dear Son, you are not mere DNA.
Chapter 14: Dear Son, if you want to go quicker, go alone. If you want to go further, go together.
Chapter 15: Dear Son, truth is your identity.
Chapter 16: Dear Son, good and bad come in waves, but the truth remains the same.
Chapter 17: Dear Son, the end is often the beginning.
Chapter 18: Dear Son, courage is often a verb.
Chapter 19: Dear Son, never stop growing or striving to live wholeheartedly.