TRYING TO BE GOOD: The Healing Powers of Lying, Cheating, Stealing and Drugs by popular radio host, theatre-maker, online personality and storyteller - Emelia Symington Fedy is her dark and comical story of her addiction to self-help and absolutely obsessive odyssey to find inner peace at all costs. A ruthless inquiry into her own demons, Emelia never lets herself off the hook on her search; and after a lifetime of misadventures, spending close to $90,000 grand and two decades hunting down shamans, hypnotists, soul advisors and online gurus; turning to drugs, bad sex, vaginal weightlifting classes, crystal bowl regression ceremonies and cosmic dolphins trying to fill the void- her spiritual reckoning finally came when the death of her mom coincided with the birth of her first child. Rocked with grief, Emelia had no choice but to quit her life-long quest for contentment. She quit drugs. She quit yoga. She quits the search. And in turning towards her pain, Emelia finally finds what she’s been longing for her whole life. She can’t escape. She’s here. She can feel it all.
Reviews:
Emelia Symington Fedy’s riveting new podcast of her book is a vividly evocative story of a life lived with deep feeling. Like two standouts of this style, North of Normal by Cea Sunrise Person and The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, this is storytelling that draws the listener in with gorgeous writing and a deliciously raw honest voice and heart. She is so good. " - Cathy Jones (This Hour Has 22 Minutes)
"I laughed. I cried. To say that Emelia's material is self-deprecating is an understatement. And it is through her brutal honesty that her stories, filled with unforgettable details, characters, and images, come to life, providing us with a mirror in which we too can look directly at our imperfect, vulnerable reflection and celebrate the tragedy, beauty, and joy of our own existence. " - Carmen Aguirre (Best Selling Author and Canada Reads Winner of Something Fierce and Best Selling Author of Mexican Hooker #1).
"It's a very moving experience to have the author, Emelia Symington-Fedy read her memoir aloud. As if we were all in the room with her, going on the journey of our own self-discovery together. Emelia does not shy away from the dark or the truth and that is what makes her storytelling so unique. She is cracking open her heart to share with all of us, and what a pleasure it is to be included in the experience." – (Juno Rinaldi, Star of Workin’ Moms, CBC)
"TTBG is a heart-wrenching, head-nodding revelation. Emelia shares her deepest truths with searing clarity, unrelenting honesty, and a remarkable openness that makes me want to listen forever. This book is an unexpectedly enchanting guide for how to live through our most challenging moments with heart, honesty and total presence with the true grit of life." – (Dr. Jane Hansen)
