Independent Press Award
2024 winner
Choosing Life: One man's journey through alcoholism and depression to wellness and self-discovery
Blue Andrews
Engaging, inspiring, and relatable, this book will be beneficial to anyone suffering the impacts of alcoholism and/or depression.
Choosing Life is the courageous and compelling story of Blue Andrews, who fell into debilitating depression and then worked his way back to become stronger than ever. This book is about trial, persistence, discovery, and hope—hope that no matter how dark things get, you can feel better and life can be beautiful.
Andrews opens by sharing a life that seemingly had it all—family, friendships, career success, material wealth—yet was also filled with trauma, excessive drinking, self-doubt, and suicidal thinking. Through his eye-opening and brutally honest storytelling, he shows what it’s like to appear one way on the outside and feel completely different on the inside.
Andrews then brings us along as he figures out his own recovery journey, during which he finds a level of health he may never have had otherwise. With insight only achieved through experience, he shares his perspectives on alcoholism and grieving, acknowledges the value of accepting support, discusses the importance of discovering self, and unveils what life can feel like after overcoming mental illness.