Men-ipulation, A Memoir of Addiction and Recovery [Kindle Edition]

Denise Domning (Author), Monica Sarli (Author)

Book Description

Get ready for a thrilling ride that takes you from the depths of Heroin addiction to the pinnacle of high society only to end up six feet under.

Five out of Five Stars

"This memoir packs a wallop. Without apology, Men-ipulation is the naked confession of a life gone wrong but a love gone right." --- Eve Paludan, author of three editions of The Romance Writer's Pink Pages, Letters from David, and Taking Back Tara.

"..[T]his was one of the best books I have read about addiction! She tells it like it is and you feel like you are right there in the room with Monica Sarli. I could not put my Kindle down!" ---S. Ann, a reader

"I recommend [Men-ipulation] to anyone who has ever suffered from addiction or had their lives and families torn apart by someone else who did. Even those who haven't will find their heart touched by this compelling story. It will engage you from start to finish. ---Connie Flynn, author of Shadow on the Moon

Men-ipulation is dark, dangerous, dramatic and funny as it follows Monica Sarli's lifelong battle with men, sex and Heroin addiction. From facing down psychopathic drug dealers to the FBI threatening to put her in the Witness Protection Program or the SWAT team appearing to rescue her from a man she's done with, and every story is as true as it is strange.

More Praise for Men-ipulation

"Monica Sarli has ... the strength of character to put down on paper all of the ups and downs of her messy but ultimately rewarding life. This is a book that will inspire women. I look forward to further episodes of her memoirs."--- John Walsh, professional reviewer

"Monica is a force of nature. An active volcano of emotions and passions. While reading her book you feel like watching a play or a movie." --- Giancarlo Belluso, Italy

If you have ever struggled with addiction or know someone who struggles with addiction, Monica Sarli wrote Men-ipulation for you.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Despite my best intentions, I had to stay up late on a work night to finish <Men-ipulation>... The book is more a reality TV show than a memoir. ... The second book can't come too soon."---Holly Thompson, author

About the Author

Monica Lavery Sarli was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri. Marrying her high school sweetheart Steve Sarli in 1976, she gave up her job to concentrate on their addictions until August 4, 1986 when she decided for both of them it was time to clean up. After three stabs at rehab—twice at the Menninger Clinic in Topeka, Kansas and a year at Amity, a therapeutic community in Tucson—they finally achieved sobriety through a Methadone program. That left Monica free to put all her efforts into promoting her charities until her divorce from Steve in 1995, when she reentered the job market, becoming a highly successful real estate agent selling high end homes. Later, she planned, built and managed a successful tanning salon before selling it in 2008. Monica now lives in Scottsdale, Arizona, where she continues to work with Denise on her memoir series and maintains that she will be forever 25.

Product Details

• File Size: 1165 KB
• Print Length: 233 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0983909105
• Publisher: No Regrets the Book, LLC (August 12, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B005H7UDZI
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #15,236 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #10 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Recovery > Drug Dependency

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Touches Your Heart September 1, 2011

By Connie Flynn

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Normally, I don't read memoirs or autobiographies because too frequently I find them inauthentic and self-serving. Not this book. When an early morning heroin overdose nearly kills her husband Steve, Monica Sarli decides they can't keep living that way - not if they were to survive. Revealed unflinchingly to author Denise Doming, Men-ipulation tells her story with raw and sometimes honesty.

With steely determination - not only would she save herself, she would save Steve - Monica leads them into a harsh rehab clinic, then through a year-long methadone program. When they emerge Monica was truly free. Never again would she even take a drink of alcohol.

Steve not so much. Again Monica fights, this time to save the man she loves from certain death. In doing so, she confronts and overcomes the layers of personal denial and self-deception that plague us all, but addicts more than most. Her dogged persistence stays with her even as her story rushes to its inevitable end. She credits her determination to the three principles of Amity, the rehab program that put her on the road to recovery - never lie, always run your story (meaning be open about your past), and help others.

I recommend this book to anyone who has ever suffered from addiction or had their lives and families torn apart by someone else who did. Even those who haven't will find their heart touched by this compelling story. It will engage you from start to finish.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Resounding Triumph of the Human Spirit August 14, 2011

By Eve Paludan

Format:Kindle Edition

In Men-ipulation, an unforgettable and moving true-life tale of sorrow and joy, "pulp nonfiction" meets a gritty love story of failure and success in this candid, courageous tale of addiction and recovery from a pasta heiress-by-marriage with a heroin habit and a heart of gold. From the drug neighborhoods of Kansas City to long stints in rehab to a dinner party on Senator Barry Goldwater's elegant patio to charity functions for underprivileged children in the Phoenix area, Monica Sarli has proved herself to be a survivor and a conqueror of adversity. She survived her drug addiction, her toxic friends, her husband's family's wealth, and her husband's penchant for getting them into hot water, so hot that they were offered a spot in the witness protection program in exchange for testimony against a dangerous drug kingpin whom they considered a friend. Readers will be appalled, aghast, and shaken by the drug world of a woman who loved without fear and never abandoned her husband, even though he dragged her down to the worst abysses of her entire life. Men-ipulation propels the reader on a reckless journey from inside a "shooting gallery" where her husband overdosed and nearly died that night (but for her bravery) to her recovery and her powerful presence in corporate boardrooms. Monica Sarli's life story is a loud warning cry against hard drugs, a rally to love one another unconditionally, and a resounding triumph of the human spirit. Brava to Denise Domning, an adept and insightful chronicler of Mrs. Sarli's life story, and brava to Monica Sarli, for telling it like it is, fearlessly. I was riveted, heartbroken, and amazed. This memoir packs a wallop. Without apology, Men-ipulation is the naked confession of a life gone wrong but a love gone right. Five stars. - Eve Paludan, author of three editions of The Romance Writer's Pink Pages, Letters from David, and Taking Back Tara.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read! June 20, 2012

By C Fahey

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I took Monica Sarli's memoir on my beach vacation and couldn't put it down! It is hilarious, sad, and always real. Her circumstances may be different than yours, but there are bits and pieces of her story that resonate within us all. By the end of the book, you feel like you've gained a new friend and insight into some of your own struggles. I highly recommend her book and can't wait for the release of book two!