Heroine's Journey

MEMOIR 2017 SILVER WINNER OF IBPA BENJAMIN FRANKLIN AWARD • 2016 SILVER Foreword INDIES AWARD WINNER • For readers of Cheryl Strayed, Martha Beck, and Elizabeth Gilbert In this adventurous spiritual memoir, Melissa Burch discovers that by facing her near death, living outside her comfort zone and trusting her intuition, she could find herself and set a new course for her life. "My Journey Through War and Peace: Explorations of a Young Filmmaker, Feminist and Spiritual Seeker" is based on Melissa Burch's experiences as a war journalist for BBC, CBS, and other networks. Her team was one of the first documentary crews allowed in the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War, and she was featured in a New York Times story about her time in Afghanistan. She was just in her twenties when she traveled with the mujahideen, filmed an attack on a Soviet convoy, slept with an Afghan commander, and climbed 14,000-foot mountains in the Hindu Kush. "My Journey Through War and Peace" examines how, through outward action and inward exploration, life can unfold in mysterious ways, far beyond cultural and family expectations. In looking back at this momentous decade, Burch shares why she pursued such dangerous and difficult circumstances at such a young age and continued to live on the edge. She now understands that she was seeking self-discovery, a connection to something greater, and ultimately inner peace. This exciting adventurous spiritual memoir will resonate with fans of "Eat Pray Love," "Wild," and other popular memoirs that describe extraordinary inner and outer journeys. Praise for My Journey Through War and Peace "Grittier than Eat Pray Love." ~ Amazon Reviewer "Burch's memoir recounts her remarkable experiences over eight years as a photographer covering the war in Soviet-occupied Afghanistan in the 1980s and as a filmmaker, and also her own personal and spiritual journey as a young woman…. Her accounts provide revealing glimpses into the conflict, Afghan culture, and the dangers of war reporting, particularly for a woman." ~ Publishers Weekly "In this memoir, a documentary filmmaker describes her dramatic journeys, both outward and inward... An absorbing, well-written memoir by a brave adventurer who discovered her own life." ~ Kirkus Reviews "At twenty-two, Melissa Burch headed to Afghanistan with a camera… determined to film a war for CBS and to find herself. MY JOURNEY THROUGH WAR AND PEACE is the dizzying and dazzling account of that journey." ~ Foreword Reviews

She Risked Everything to Become a Mother, Lover and Healer In her debut memoir, My Journey through War and Peace, Melissa Burch told the compelling story of how she, braved a war zone as a young woman and found her, voice as a filmmaker and feminist. Yearning for Magic continues Melissa's adventures as she explores new horizons as a mother, lover and healer. She learned that while traveling with the mujahedeen was hard, it took just as much courage to face down her fears on home soil, grapple with infertility and embark on her new calling as a homeopathic healer. Join Burch as she discovers meaning and joy in surprising places: from a christening on a Greek Island to life in an East Village Quaker community, and from a miraculous healing in Brazil to a life-changing spiritual experience in India. Her most daring journey was her voyage within. "Sometimes I kept having the same thought over and over. I must do something that felt exciting and fearful, like rappelling off a cliff, most often this idea worked out for the best," Burch recalls. Yearning for Magic will inspire you to stay open to the unknown, listen to your inner wisdom, learn to live in the here and now... and seek out your own heroine's journey. Melissa Burch is a bestselling author, spiritual teacher and speaker who inspires women and men to develop their own spiritual practice rooted in the teachings of the heroine's journey.