Feature: Life and How to Live It: Near Wild Heaven by Chaz Holesworth
Some stories aren't meant to guide you-they're meant to make you pause and reflect.
Today I'm featuring Life and How to Live It: Near Wild Heaven by Chaz Holesworth as part of this tour. I had the chance to spend time with this installment, and while this post focuses on introducing the book, I'll share a few brief impressions along the way for readers who may be considering it.
If you missed my thoughts on Volume 1, Begin the Begin, you can read them here for a bit more background.
Reader Snapshot
Genre: Memoir / Philosophical Nonfiction
Vibe: Reflective, unfiltered, introspective
Perfect For Readers Who Love: stream-of-consciousness writing, personal reflections, and thought-provoking life observations
Story Elements: personal anecdotes, philosophical musings, emotional honesty, nonlinear structure
Setting: Contemporary, rooted in lived experience rather than a single defined location
Tone: candid, exploratory, and deeply personal
Content Considerations
Content Considerations:
- References to suicidal thoughts
- Discussions of trauma and emotional distress
- Strong language
This book includes deeply personal reflections that may be sensitive for some readers. Please approach with care and consider your own comfort level.
What Makes This Book Stand Out
- Philosophical reflection: The narrative leans into big-picture thinking, inviting readers to pause and consider life, meaning, and personal growth.
- Unfiltered voice: Written with a candid, stream-of-consciousness style that prioritizes emotional honesty over polish.
- Experimental structure: A nonlinear, free-flowing format that moves through thoughts and experiences rather than following a traditional storyline.
A Few Reader Impressions
This second volume continues in a deeply personal, stream-of-consciousness style that leans into reflection over structure. The writing feels intentionally unfiltered, offering glimpses into the author's thoughts and experiences as they unfold rather than following a traditional narrative path.
There are moments that invite pause and consideration, particularly for readers who appreciate philosophical musings and emotional honesty. At the same time, the nonlinear approach means this is best suited for those who are comfortable moving through a more fluid, exploratory reading experience.
Readers drawn to raw, introspective storytelling may find meaningful connections here, especially if they value reflection over resolution.
Let's take a closer look at Life and How to Live It: Near Wild Heaven and the reflections shared in this second volume.
About Life and How to Live It: Near Wild Heaven
Life and How to Live it: Near Wild Heaven By Chaz Holesworth
Published by Independently Published on January 2026
Genres: Adult Non-Fiction 18+, Memoir
Formats: Audiobook, eBook, Hardcover, Paperback
Pages: 219
At first, silence felt holy. Then the music started—and nothing was ever the same.
In the gripping second volume of his memoir series, Chaz Holesworth steps out of the wreckage of his Philadelphia childhood and into a new adolescence, longing, awakening, and the dangerous freedom of life beyond the rules that once defined him.
Raised in a world where faith meant fear and obedience meant survival, Chaz enters his teenage years numb and isolated. Emotions are weakness. Questions are sin. Desire is the enemy. But when first love cracks open the cage, and forbidden music floods in, everything he has been taught about identity, God, and himself begins to unravel.
With every lyric he wasn’t allowed to hear, and every mile he runs from home, Chaz discovers pieces of a self he never knew he could claim. Friends become family. Music becomes prayer. And movement becomes the only escape from a growing storm of shame, confusion, and spiritual fallout he doesn’t yet have language for.
Drugs, heartbreak, adventure, and raw curiosity collide as Chaz tries to live fast enough to stay ahead of his past. But survival has a cost, and reclaiming his voice means confronting everything silence once protected him from.
Lyrical, honest, and unflinchingly human, Life and How to Live Near Wild Heaven is a coming-of-age memoir about breaking indoctrination, surviving first love, and learning to choose life after years of enforced silence. Set against the pulse of mid-90s music and youth culture, it is a story for anyone who has ever tried to outrun their past, or finally stopped running.
Final Thoughts
Life and How to Live It: Near Wild Heaven offers a deeply personal and reflective reading experience that leans into thought, emotion, and lived experience rather than traditional storytelling. Its unfiltered, exploratory style will resonate most with readers who appreciate introspection and philosophical reflection.
This is a book to approach with openness-one that invites you to move alongside the author's thoughts rather than follow a defined path. For the right reader, that journey may offer moments of quiet connection and reflection.
Reader Resources
Meet Chaz Holesworth
About Chaz Holesworth
Chaz Holesworth grew up in Philadelphia’s Kensington neighborhood, where addiction, poverty, and faith defined his daily life. Those experiences shaped his perspective and fueled his drive to write honestly about survival, memory, and meaning.
Now living in the suburbs with his wife and their dog, he still carries Philly with him in his humor and his belief in standing up for the underdog.
When he isn’t writing, Chaz can be found at a live show, exploring new corners of the world, or enjoying a craft beer. A passionate advocate for social justice, he is deeply committed to championing the rights of workers and animals, striving to make a difference in the causes closest to his heart.
Life and How to Live It is his memoir series told with unflinching honesty. With his gift for storytelling, he writes to connect, to remember, and to show others that even in the darkest corners of the past, there is a way forward.
Explore more from the author:
Website | Amazon | Goodreads
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Where to Buy Life and How to Live It: Near Wild Heaven
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My thanks to iRead Book Tours and Chaz Holesworth for the opportunity to be part of this tour.
Be sure to follow along with the rest of the tour for more features and perspectives. #iReadBookTours
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