Description

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By the time Josh Rivedal turned twenty-five, he thought he'd have the perfect life-a few years singing on Broadway, followed by a starring role in his own television show. After which, his getaway home in the Hamptons would be featured in Better Homes & Gardens, and his face would grace the cover of the National Enquirer as Bigfoot's not-so-secret lover. Instead, his resume is filled with an assortment of minor league theatre and an appearance on The Maury Povich Show-a career sidetracked by his father's suicide, a lawsuit from his mother over his inheritance, and a break-up with his long-term girlfriend. Tortured by his thoughts, he finds himself on the ledge of a fourth floor window, contemplating jumping out to inherit his familial legacy. In turn he must reach out to the only person who can help him before it's too late. Based in part on his acclaimed one-man show, The Gospel According to Josh is a comedic and poignant true-to-life tale of love, loss, struggle, and survival-a gospel account of one young man's passage into manhood-his twenty-eight-year Gentile bar mitzvah. This is the MensLine Australia edition, with a foreword by MensLine Australia. Twenty-five percent of proceeds from this book will be donated to MensLine Australia, a national telephone and online support, information and referral service for men. MensLine is available from anywhere in Australia and is staffed by professional counsellors, experienced in men's issues. Through their dedicated counselling services, they provide: A safe and private place to talk about concerns; Confidential, anonymous and non-judgmental support; Coaching and practical strategies for managing personal relationship concerns; Relevant information and linkage to other appropriate services and programs as required. MensLine Australia is managed by On the Line, Australia's leading professional telephone and online counselling provider. This unique, dedicated service for men is funded by the Australian Government Department of Social Services and philanthropic foundations, and was launched in 2001.

About the Author

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Joshua Rivedal is an actor, playwright, and international public speaker on suicide prevention and mental health. He has contributed to The Huffington Post. He has spoken professionally about suicide prevention and mental health awareness in more than twenty-five U.S. states and two Canadian provinces. Josh previously served on the board of directors for the New York City chapter of The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and currently serves on the board of Elijah's Journey: A Jewish Response to Suicide Prevention. He wrote and developed the play, The Gospel According to Josh, which has toured extensively throughout the United States and Canada, and opened Off-Broadway in New York City in May, 2014. He wrote the libretto to a Spanish language Christmas musical Rescatando la Navidad. He is curating and publishing a new inspirational compilation book series The Good News Project. Volume 1: A New Point of You will be published in February 2015. He writes for the blogs The Arts Entrepreneur and The BLOGospel According to Josh. As a voiceover actor, Josh has lent his voice to the role of Hippo in Scholastic's Rabbit and Hippo In Three Short Tales, the narrator of Julianne Moore's Freckleface Strawberry and the Dodgeball Bully, the narrator of Cinderella Penguin, and numerous other audiobooks and animated projects.