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DOWAGIAC — Downtown Dowagiac will play host to an author who is no stranger to the community.

Dr. Tasha Faruqui will be at Olympia Books and the Beckwith Theatre Monday, Oct. 6 for a pair of events celebrating her new memoir, “Keep Your Head Up: A Mother’s Story of Chasing Joy in the Face of Grief.”

The event will begin with a book signing at Olympia Books at 2 p.m., followed by a reading and Q&A session at the Beckwith Theatre at 7 p.m.

A USA Today National Bestseller, Keep Your Head Up tells the story of Faruqui’s experience as a pediatrician and a parent to a terminally ill child. The memoir provides guidance and hope to other parents and caregivers of sick children who are navigating elusive diagnoses and emotional turmoil.

A 1999 graduate of Dowagiac Union High School and Berrien County Math and Science Center, Dr. Faruqui graduated from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor with a bachelor of science degree in biopsychology and cognitive science in December 2002 before ​​graduating from medical school at Midwestern University’s Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2008.

Dr. Faruqui is an award-winning pediatrician with more than a decade of public speaking experience. She regularly shares her message of “choosing to live in light and love even when navigating unthinkable loss” at non-profit events, fundraisers and hospitals across the country. Dr. Faruqui was named a top doctor by Cincinnati Magazine in 2022, 2023 and 2024. Her family was the subject of a recent documentary created by Make-A-Wish, which won a 2024 Emmy Award in the Human Interest Short or Long Form Content category and has been viewed

online thousands of times.

“Dr. Tasha Faruqui’s Keep Your Head Up is an insightful journey through the challenges and triumphs of raising a child with medical needs,” Leslie Motter, President & CEO of Make-A-Wish America. “As the CEO of Make-A-Wish America, I have witnessed firsthand the transformative power of a wish in bringing hope, strength and joy to children and their families. Dr. Faruqui’s heartfelt narrative beautifully captures this perspective, showcasing the resilience that defines the Make-A-Wish experience. This book is an inspiring reminder that even in the face of adversity, joy and hope can be found.”

Keep Your Head Up is available everywhere books are sold.