Bernice Ranalli is a Canadian entrepreneur and businesswoman with a passion for the written word. An avid reader and gifted storyteller, she was inspired by the events of her youth to write about growing up in an immigrant family alongside her developmentally delayed brother. Her debut book fulfills her desire to share her story, in large part, to help others who have lived with the same challenges, and to give them the encouragement and wisdom she has today that would have sustained her so many years ago.

A poignant account of the author’s life immersed in nature’s beauty along the southeastern shores of Georgian Bay, Paulie and Me is an exploration into the coming of age with a special needs sibling. It transforms into a tale of imperfection and heartbreak, with colliding emotions fraught with shame and humiliation leading to a family divided. Yet layered throughout, like the lines of the Bay’s granite shores, is a tale of achievement, courage, and determination.

Ultimately, Paulie and Me is a story that is filled with validation, forgiveness, and love.