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Morgan's list: I know the traditional beach read is a thriller, but I enjoy cool nonfiction stories more. For this month, I've picked a couple of books that are chock-a-block full of cool stories for the hot season. Ok, maybe that last was a bit much, but seriously these books are the best. |
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A Thousand Sisters: The Heroic Airwomen of the Soviet Union in World War II by Elizabeth WeinDuring World War II, the Soviet Union became the first nation in the world to have women fly combat missions. Led by Maria Raskova, three regiments of Russian woman took to the skies to defend against Hitler's Luftwaffe. Elizabeth Wein tells the story of these regiments crisply and in a compelling fashion - 1,000 women fighting for their homes in a time of dire peril.
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Rejected Princesses: Tales of History's Boldest Heroines, Hellions, and Hereticsby Jason PorathFormer Dreamworks animator Jason Porath presents a beautifully illustrated anthology of stories. From Ann Jump Cannon to Ida B Wells, the women here have amazing stories, and Porath presents them in a compelling and accessible bite-size format. Each of these stories will leave you wanting to know more about the subject.
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Kat's list: Memoirs by BIPOC August 31 is We Love Memoirs Day! Memoirs can be a powerful tool to learn more about people whose lives may be very different from your own. Check out these 3 memoirs written by writers who are BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, or People of Color) |
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Heart Berries: A Memoir
by Terese Marie Mailhot
Heart Berries is a poetic memoir of a woman's coming of age on the Seabird Island Indian Reservation in British Columbia. Having survived a dysfunctional upbringing only to find herself hospitalized and facing a dual diagnosis of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Bipolar II, Terese Mailhot is given a notebook and begins to write her way through her trauma.
The result is Heart Berries, a memorial for Mailhot's mother, a social worker and activist who had a thing for prisoners; a story of reconciliation with her father--an abusive drunk and a brilliant artist--who was murdered under mysterious circumstances; and an elegy on how difficult it is to love someone while dragging the long shadows of shame.
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Heavy: An American Memoir
by Kiese Laymon
In Heavy, Kiese Laymon writes eloquently and honestly about growing up a hard-headed Black son to a complicated and brilliant Black mother in Jackson, Mississippi. From his early experiences of sexual violence, to his suspension from college, to time in New York as a college professor, Laymon charts his complex relationship with his mother, grandmother, anorexia, obesity, sex, writing, and ultimately gambling.
Heavy is a memoir that combines personal stories with piercing intellect to reflect both on the strife of American society and on Laymon’s experiences with abuse. By attempting to name secrets and lies he and his mother spent a lifetime avoiding, he asks us to confront the terrifying possibility that few in this nation actually know how to responsibly love, and even fewer want to live under the weight of actually becoming free.
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Redefining Realness: My Path to Womanhood, Identity, Love & So Much More
by Janet Mock
In Redefining Realness, Janet Mock relays her experiences of growing up young, multiracial, poor, and trans in America. Welcomed into the world as her parents’ firstborn son, Mock decided early on that she would be her own person—no matter what. She struggled as the smart, determined child in a deeply loving yet ill-equipped family that lacked the money, education, and resources necessary to help her thrive.
This memoir follows Mock’s quest for identity, from an early, unwavering conviction about her gender to a turbulent adolescence in Honolulu that saw her transitioning during the tender years of high school, self-medicating with hormones at fifteen, and flying across the world alone for sex reassignment surgery at just eighteen. With unflinching honesty, Mock uses her own experience to impart vital insight about the unique challenges and vulnerabilities of trans youth and brave girls like herself.
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