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Biography and Memoir November 2022 |
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| Uphill by Jemele HillWhat it is: the moving debut memoir from Emmy Award-winning Atlantic sports journalist and former ESPN SportsCenter host Jemele Hill.
Topics include: Hill's impoverished upbringing in 1980s Detroit; family struggles with addiction, abuse, and neglect; finding escape and success as a journalist; her complex relationship with God.
Don't miss: Hill's candid reflections on the fallout of her referring to President Trump as a white supremacist on Twitter in 2017. |
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| Stay True by Hua HsuWhat it's about: New Yorker staff writer Hua Hsu's life-changing, opposites-attract college friendship with Ken, who was murdered when the pair were students at UC Berkeley in the 1990s.
Read it for: a lyrical coming-of-age tale of guilt, grief, and things left unsaid.
Reviewers say: "Exploring identity, authenticity, and nostalgia as concepts and as feelings, this is an absolute stunner" (Booklist). |
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| The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Man by Paul Newman; edited by David RosenthalThe backstory: In 1986, film legend Paul Newman and his screenwriter friend Stewart Stern began collaborating on an oral history of Newman's life and career, but by the early '90s, the project had stalled.
What happened next: In 2019, 14,000 pages of transcripts from Newman's conversations with Stern were discovered and eventually crafted into this engaging posthumous memoir.
Read it for: a nuanced account that demystifies Newman's stardom, featuring insights from loved ones and colleagues. |
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| Boldly Go: Reflections on a Life of Awe and Wonder by William Shatner with Joshua BrandonLive long and prosper: In this inspiring latest essay collection from nonagenarian Star Trek icon William Shatner, the actor reflects on a life well-lived and his quest to not take anything for granted.
Is it for you? Longtime Shatner fans and general readers alike will appreciate the author's wisdom and candor.
Don't miss: Shatner's signature self-deprecating sense of humor: "Some say I have...my own...style...of pausing." |
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| Making a Scene by Constance WuWhat it is: a poignant and evocative memoir-in-essays from Fresh Off the Boat and Crazy Rich Asians star Constance Wu.
Topics include: Wu's experiences assimilating as the child of Taiwanese immigrants in 1980s Virginia; her hard-fought path to success; navigating racism, misogyny, and sexual harassment in the entertainment industry.
Book buzz: Making a Scene was named a Most Anticipated Book of Fall by Time and The Associated Press. |
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Focus on: Culinary Biographies and Memoirs
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| Be My Guest: Reflections on Food, Community, and the Meaning of Hospitality by Priya BasilWhat it is: a playful and thoughtful memoir from Sikh author Priya Basil that explores how cooking brings people together and how family and cultural traditions inform the concept of hospitality.
Food for thought: "Who are we becoming? Who do we want to be? Can the answer lie in a sausage?" |
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| Eat a Peach by David ChangWhat it's about: chef, Momofuku restaurateur, and Ugly Delicious host David Chang's path to culinary stardom.
Topics include: Chang's upbringing in a religious Korean American family; his battles with bipolar disorder and suicidal ideation; career triumphs and missteps; his friendship with the late Anthony Bourdain.
Don't miss: the author's self-deprecating sense of humor, which he reveals in playful prose, cheeky footnotes, and rules for becoming a chef. |
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| The Rise: Black Cooks and the Soul of American Food by Marcus Samuelsson with Osayi Endolyn; recipes with Yewande Komolafe and Tamie Cook; photographs by Angie MosierWhat's inside: profiles of dozens of Black chefs whose creations illuminate the many diverse Black culinary traditions.
Recipes include: spiced catfish with pumpkin leche de tigre; chicken liver mousse with croissants; benne seed dressing.
For fans of: James Beard Award-winning cookbook Jubilee: Recipes from Two Centuries of African American Cooking by Toni-Tipton Martin. |
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| Where I Come From: Life Lessons from a Latino Chef by Aarón SánchezWhat it's about: MasterChef star Aarón Sánchez's culinary coming-of-age and influences, including legendary New York restaurateur Zarela Martinez (his mother), and New Orleans chef Paul Prudhomme.
Recipes include: bacalao-stuffed sweet plantains with crema Mexicana; seared salmon with pumpkin seed mole; seafood stew with coconut and chipotle.
Reviewers say: "Sánchez's fans will relish this richly told life story of a chef celebrating his roots" (Publishers Weekly). |
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| Taste Makers: Seven Immigrant Women Who Revolutionized Food in America by Mayukh SenWhat it is: a thoughtful, well-researched group biography of seven women who, throughout the 20th century, brought flavors and foods from their homelands to the United States, changing the way Americans eat.
Starring: Buwei Yang Chao from China, Elena Zelayeta from Mexico, Madeleine Kamman from France, Marcella Hazan from Italy, Julie Sahni from India, Najmieh Batmanglij from Iran, and Norma Shirley from Jamaica. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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