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Biography and Memoir June 2022 |
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| Where the Children Take Us: How One Family Achieved the Unimaginable by Zain E. AsherWhat it's about: After the death of her father in a car accident, Zain E. Asher and her three siblings (including her older brother, Oscar-nominated actor Chiwetel Ejiofor) were raised in South London by their tough-love mother Obiajulu, a survivor of the Nigerian Civil War.
Read it for: a moving ode to a mother's determination to see her family thrive in the face of tragedy. |
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| From the Hood to the Holler: A Story of Separate Worlds, Shared Dreams, and the... by Charles BookerWhat it is: an inspiring memoir from former Kentucky state representative and United States Senate hopeful Charles Booker.
Topics include: growing up poor in Louisville's West End; bridging divides and finding common ground with Appalachian constituents.
Why you should read it: Booker is a rising progressive politician who is set to compete against Rand Paul in the 2022 Senate election; his thought-provoking debut illuminates the issues close to his heart. |
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| Back to the Prairie: A Home Remade, A Life Rediscovered by Melissa Gilbert; foreword by Tim Busfield What it is: Little House on the Prairie actress Melissa Gilbert's chronicle of her attempts to rehab a Catskills cottage with her husband, The West Wing's Tim Busfield (who penned the book's foreword).
Featuring: recipes for spaghetti pie, loaded baked potato soup, and gingersnap pumpkin pie; the author's signature warmth and humor.
Try this next: Bright Lights, Prairie Dust: Reflections on Life, Loss and Love from Little House's Ma by Karen Grassle. |
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| Fly Girl by Ann HoodWhat it's about: novelist Ann Hood's time spent working as a TWA flight attendant in the late 1970s and early '80s.
Read it for: a lively and engaging behind-the-scenes account of airline crew life, peppered with anecdotes about unusual passengers and unforgettable travels.
Don't miss: Hood's rigorous training, which included learning how to deliver a baby, plate a chateaubriand, and fix a broken coffeemaker. |
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| The Puzzler: One Man's Quest to Solve the Most Baffling Puzzles Ever, from Crosswords to... by A.J. JacobsWhat it is: The Year of Living Biblically author A.J. Jacobs' chatty deep dive into the world of puzzles.
Featuring: interviews with experts; dozens of historical puzzles; a handful of originals created by puzzle-maker Greg Pliska.
Look for: the secret puzzle hidden in this book -- if you're the first reader to find it, you win a $10,000 cash prize! |
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A backpack, a bear, and eight crates of vodka : a memoir
by Lev Golinkin
A former Jewish refugee recounts his family's desperate flight from the Soviet Union in the late 1980s and his personal quest to retrace their journey years later to thank the strangers who helped them. 25,000 first printing.
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| Start Without Me: (I'll Be There in a Minute) by Gary JanettiWhat it is: the 2nd sardonic and freewheeling essay collection from Will and Grace producer Gary Janetti (Do You Mind If I Cancel?).
Topics include: Janetti's upbringing in an Italian American family in Queens; how his struggles to fit in at school led to an unlikely friendship with a soap opera-loving nun; learning to live on his own terms.
Want a taste? "The Catholics are the RuPaul's Drag Race of religions. We put on a show, honey." |
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| My Seven Black Fathers: A Young Activist's Memoir of Race, Family, and the Mentors Who... by Will JawandoWhat it is: Maryland politician and community leader Will Jawando's uplifting "love letter to Black men" that pays tribute to seven influential male role models in his life.
Featuring: Jawando's biological father and stepfather; Mr. Williams, his 4th grade math teacher; Mr. Holmes, his high school choir director; Jay, his mother's openly gay coworker; businessman Deen Sanwoola, who helped him discover his Nigerian heritage; and Barack Obama. |
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| Burn the Page: A True Story of Torching Doubts, Blazing Trails, and Igniting Change by Danica RoemWhat it is: the candid debut from Virginia Delegate Danica Roem, the first openly transgender state legislator in United States history.
Why you should read it: Part witty memoir, part thoughtful manifesto, Roem's eye-opening account inspires readers to unapologetically chase after their dreams, no matter how impossible they may seem.
Reviewers say: "A must read" (Library Journal). |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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