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Biography and Memoir September 2016
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Whisperin' Bill Anderson : an unprecedented life in country music by Bill Anderson
Whisperin' Bill: An Unprecedented Life in Country Music presents a revealing portrait of Bill Anderson, one of the most prolific songwriters in the history of country music. . Mega country music hits like "City Lights," (Ray Price), "Tips Of My Fingers," (Roy Clark, Eddy Arnold, Steve Wariner), "Once A Day," (Connie Smith), "Saginaw, Michigan," (Lefty Frizzell), and many more flowed from his pen, making him one of the most decorated songwriters in music history. But the iconic singer, songwriter, performer, and TV host came to a point in his career where he questioned if what he had to say mattered anymore. |
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| In the Darkroom by Susan FaludiPulitzer Prize-winning journalist Susan Faludi had barely heard from her father Steven for over 20 years when she received an email in which Steven came out as transgender. Now called Stefánie Faludi, she wanted to make her daughter's acquaintance all over again. In the Darkroom explores Stefánie's life, beginning in Budapest after World War I. Susan based this biography on recollections from her childhood, conversations and correspondence with Stefánie, as well as interviews with other family members and friends, Stefánie's surgeon, and other transgender women. In this fascinating account, Susan disentangles fact from fiction in Stefánie's recollections, painting a moving and insightful portrait. |
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| A House Full of Daughters: A Memoir of Seven Generations by Juliet NicolsonAfter years of hearing stories about her female ancestors, historian Juliet Nicolson (Vita Sackville-West's granddaughter) undertook extensive research on her family tree. The resulting multigenerational biography begins in 1830 Spain and crosses the Atlantic several times, ending up in contemporary Britain. This fascinating narrative explains how an Andalusian flamenco dancer produced aristocratic British descendants, portrays the glittering late 19th-century diplomatic scene in Washington, DC, and explores relationships among generations of the Sackville-West family. In addition to vivid portraits of her forbears, Nicolson provides a compelling history of Knole, her ancestral home. A House Full of Daughters is a must-read for women's history fans and British nobility buffs. |
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Fashion is freedom : a girl from Tehran and her rise to the runway by Tala RaassiSince she was young, Tala Raassi knew her fate lay in fashion. But growing up in her beloved homeland of Iran, a woman can be punished for exposing her hair in public, let alone wearing the newest trends. Despite strict regulations, Tala developed a keen sense of style in backroom cafes and secret parties. She never imagined her behavior would land her in prison, or bring the cruel sting of a whip for the crime of wearing a mini-skirt. Tala's forty lashes didn't keep her down | they fanned the flames of individuality and inspired her to embrace a new freedom in the United States. As she developed her own clothing label, her exploration into the creative, cut throat community of Western fashion opened her eyes to the ups and downs of hard work, hard decisions, and hard truths. Fashion is Freedom takes us on a journey that crosses the globe, from Colombia to Miss Universe, and inspires women everywhere to be fearless...
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| The Butler's Child: An Autobiography by Lewis M. Steel with Beau FriedlanderAttorney Lewis Steel, a scion of the Warner Brothers family, vigorously advocated in court for civil rights cases during his 50-plus-year career. As a white man from a privileged family, he might seem an unlikely civil rights warrior, but as a child he was very close to William Rutherford, the African-American butler his family employed. In The Butler's Child, Steel recounts their relationship and how he became conscious of racial prejudice. In the 1960s, newly graduated from Harvard Law School, Steel began volunteering with the NAACP and contributed to numerous landmark victories. Including compelling descriptions of several cases in the narrative, this "polished, accomplished" (Publishers Weekly) autobiography vividly portrays American racial divisions. |
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September and October Birthdays
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| Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original by Robin D.G. KelleyOctober 10, 1917. Acclaimed jazz pianist and composer, bebop co-creator, and mentor to many other great musicians, Thelonious Monk was mercurial and impossible to categorize. In this comprehensive biography, American Studies scholar Robin Kelley draws on extensive research, including interviews, to produce a detailed account of Monk's life. A classically trained pianist (unlike what some reports say) who suffered from bipolar disorder, he was an enjoyable companion who loved his family and friends -- and was loved in return. He was always on the cutting edge of jazz, seeking out new chords and techniques and continuously expanding his art. Library Journal calls this the "most thorough possible" study of the man himself and his music. |
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| The Theft of Memory: Losing My Father, One Day at a Time by Jonathan KozolSeptember 5, 1936. Though The Theft of Memory includes a biography of acclaimed education advocate Jonathan Kozol's father, Harry Kozol, this is primarily an informative but heartwrenching account of Jonathan's responsibility for his aging parents. Jonathan recounts his family's history and his estrangement from his father as a young adult; he also relates details of Harry's career as a neuropsychiatrist. Nearing 90, Harry began to experience symptoms of dementia and increasing physical frailty; his worsening condition brought father and son closer, though the difficulties of supervising Harry's care became exhausting for Jonathan. Publishers Weekly calls this a "clear-eyed and deeply felt" consideration of aging, dementia, and family relationships. |
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| Stand Up Straight and Sing! A Memoir by Jessye NormanSeptember 15, 1945. Grammy-winning soprano Jessye Norman credits her successful career in part to her mother's admonitions to stand up straight while singing. Growing up in segregated Augusta, Georgia, Norman soloed in church when she was four and fell in love with opera at age nine when she heard a recording of the music. Her memoir includes details of the support she received from her family and community, the development of her opera career, influences from other musicians, including Marian Anderson and Leontyne Price, and her participation in the civil rights movement. Reading Stand Up Straight and Sing! is like enjoying a conversation with "a good friend -- a famous one" says Kirkus Reviews. |
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Dreams to Remember : Otis Redding, Stax Records, and the Transformation of Southern Soul by Mark RibowskySeptember 9, 1941.A soul icon and the southern music he helped popularize come to life in this moving requiem. When he died in one of rock's string of tragic plane crashes,Otis Redding was only twenty-six, yet already the avatar of a new kind of soul music. The beating heart of Memphis-based Stax Records, he had risen to fame belting out gospel-flecked blues in stage performances that seemed to ignite not only a room but an entire generation.
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| Storyteller: The Authorized Biography of Roald Dahl by Donald SturrockSeptember 13, 1916. Writer Roald Dahl led an adventurous and emotionally complex life. Not only did he pen several adult novels and many highly acclaimed children's books -- he worked with British intelligence during World War II and also served as a fighter pilot in the Royal Air Force. He enjoyed multiple romances and was married twice (the first time to actress Patricia Neal). Drawing on extensive research and interviews with friends and family, former BBC producer Donald Sturrock deftly sculpts an intricate portrait of the man, often making connections between his books and his personality in this riveting literary biography. Sturrock also offers a selection of Dahl's letters to his mother in Love from Boy, due out this month. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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