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| Hamilton: The Revolution by Lin-Manuel MirandaHamilton the musical has taken the world by storm, it seems -- even those who don't care for theater in general or musicals in particular. And yet the hip-hop musical with the diverse cast, based on a biography of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, appears to be an unstoppable force. For those who can't get enough (or can't get to Broadway to see it live), this libretto complete with annotations, photos, and commentary from Lin-Manuel Miranda, the Tony Award-winning composer-lyricist-star behind it all, takes fans behind the scenes of the beloved musical -- but will likely make you all the more desperate for tickets. |
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Porcelain : A Memoir
by Moby
There were many reasons Moby was never going to make it as a DJ and musician in the New York club scene of the late 80s and early 90s. This was the New York of Palladium, of Mars, Limelight, and Twilo, an era when dance music was still a largely underground phenomenon, popular chiefly among working class African Americans and Latinos. And then there was Moby--not just a poor, skinny white kid from deepest Connecticut, but a devout Christian, a vegan, and a teetotaler, in a scene that was known for its unchecked, drug-fueled hedonism. But it was perhaps the last good time for an artist to live on nothing in New York City: the age of AIDS and crack but also of a defiantly festive cultural underworld. By the end of the decade, Moby contemplated the end of things, in his career and elsewhere in his life, and he put that emotion into what he assumed would be his swansong, the album that would in fact be the multi-million-selling Play. Porcelain is both a chronicle of a city and a time and a deeply intimate exploration of the most gloriously anxious period of anyone's life, when you're on your own and betting on yourself but you have no idea how the story ends. (Penguin Putnam)
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Girls & Sex : Navigating the Complicated New Landscape
by Peggy Orenstein
Even in this age of helicopter parenting, the mothers and fathers of tomorrow’s women have little idea what their daughters are up to sexually or how they feel about it. Drawing on in-depth interviews with over seventy young women and a wide range of psychologists, academics, and experts, renowned journalist Peggy Orenstein goes where most others fear to tread, pulling back the curtain on the hidden truths, hard lessons, and important possibilities of girls’ sex lives in the modern world. She examines the ways in which porn and all its sexual myths have seeped into young people’s lives; what it means to be the “the perfect slut” and why many girls scorn virginity; the complicated terrain of hookup culture and the unfortunate realities surrounding assault. In Orenstein’s hands these issues are never reduced to simplistic “truths;” rather, her powerful reporting opens up a dialogue on a potent, often silent, subtext of American life today.
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The Books That Changed My Life : Reflections by 100 Authors, Actors, Musicians, and Other Remarkable People
by Bethanne Patrick
One hundred of today’s most prominent literary and cultural icons talk about the books that hold a special place in their hearts—that made them who they are today. Leading authors, politicians, CEOs, actors, and other notables share the books that changed their life, why they love them, and their passion with readers everywhere. Contributors include Al Roker, Carl Hiaasen, Dave Eggers, Emma Straub, Eric Idle, Fay Weldon, Fran Lebowitz, Gillian Flynn, Gregory Maguire, Jeff Kinney, Jim Shepard, Laura Lippmann, Lev Grossman, Liev Schreiber, Margaret Atwood, Mayim Bialik, Nelson DeMille, Rosanne Cash, Susan Orlean, Tim Gunn, and Tommy Hilfiger, among others. (Simon & Schuster)
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Approval Junkie : Adventures in Caring Too Much
by Faith Salie
Faith Salie has done it all in the name of validation. Whether it’s trying to impress her parents with a perfect GPA, embarking on a spiritual retreat in the hopes of saving her toxic marriage, or maintaining the BMI of “a flapper with a touch of dysentery,” Salie is the ultimate approval seeker—an “approval junkie,” if you will. With thoughtful irreverence, Salie reflects on why it is she tries so hard to please others, and especially herself, highlighting a phenomenon that many people experience at home and in the work place. Approval Junkie is one woman’s journey to the realization that seeking approval from others is more than just getting them to like you; it's challenging yourself to achieve, and survive, more than you ever thought you could. (Random House)
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Her Again : Becoming Meryl Streep
by Michael Schulman
In 1975 Meryl Streep, a promising young graduate of the Yale School of Drama, was finding her place in the New York theater scene. Burning with talent and ambition, she was like dozens of aspiring actors of the time—a twenty-something beauty who rode her bike everywhere, kept a diary, napped before performances, and stayed out late “talking about acting with actors in actors’ bars.” Yet Meryl stood apart from her peers. In her first season in New York, she won attention-getting parts in back-to-back Broadway plays, a Tony Award nomination, and two roles in Shakespeare in the Park productions. Even then, people said, “Her. Again.” Her Again is an intimate look at the artistic coming-of-age of the greatest actress of her generation, from the homecoming float at her suburban New Jersey high school, through her early days on the stage at Vassar College and the Yale School of Drama during its golden years, to her star-making roles in The Deer Hunter, Manhattan, and Kramer vs. Kramer.
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Becoming Grandma : The Joys and Science of the New Grandparenting
by Lesley Stahl
After four decades as a reporter, Lesley Stahl says the most vivid and transforming experience of her life was not covering the White House, interviewing heads of state, or any other of her stories at60 Minutes. It was becoming a grandmother. She was hit with a jolt of joy so intense and unexpected, she wanted to “investigate” it—as though it was a news flash! And so, using her60 Minutes skills, she explores how grandmothering changes a woman’s life, interviewing her friends like Whoopi Goldberg, her colleagues like Diane Sawyer, and the proverbial woman next door. On top of these personal accounts, she interviews scientists and doctors about physiological changes in women when they have grandchildren, anthropologists about why there are grandmothers in evolutionary terms, and psychiatrists about the therapeutic effects of grandchildren on both grandmothers and grandfathers. (Penguin Putnam)
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Focus on: Comic Books & Superheroes
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| Marvel Comics: The Untold Story by Sean HoweMarvel Comics originated in 1939, when publisher Marvin Goodman reluctantly expanded his pulp magazine business into the new field of comic books. But the brand didn't really take off until 1961, when writer Stan Lee and artists Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko helped create Marvel's most well-known characters. In this in-depth, meticulously researched, and "scintillating history" (Publishers Weekly), Entertainment Weekly editor Sean Howe delves into the tangled and contentious personal relationships among Marvel's talented stable of editors, writers, and artists; also taking center stage are their creations, like golden-boy Captain America and lovable (if nerdy) Spider-Man. |
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| Amazing Fantastic Incredible: A Marvelous Memoir by Stan Lee, Peter David, and Colleen DoranUnsurprisingly, when comic book legend Stan Lee writes a memoir, he does it in graphic novel format in his "inimitably jaunty style" (Kirkus Reviews). Here, he shares his role in creating some of the most iconic comic book creations -- Spider-Man, Iron Man, the X-Men, the Incredible Hulk, and many more. But he also writes of his childhood, his early years in a comic book industry dominated not by superheroes but by cowboys, and his co-creators. Fun and quirky, this is a great read for fans. |
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| The Secret History of Wonder Woman by Jill LeporeDeeply researched and offering an engaging story, this cultural history of enduring icon Wonder Woman deviates from standard comic book history by concentrating on the rather unusual circumstances of her creation -- especially the unorthodox living situation of her creator, and the controversy that Wonder Woman's appearance inspired. Drawing on both interviews and archival research to unveil the role of feminism in shaping Wonder Woman's existence, historian Jill Lepore's study offers a different yet tantalizing perspective that readers of Tim Hanley's Wonder Woman Unbound (or comic book history in general) may appreciate. |
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| Super Boys: The Amazing Adventures of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster... by Brad RiccaThis comprehensive biography of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster draws on a decade of research and new discoveries to provide the complete story behind the creation of Superman. It details a friendship that evolved into a working partnership, the inspiration for the Man of Steel, and the pair's premature sale of the character to Action Comics. Check it out if you've an interest in the comic book industry or in Superman himself; the collaboration between Siegel and Shuster also inspired Michael Chabon's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay. |
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| Superman: The High-Flying History of America's Most Enduring Hero by Larry TyeAs with Brad Ricca's superb biography of Superman creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster (Super Boys), this history begins with two nerdy teenagers who (after six years of false starts and rejections) gave life to a superhero who was everything they were not. But though they deserve the credit for creating the invincible Superman, they sold him to Action Comics for $130 and soon lost artistic rights over him. Over the intervening eight decades, many others have helped influence the changing characteristics of the Man of Steel to better fit the changing times and to let him live on in popular culture. Comprehensive and accessible, this is a wide-ranging history of an American hero. |
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