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Biography and Memoir September 2016
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Diane Arbus : portrait of a photographer
by Arthur Lubow
Traces the life of the influential 20th-century photographer to link the extraordinary arc of her experiences to her iconic images, exploring her role in shaping both photography and contemporary art while offering insights into the unique perspectives that drew her to her subjects.
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| The Strange Career of William Ellis: The Texas Slave Who Became a Mexican Millionaire by Karl JacobyWhile examples of "passing" among African Americans abound, businessman William Ellis was highly unusual. Born into slavery in 1864 Texas, as an adult he adopted a new identity as Mexican businessman Guillermo Eliseo, taking advantage of the fact that Latinos were often accepted as white during the Gilded Age. Amassing a fortune while living in Manhattan and Mexico City, he was able to help his black relatives. In addition, he encouraged African Americans to escape Jim Crow laws by migrating to Mexico. In this "cracking good" (Booklist) biography, historian Karl Jacoby illuminates seldom-discussed aspects of the complex history of racial identity. |
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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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| All Strangers Are Kin: Adventures in Arabic and the Arab World by Zora O'NeillIn All Strangers Are Kin, American travel and food writer Zora O'Neill notes that the literal meaning of al-qaeda is "foundation," but its plural means "grammar" -- a terrifying challenge in learning Arabic. Having fallen in love with the language as a 20-year-old college student, O'Neill decided at age 39 to intensify her language study by moving to the Middle East. While living in several Arabic-speaking countries, she discovered variations in the ways people speak it, as well as cultural differences that added interest (and sometimes challenges) to her travel. If you want more accounts of linguistic immersion through travel, try Dianne Hales' La Bella Lingua or Christine Gilbert's Mother Tongue. |
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Marconi : the man who networked the world
by Marc Raboy
Little over a century ago the world went wireless. Cables and all their limiting inefficiencies gave way to a revolutionary means of transmitting news and information almost everywhere, instantaneously. By means of "Hertzian waves," as radio waves were initially known, ships could now make contact with other ships (saving lives, such as on the doomed R.M.S. Titanic); financial markets could coordinate with other financial markets, establishing the price of commodities and fixing exchange rates; military commanders could connect with the front lines, positioning artillery and directing troop movements. Suddenly and irrevocably, time and space telescoped beyond what had been thought imaginable. Someone had not only imagined this networked world but realized it: Guglielmo Marconi.
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September and October Birthdays
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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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| 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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| 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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| Go Down Together: The True, Untold Story of Bonnie & Clyde by Jeff GuinnOctober 1, 1910 (Bonnie Parker). According to journalist Jeff Guinn's extensive research, it seems that Bonnie Parker never even fired a shot. The Barrow Gang's mayhem has been romanticized, partly because the public initially perceived them as Robin Hood-style thieves, but Clyde Barrow was inept (though deadly), while Bonnie Parker was an unlikely candidate for gangster. Small, cute, and smart, she was looking for excitement, and Barrow offered it to her, along with a way out of the Dallas slums. Detailing their brutal crime spree while correcting the record as depicted in the film starring Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway, Go Down Together presents an intriguing portrait of the infamous moll and her partner. |
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