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Biography and Memoir February 2018
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| When the World Seemed New: George H.W. Bush and the End of the Cold War by Jeffrey A. EngelWhat it is: A detailed account of how U.S. President George H.W. Bush helped bring about the end of the Cold War during his time in office.
Is it for you? Packed with political play-by-plays, this meticulously researched portrait is for readers with an interest in international relations and political history.
Further reading: For more on the 41st president, try Destiny and Power by Jon Meacham. |
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| When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir by Patrisse Khan-Cullors and Asha BandeleWhat it's about: Artist and social justice activist Patrisse Khan-Cullors divulges the story of her life, from her 1980s childhood in suburban Los Angeles to her involvement in founding the Black Lives Matter Movement.
Is it for you? This passionate and candid coming-of-age memoir is for readers with a strong interest in social activism, LGBT issues, and human rights. |
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Walk It Off : The True and Hilarious Story of How I Learned to Stand, Walk, Pee, Run, and Have Sex Again After a Nightmarish Diagnosis Turned My Awesome Life Upside
by Ruth Marshall
What it's about: Ruth Marshall--power mom, wife, actor, and daughter--was in great health, until one day, her feet started to tingle. She visited doctors and specialists for tests, but no one could figure out the cause of her symptoms. Was she imagining those pesky tingles? She tried to brush it off, even as she tripped over curbs and stumbled into people. Clumsiness is charming, right? But when Ruth suddenly couldn't feel her legs at all, she knew something was terribly wrong.
Is it for you?: Furiously Happy meets Elaine Lui in this truly original--and surprisingly hilarious--memoir about one woman's journey to learn how to walk after a debilitating diagnosis turned her life upside down.
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| Montaigne in Barn Boots: An Amateur Ambles through Philosophy by Michael PerryWhat it is: Bestselling writer Michael Perry (The Jesus Cow) draws parallels between his life and that of medieval French philosopher Michel de Montaigne.
Read it for: Perry’s warm and humorous tone, which might provoke laughter as he describes his (and Montaigne’s) views on aging, sex, marriage...and kidney stones. |
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Reckless Daughter : A Portrait of Joni Mitchell
by David Yaffe
What it is: Joni Mitchell may be the most influential female recording artist and composer of the late twentieth century. In Reckless Daughter , the music critic David Yaffe tells the remarkable, heart-wrenching story of how the blond girl with the guitar became a superstar of folk music in the 1960s, a key figure in the Laurel Canyon music scene of the 1970s, and the songwriter who spoke resonantly to, and for, audiences across the country.
Read it for: An intimate biography, drawing on dozens of unprecedented in-person interviews with Mitchell, her childhood friends, and a cast of famous characters. Yaffe reveals the backstory behind the famous songs--from Mitchell's youth in Canada, her bout with polio at age nine, and her early marriage and the child she gave up for adoption, through the love affairs that inspired masterpieces, and up to the present.
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| Invisible Man, Got the Whole World Watching: A Young Black Man's Education by Mychal Denzel SmithWhat it is: Mychal Denzel Smith (who writes for The Nation) details the story of his life as a young black man coming of age in the United States, from his birth in 1980s Washington, D.C., to his time at the historically black Hampton University, to his life as a social activist.
Read it with: Ta-Nehisi Coates’ National Book Award-winning Between the World and Me, which also provides cultural commentary and probes the issue of race in America. |
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| Black Man in a White Coat: A Doctor's Reflections on Race and Medicine by Damon TweedyWhat it is: Physician Damon Tweedy discusses his experience as an African American in the world of medicine, from his education at Duke University Medical School up to his work as a psychiatrist in North Carolina.
Why you should read it: Tweedy not only shares his personal story but also looks critically at disparities in health care for black and white Americans.
Reviewers say: “An arresting memoir that personalizes the enduring racial divide in contemporary American medicine” (Kirkus Reviews). |
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| Writing to Save a Life: The Louis Till File by John Edgar WidemanWhat it is: A moving and thought-provoking meditation on the 1955 death of teenager Emmett Till and also that of his father, Louis Till, who was executed by the U.S. Army ten years earlier.
What sets it apart: By considering the stories of Emmett Till and his father, Louis, together, author John Edgar Wideman provides a new and thought-provoking narrative while reflecting on race and justice in America.
Further Reading: Mamie Till-Mobley's Death of Innocence or Timothy Tyson's The Blood of Emmett Till. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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