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Biography and Memoir February 2021
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| Dancing in the Mosque: An Afghan Mother's Letter to Her Son by Homeira Qaderi; translated by Zaman S. StanizaiWhat it is: Afghan women's rights activist Homeira Qaderi's heartwrenching life story, dictated to the young son she was forced to leave behind after her divorce.
Topics include: growing up in Soviet-occupied Herat in the 1980s; secretly homeschooling children in defiance of Taliban law; a happy marriage marred by her husband's desire to take a second wife.
Book buzz: Dancing in the Mosque was named a Kirkus Best Nonfiction Book of 2020. |
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The secret life of Dorothy Soames : a memoir
by Justine Cowan
Documents the author’s investigation into her late mother’s tragic experiences as an illegitimate orphan who endured an early life of discrimination, physical abuse and harsh labor serving England’s ruling class at infamous Foundling Hospital. 40,000 first printing.
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Just as I am : a memoir
by Cicely Tyson
The Academy, Tony, and three-time Emmy Award-winning actor and trailblazer tells her stunning story, looking back at her six-decade career and life. 150,000 first printing.
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Focus on: Black History Month
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| I Don't Want to Die Poor: Essays by Michael ArceneauxWhat it is: the sardonic latest essay collection from New York Times bestselling author Michael Arceneaux (I Can't Date Jesus) that chronicles the author's post-college financial woes.
Who it's for: Readers who've navigated college loan debt will commiserate with Arceneaux as he candidly details how the debt from his Howard University education has impacted his life.
Reviewers say: "unflinchingly smart and wickedly funny" (Booklist). |
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| Black Is the Body: Stories from My Grandmother's Time, My Mother's Time, and... by Emily BernardWhat it is: a lyrical memoir in essays that examines author Emily Bernard's relationship to her Blackness and her Southern heritage.
Topics include: Bernard's interracial marriage and her adoption of twin girls from Ethiopia; her grandmother's Jim Crow-era Mississippi childhood.
Want a taste? "I am black -- and brown, too. Brown is the body I was born into. Black is the body of the stories I tell." |
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| The Book of Delights by Ross GayWhat it is: National Book Critics Circle Award-winning poet Ross Gay's wide-ranging collection of 102 "essayettes" celebrating life's big and small joys.
Why it matters: Gay's engaging reflections on everything from race and masculinity to hobbies and popular culture offer a thought-provoking rejoinder to narratives that center on Black suffering. |
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| This Will Be My Undoing: Living at the Intersection of Black, Female, and Feminist... by Morgan JerkinsWhat it is: the debut essay collection from ZORA editor Morgan Jerkins exploring the trials and triumphs of contemporary Black womanhood.
Why you should read it: Jerkins' thoughtful memoir offers a much-needed perspective on misogynoir in mainstream feminist spaces.
Try this next: Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower by Brittney Cooper. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Twin Falls Public Library201 4th Ave. ETwin Falls, Idaho 83301208-733-2964
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