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Biography and MemoirMay 2016
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"You should always go to other people's funerals; otherwise, they won't come to yours." ~ Yogi Berra (1925-2015), Baseball player
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| Frederick the Great: King of Prussia by Tim BlanningKing Frederick II of Prussia, known as "the Great," brilliantly sustained the well-run state he inherited from his father, Frederick I. Yet in all other respects the younger Frederick was the opposite of his predecessor, who had physically abused him and rejected the music, art, and philosophy he loved. In this "magnificently wrought" (Booklist, starred review) biography, historian Tim Blanning explores Frederick II's psychology while detailing his life and vividly chronicling his accomplishments. General biography lovers and fans of 18th-century European history will find this an engaging study. |
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| Until We Are Free: My Fight for Human Rights in Iran by Shirin EbadiIranian lawyer Shirin Ebadi was the first Muslim woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. Now living in exile, she details the abuse she suffered under Iran's government as a result of her defense of women's and children's rights. Iran's extremist leadership had already tried to suppress her work for years, but they escalated their tactics after she won the award in 2003. Though at first she refused to back down in the face of the government's pressures, she finally went into exile so she could continue speaking out. This "suspenseful, evocative" (Publishers Weekly) memoir reveals not only Ebadi's courage, but the lengths to which totalitarian governments will go to preserve their illegitimate power. |
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| The Most Wanted Man in China: My Journey from Scientist to Enemy of the State by Fang Lizhi; translated by Perry Link In 1957, physicist Fang Lizhi was sent for reeducation -- for the first of many occasions -- to a remote village farm. Through decades of political changes, China's leadership alternated between rehabilitating him and denouncing him. His open support for student free speech helped inspire the 1989 Tienanmen Square protests, after which the U.S. Embassy sheltered Fang and his wife for 13 months until they moved permanently to the U.S. Fang, who died in 2012, wrote this memoir during his stay in the embassy, and it's now finally appearing in print. A starred review in Kirkus Reviews praises its clear writing, "shimmering with intellectual honesty." |
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| Charlotte Brontë: A Fiery Heart by Claire HarmanCharlotte Brontë, born April 21, 1816, wrote one of the most enduring novels of her era, Jane Eyre. More often portrayed jointly with her sisters Anne and Emily, her individual life story receives a thorough review in this biography by writer and literary critic Claire Harman. Harman's chronicle traces Charlotte's love life, connecting it with the romantic passion she depicts in her novels. This account brings Charlotte to life, offering a thoughtful consideration of her character both for her novels' fans and for readers generally interested in British literature. |
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| Sunny's Nights: Lost and Found at a Bar on the Edge of the World by Tim SultanAuthor Tim Sultan unexpectedly discovered Sunny's Bar among the warehouses of Brooklyn's Red Hook district in 1995. After taking in the bar's unusual décor, its denizens, and Sunny Balzano, the remarkable owner, Sultan became a regular himself, eventually quitting his office job to work for Balzano. Sunny's Nights passes along the life story Sultan absorbed from the bar's owner, whose experiences ranged across the globe and included friendships with celebrities such as Andy Warhol. This offbeat and humane memoir provides a view of Sultan's own life in the context of Brooklyn's gentrification, in addition to Red Hook's colorful history as it emerges from Balzano's reminiscences. |
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Focus on: May and June Birthdays
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| The One: The Life and Music of James Brown by RJ SmithMay 3, 1933. Musician James Brown, known as the Godfather of Soul, exerted a transformative impact on American popular music and African-American culture. In The One, journalist RJ Smith draws on over a hundred interviews with Brown's friends and associates to create a portrait of the man and his music, covering the Soul Brother's meteoric rise from poverty to the top of the charts. The New York Times named this a Notable Book of the Year for 1997; for more on Brown's life and character, don't miss James McBride's recent Kill 'em and Leave. |
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| Driving Mr. Yogi: Yogi Berra, Ron Guidry, and Baseball's Greatest Gift by Harvey AratonMay 12, 1925. While of course this book on beloved baseball Hall of Famer Yogi Berra has appeal for sports fans, we'd also like to recommend it to readers who are simply interested in touching tales of friendship. Though he retired from Major League Baseball in 1965, Berra returned to the Yankees' spring training every year starting in 1999, accompanied by former pitcher and close friend Ron Guidry. Along with anecdotes of their time together during these reunions, author Harvey Araton offers a nuanced portrayal of the complicated Berra, but this is first and foremost a "tribute to the days when teams should be considered families" (Publishers Weekly). |
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| Read My Pins: Stories from a Diplomat's Jewel Box by Madeleine AlbrightMay 15, 1937. In this unusual approach to autobiography, former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright reviews the historic and nostalgic significance of her many brooches. Her first use of jewelry to make a statement occurred when, as Ambassador to the U.N., she wore a gold snake to a meeting with Saddam Hussein's representatives after he had called her a serpent. From that moment, she made it a point to signal her opinions and feelings through her pins (a crab or a turtle might indicate frustration over interminable negotiations). Read My Pins is a witty, informative, and beautifully illustrated volume. |
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| Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg: The Letters by Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg; edited by Bill Morgan and David StanfordJune 3, 1926 (Allen Ginsberg). This enormous collection of letters between Beat writers Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac chronicles their friendship from when they met in 1944 to 1963, six years before Kerouac's death. Their correspondence reveals their love of language, views on literature and religion, and political stances, as well as personal struggles, tales of their travels, drug experimentation, and opinions on other Beat writers. Editors Bill Morgan and David Stanford provide few explanatory notes, allowing the writers to speak for themselves. For more from Ginsberg, check out I Greet You at the Beginning of a Great Career, a selection of his correspondence with Lawrence Ferlinghetti. |
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| Anne Frank: The Book, the Life, the Afterlife by Francine ProseJune 12, 1929. In Anne Frank, author Francine Prose offers a dual biography: that of Anne Frank herself and of The Diary of a Young Girl. Prose offers a compelling study of Frank's work, concluding that it's more a literary memoir than a girl's journal. In Prose's hands, Anne's biography clarifies the fact that she was developing a talent for writing before the Frank family went into hiding. Looking at the 1989 Critical Edition of the Diary as well as other information about the Amsterdam hiding place and the historical context, this "graceful tribute" (Kirkus Reviews) provides a renewed appreciation of Anne Frank. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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