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Biography and Memoir February 2018
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Mothers of Sparta : A Memoir in Pieces by Dawn DaviesMothers of Sparta is not a blow-by-blow of Davies' life but rather an examination of the exquisite and often painful moments of a life, the moments we look back on and say, That one, that one mattered . Straddling the fence between humor and, well...not humor, Davies has written a book about what it's like to try to carve a place for oneself in the world, no matter how unyielding the rock can be.
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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 Oddly Hilarious) Story of How I Learned to Stand, Walk, Pee, Run, and Even Have Sex Againby Ruth MarshallRuth 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. Her fears were confirmed by an MRI revealing a rare tumour that had been quietly growing on her spine for more than a decade.
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The Ocean Fell into the Drop : A Memoir by Terence StampThe Ocean Fell into the Drop is a different kind of show business memoir, one that traces Terence Stamp's twin obsessions, acting and mysticism, and the relationship the two have to each other for him, through the trajectory of his life. On the way he discusses his directors, Fellini, Loach, Pasoli; actors, Olivier, Brando and Redgrave; and spiritual masters, Krishnamurti and Hazarat Inayat Khan, as well as his family, life in the East End, Sufism and style.
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Go to school, you're a little black boy : the honourable Lincoln M. Alexander : a memoir by Lincoln M. AlexanderAmong the important stories that need to be told about noteworthy Canadians, Lincoln Alexander's sits at the top of the list. Born in Toronto in 1922, the son of a maid and a railway porter, Alexander embarked on an exemplary life path that has involved military service for his country, a successful political career, a thriving law career, and vocal advocacy on subjects ranging from antiracism to the importance of education. In this biography, Shoveller traces a remarkable series of events from Alexander's early life to the present that helped shape the charismatic and influential leader whose impact continues to be felt today. From facing down racism to challenging the postwar Ontario establishment, becoming Canada's first black member of Parliament, entertaining royalty as Ontario's lieutenant-governor, and serving as chancellor of one of Canada's leading universities, Alexander's is the ultimate, uplifting Canadian success story, the embodiment of what defines Canada.
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Grant Fuhr : the story of a hockey legend by Grant FuhrThe Hall of Fame story of Grant Fuhr, the first black superstar in the National Hockey League and the last line of defense for the Edmonton Oilers dynasty, told through Fuhr's 10 most important games. Grant Fuhr was the best goalie in the league at a time when hockey was at its most exciting. Gretzky called him the best goaltender in the world. Fuhr broke the colour barrier for NHL goaltenders when he played his first game for the Oilers in 1981, and was an inspiration for later players including future Hall of Famer Jarome Iginla. But in addition to their dynastic run of Stanley Cup championships, the Oilers were also synonymous with the excesses of the decade: Fuhr himself was suspended for substance use, a discredit he had to fight back from--and did, going on to set career records and earning election to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.
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| The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace by Jeff HobbsWhat it's about: the haunting life story of Robert Peace, a brilliant young African American who grew up in the ghettos of 1980s Newark, New Jersey, but made his way into the Ivy League -- only to end up dealing drugs after graduation, which ultimately led to his death.
Author alert: The author of this compelling biography was Robert Peace’s roommate at Yale University.
You might also like: Kevin Powell's memoir The Education of Kevin Powell, another gripping and sobering portrayal of life for post-Civil Rights African Americans. |
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A stolen life : searching for Richard Pierpoint by Peter MeylerRichard Pierpoint or Captain Dick, as he was commonly known, emerges from the shadows of history in A Stolen Life: Searching for Richard Pierpoint . An African warrior who was captured at about age 16, Pierpoint lived his remaining years in exile. From his birth in Bundu (now part of Senegal) around 1744 until his death in rural Ontario in 1837, Pierpoint's life allows us to glimpse the activity of an African involved in some of the world's great events. "We are indebted to the authors for breathing life into this man, who though taken from his home early in his life still was able to make a significant contribution to the early history of Upper Canada. He fought in the War of 1812, farmed and was a leader of the Black community.
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The stone thrower : a daughter's lessons, a father's life by Jael Ealey RichardsonA daughter discovers herself while uncovering her father's legendary past in football. At the age of thirty, Jael Ealey Richardson travelled with her father - former CFL quarterback Chuck Ealey - for the first time to a small town in southern Ohio for his fortieth high school reunion. Knowing very little about her father's past, Richardson was searching for the story behind her father's move from the projects of Portsmouth, Ohio to Canada's professional football league in the early 1970s. At the railroad tracks where her father first learned to throw with stones, Jael begins an unexpected journey into her family's past. The Stone Thrower is a moving story about race and destiny written by a daughter looking for answers about her own black history. Using insightful interviews, archival records and her personal reflections, Richardson's journey to learn about her father's past leads her to her own important discoveries about herself, and what it really means to be black in Canada.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Lambton County Library 787 Broadway St. Wyoming, Ontario N0N1T0 519-845-3324www.lclibrary.ca |
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