| Anatomy of Innocence: Testimonies of the Wrongfully Convicted by Laura Caldwell and Leslie S. Klinger, editorsIn this anthology, well-known mystery writers relate the experiences of 15 innocent people who were convicted of serious crimes and served time in prison before being exonerated. The short "as told to" biographies by authors such as Lee Child, Sara Paretsky, and S.J. Rozan vividly detail the perversion of justice in each case; the book's editors add contextual information. For a full-length memoir recounting a similar experience, try Damien Echols' Life after Death. |
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| Captain Fantastic: Elton John's Stellar Trip Through the '70s by Tom DoyleIn time for Elton John's 70th birthday, author Tom Doyle presents a thoroughly researched biography, covering the rock star's glittering successes, his difficulties with drugs, struggles with his homosexuality, and spectacular conflicts with collaborators. Captain Fantastic capitalizes on interviews with John and his long-time lyricist Bernie Taupin to create a vivid and insightful portrait of the man inside the elaborate costumes. |
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Traveling with ghosts : a memoir
by Shannon Leone Fowler
A marine biologist traces the solo journey she took through war-ravaged Eastern Europe, Israel and beyond to find peace after her fiancé's jellyfish-attack death, a journey marked by poignant echoes of their relationship and her efforts to make peace with the ocean.
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No Way but This : In Search of Paul Robeson
by Jeff Sparrow
Paul Robeson was an actor and performer, a champion athlete, a committed communist, a brilliant speaker, and a passionate activist for social justice in America, Europe, and Australia. Robeson's storied life took him from North Carolina plantations to Hollywood; from the glittering stages of London to the coal-mining towns of Wales; from the violent frontiers of the Spanish Civil War to bleak prison cells in the Soviet Union; from Harlem's jazz-infused neighbourhoods to the courtroom of the McCarthy hearings. Jeff Sparrow follows the ghosts and echoes of Robeson's career, tracing his path through countries and decades, to explore the contemporary resonances of his politics and passions. Weaving travelogue with biography, 'In Search' of Paul Robeson is a story of political ardour, heritage, and trauma — a luminous portrait of a man and an urgent reflection on the politics that define us today.
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| Born Both: An Intersex Life by Hida ViloriaIn Born Both, author Hida Viloria provides an up-close account of he/r life as an intersex person and a chronicle of he/r activism. Although s/he was raised as a girl, s/he learned at age 20 that he/r genitalia were not typically female, eventually discovering the intersex community. This courageous memoir offers affirmation for intersex people and their friends and family, as well as information for intersex advocates. |
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They Left Their Homelands
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We Are Here
by Cat Thao Nguyen
Told through the bright and unflinching eyes of Cat Thao, a girl born in a refugee camp, this memoir begins in 1975 with her family's gripping exodus from post-war Vietnam. The escape from persecution traverses the horrific jungles of Khmer Rouge Cambodia and into the crowded refugee camps of Thailand. From which, finally, the Nguyens were allowed to board a Qantas plane to a freedom they wanted desperately. Against the backdrop of an immigrant experience, Cat Thao tells of her coming of age in Australia, haunted by lingering trauma but buoyed by instincts of hope, reinvention and survival. With wit and poignancy, We Are Here explores an Australia of the 80s and 90s, and a family's tireless journey for peace through a young woman's absolute determination to find her place.
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With Just One Suitcase
by Cheryl Koenig
This is a true story about two boys, Istvan and Frici, who live two kilometres but worlds apart in Romania. One is Catholic, one is Jewish; one grows up on a farm, the other in the affluent part of town.Yet when the Second World War breaks out, the familiar world with its clear divisions disintegrates. As the country comes under Nazi, then later communist control, people are held hostage to an ever-changing political landscape. As the chance of a peaceful future becomes more remote, Frici and his brother, escape across the border. Istvan, just 16 years old, is transported to work in a Russian gulag, before his chance at freedom comes too. In their parallel journeys, both young men leave their families and beloved homeland to an uncertain future for a shot at freedom in Australia, sacrificing all that is familiar.
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In Order to Live: A North Korean Girl's Journey to Freedom
by Yeonmi Park with Maryanne Vollers
Though Yeonmi Park was born into comfortable circumstances in North Korea, her family lost their privileges after her father -- a civil servant -- was arrested for smuggling, and their life became a constant, humiliating battle to survive. At age 13 Park escaped with her mother to China; additional degrading and dangerous challenges followed until they attained safety and freedom in South Korea. There, North Koreans are regarded with suspicion, but Park eventually went public with her story and has become an internationally recognized advocate for human rights. This gripping memoir details her ordeals and recounts how she learned that freedom means caring for herself and loving others.
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Small Bamboo
by Tracy Vo
In 1978, following a dramatic escape from war torn Vietnam, Tracy Vo's parents boarded a leaky boat not knowing what their future held or whether they would live. The couple had fled Vietnam under the cover of darkness. Now, almost 40 years later, their decision to flee Vietnam has been rewarded by a happy and successful life for their family in Australia, the country they are now proud to call home. Here, their daughter Tracy reflects on that life changing journey and the amazing life it created for them in Australia.
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