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Biography and Memoir February 2018
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This Will Be My Undoing : Living at the Intersection of Black, Female, and Feminist in (White) America
by Morgan Jerkins
Whether she’s writing about Sailor Moon; Rachel Dolezal; the stigma of therapy; her complex relationship with her own physical body; the pain of dating when men say they don’t “see color”; being a black visitor in Russia; the specter of “the fast-tailed girl” and the paradox of black female sexuality; or disabled black women in the context of the “Black Girl Magic” movement, Jerkins is compelling and revelatory.
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Eat the Apple
by Matt Young
"The Iliad of the Iraq war" (Tim Weiner) -- a gut-wrenching, beautiful memoir of the consequences of war on the psyche of a young man.
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The last black unicorn
by Tiffany Haddish
The stand-up comedienne and co-star of The Carmichael Show presents an uproarious and poignant collection of autobiographical essays that reflect her disadvantaged youth as a foster child in South Central Los Angeles; her discovery of her talent for comedy; and her struggles with gender, race and class boundaries in the entertainment industry
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Tears of Salt : A Doctor's Story
by Pietro Bartolo
Pietro Bartolo, the doctor of the lone medical clinic on the Italian island of Lampedusa, chronicles his efforts to rescue, welcome and care for many of the hundreds of thousands of desperate migrants from the Middle East and Africa who have washed up on the island’s shores.
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Nino and me : my unusual friendship with Justice antonin scalia
by Bryan A Garner
"From legal expert and veteran author Bryan Garner comes a unique, intimate, and compelling memoir of his friendship with the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. For almost thirty years, Antonin Scalia was arguably the most influential and controversial Justice on the United States Supreme Court. His dynamic and witty writing devoted to the Constitution has influenced an entire generation of judges. Based on his reputation for using scathing language to criticize liberal court decisions, many people presumed Scalia to be gruff and irascible. But to those who knew him as "Nino," he was characterized by his warmth, charm, devotion, fierce intelligence, and loyalty. Bryan Garner's friendship with Justice Scalia was instigated by celebrated writer David Foster Wallace and strengthened over their shared love of language. Despite their differing viewpoints on everything from gun control to the use of contraceptives, their literary and personal relationship flourished. Justice Scalia even officiated at Garner's wedding. In this humorous, touching, and surprisingly action-packed memoir, Garner gives a firsthand insight into the mind, habits, and faith of one of the most famous and misunderstood judges in the world"
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Stalking God : my unorthodox search for something to believe in
by Anjali Kumar
"Anjali Kumar, a pragmatic lawyer for Google, was part of a rapidly growing population in America: highly spiritual but religiously uncommitted. But when her daughter was born, she became compelled to find God--or at least some kind of enlightenment. Convinced that traditional religions were not a fit for her, and knowing that she couldn't simply Google an answer to 'What is the meaning of life?' Kumar set out on a spiritual pilgrimage, looking for answers--and nothing was off limits or too unorthodox. She headed to the mountains of Peru to learn from the shamans, attended the techie haunt of Burning Man, practiced transcendental meditation, convened with angels, and visited saints, goddesses, witches, and faith healers. She even hired a medium to convene with the dead. Kumar's lighthearted story offers a revealing look at the timeless and vexing issue of spirituality in an era when more and more people are walking away from formal religions. Narrated from the open-minded perspective of a spiritual seeker rather than a religious scholar, Kumar offers an honest account of some of the less than mainstream spiritual practices that are followed by millions of people in the world today as she searches for the answers to life's most universal questions: Why are we here? What happens when we die? Is there a God?"--Provided by publisher
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A Kind of Mirraculas Paradise : A True Story About Schizophrenia
by Sandra Allen
Dazzlingly, daringly written, marrying the thoughtful originality of Maggie Nelson's The Argonauts with the revelatory power of Neurotribes and The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, this propulsive, stunning book illuminates the experience of living with schizophrenia like never before.
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Sister of darkness : the chronicles of a modern exorcist
by R. H Stavis
A rare non-denominational exorcist, the subject of a forthcoming major motion picture, shares the story of her work wrestling hostile entities from infected souls, in an account that also offers her insights into how pain and trauma can make people vulnerable to energy-draining negative forces. 75,000 first printing.
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I am, I am, I am : seventeen brushes with death
by Maggie O'Farrell
Seventeen discrete encounters with Maggie at different ages, in different locations, reveal a whole life in a series of tense, visceral snapshots. In taut prose that vibrates with electricity and restrained emotion, O'Farrell captures the perils running just beneath the surface, and illuminates the preciousness, beauty, and mysteries of life itself.
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Neruda : The Poet's Calling
by Mark Eisner
The fascinating events of Neruda’s life are interspersed with Eisner’s thoughtful examinations of the poems, both as works of art in their own right and as mirrors of Neruda’s life and times. The result is a book that animates Neruda’s riveting story in a new way—one that offers a compelling narrative version of Neruda’s life and work, undergirded by exhaustive research, yet designed to bring this colossal literary figure to a broader audience.
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Paul : A Biography
by N. T. Wright
In this definitive biography, renowned Bible scholar, Anglican bishop, and bestselling author N. T. Wright offers a radical look at the apostle Paul, illuminating the humanity and remarkable achievements of this intellectual who invented Christian theology—transforming a faith and changing the world.
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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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Born Bright: A Young Girl's Journey from Nothing to Something in America
by C. Nicole Mason
As an academic and an influential voice in women's studies, author C. Nicole Mason is at the top of her field. But her early life would not have predicted this success: she was born into poverty in 1970s Southern California and fought every step of the way to rise above the limitations imposed on the poor, especially African Americans. In Born Bright, she chronicles her life while cataloguing those barriers, providing a view of America's class strictures that is both well-researched and personal. This thought-provoking and engaging account offers a moving testament to Mason's achievements and the struggles of many African Americans.
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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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We're going to need more wine : stories that are funny, complicated, and true
by Gabrielle Union
A powerful collection of essays on gender, sexuality, race, beauty, Hollywood and the realities of modern women also includes the author's wrenching experiences as a survivor of sexual assault, in a volume that seeks to raise awareness about the needs of victims of sexual violence. 200,000 first printing.
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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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Negroland : a memoir
by Margo Jefferson
A highly personal meditation on race, sex and American culture by the Pulitzer Prize-winning critic traces her upbringing and education in upper-class African-American circles against a backdrop of the Civil Rights era and its contradictory aftermath.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Bedford Public Library
2424 Forest Ridge Dr.
Bedford, Texas 76021
817-952-2350
www.bedfordlibrary.org
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