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Biography and MemoirDecember 2014
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"If it sounds good, it is good." ~ Duke Ellington (1899-1974), American composer and band leader
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New and Recently Released!
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| Why Football Matters: My Education in the Game by Mark EdmundsonUniversity English professor Mark Edmundson played high school football, during which he developed self-discipline and learned about teamwork but also faced physical and psychological liabilities. In Why Football Matters, he examines his experiences in sports and discusses the positive and negative values of athletic competition. Relating his personal observations to broader cultural implications, including literary references to writers such as Homer and James Dickey, Edmundson's memoir provides thought-provoking commentary on football's significance in American culture. |
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The Rock raw
by Dwayne Johnson
The actor and former professional-wrestling star chronicles his amazing journey to fame.
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Love & war : twenty years, three presidents, two daughters & one Louisiana home
by James Carville
The political and romantically mismatched authors of All's Fair trace the last 20 years of their relationship in the aftermath of Carville's triumphant management of Bill Clinton's election and Matalin's defeat as George H. W. Bush's key strategist, sharing respective insights into the rise of corrosive partisanship in Washington against a backdrop of major national events.
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Killing Patton : the strange death of World War II's most audacious general
by Bill O'Reilly
The anchor of cable's The O'Reilly Factor and a best-selling historian explore the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of General George S. Patton after the war and describe the powerful people who may have wanted him out of the way. By the best-selling authors of Killing Jesus.
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| Rebel Yell: The Violence, Passion, and Redemption of Stonewall Jackson by S.C. GwynneIn this insightful character study of Confederate General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, author S.C. Gwynne weaves incidents from various parts of Jackson's life into a chronological account of his Civil War actions. A reserved and deeply religious man, Jackson seemed to be stern, stubborn, and even arbitrary in his military leadership. Yet he was so bold and effective in battle that he was considered the greatest of the Confederacy's leaders. Gwynne's compelling biography is essential reading matter for Civil War and general military buffs. |
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Life in motion : an unlikely ballerina
by Misty Copeland
Documents the author's emotionally dynamic effort to become the third African-American soloist in the history of the American Ballet Theatre, describing the harsh family difficulties she overcame including her mother's highly publicized custody battle to halt her career.
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The work : my search for a life that matters
by Wes Moore
The delinquent-turned-Oxford scholar picks up after the events of his best-selling The Other Wes Moore to trace his search for purpose in Afghanistan, on Wall Street and in the White House, sharing inspirational stories by others who found meaning in a life in service. 50,000 first printing. Tour
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| Herbie Hancock: Possibilities by Herbie Hancock with Lisa DickeyAcclaimed jazz pianist and composer Herbie Hancock has worked with numerous stellar musicians, starting with Miles Davis and later collaborating with others, including Sting, Lang Lang, and Carlos Santana. In this autobiography, Hancock relates his early years in Chicago, where he was recognized by age 11 as a prodigy. The post-college start to his career was (as for many musicians) rocky, but working with Miles Davis provided a solid foundation from which to launch his own bands and experiment with eclectic sources for his compositions. This frank and inspiring account portrays a life in which "each moment is special and everything is always new" (Publishers Weekly). |
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| Outpost: Life on the Frontlines of American Diplomacy: A Memoir by Christopher R. HillFormer ambassador Christopher Hill started his international career as diplomat's child. After growing up in various posts around the world, he served in the Peace Corps and later joined the U.S. diplomatic corps. He has received assignments to significant places during tense and momentous periods, as well as closely observing political maneuvers in Washington. Outpost provides a veteran insider's view of world affairs as Hill relates what he accomplished and observed in each position. Anyone interested in global diplomacy or curious about the nature of the Foreign Service will appreciate this engaging and witty memoir. |
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| Embattled Rebel: Jefferson Davis as Commander in Chief by James M. McPhersonJefferson Davis, who served as president of the Confederate States of America, was often criticized as an ineffective figurehead during the Civil War -- and many still hold this view of him. In Embattled Rebel, award-winning Civil War historian James McPherson argues that Davis was a tireless worker who visited the front lines, strove to manage his contentious military leaders, and opposed ill-advised demands from the state governors. Though he was unavoidably swamped with bureaucratic duties, he passionately promoted the South's cause, even after General Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox. This engrossing biography provides a "fair-handed treatment from a towering historian and sterling writer" (Kirkus Reviews). |
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| Kansas City Lightning: The Rise and Times of Charlie Parker by Stanley CrouchKansas City native Charlie Parker was born during the Depression and rose to prominence during the time that jazz was gaining widespread popularity. In this detailed, thoughtful, and vividly descriptive biography, MacArthur fellow and music critic Stanley Crouch explores Parker's childhood and early professional life. Though drug addiction slowed Parker down, it didn't prevent him from achieving success while working with such figures as Lester Young and Buster Smith. Kansas City Lightning covers Parker's life to 1940; look forward to the completion of his life story in a planned 2nd volume. |
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| The Soloist: A Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship, and the Redemptive Power... by Steve LopezThe Soloist, which was made into a 2009 film, documents the unlikely, sometimes rocky friendship between the author, Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez, and a schizophrenic, homeless African-American virtuoso named Nathaniel Ayers, who once attended Julliard. The two men met when Lopez spied Ayers playing a two-stringed violin on the street and approached him. Recounting Ayers' early years as well as Lopez's attempts to help him get his life back on track (efforts that sometimes backfired), this is a moving but unsentimental account of a strong bond between two very different individuals and the disruptive power of mental illness. |
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Chasing the sun
by Juanes
The Grammy Award-winning Latin superstar musician who has sold more than fifteen million albums worldwide describes his personal influences, his humanitarian work and offers fans a peek into his creative process. 100,000 first printing.
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| Lennon: The Man, the Myth, the Music -- The Definitive Life by Tim RileyIn this thorough and insightful biography of John Lennon, music critic Tim Riley explores both familiar biographical territory and less-noted details of Lennon's musical career. Covering his early life, the Beatles years (1960-69), and the subsequent decade before his 1980 murder, Riley draws on standard accounts and often overlooked primary sources to create a detailed portrait of the fabled rock musician and composer. Neatly separating myth from reality as he examines Lennon's relationships with the other Beatles and his wife, Yoko Ono, Riley delivers "one of the most thorough yet accessible rock biographies to appear in recent years" (Kirkus Reviews). |
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Please be with me : a song for my father, Duane Allman
by Galadrielle Allman
An intimate and revelatory portrait of the legendary music artist and founder of the Allman Brothers Band, written by his daughter, describes how after losing her father at the age of 2 she struggled to learn about and understand his profound legacy through the stories of family members, friends and bandmates. 25,000 first printing.
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Strange beautiful music : a musical memoir
by Joe Satriani
Featuring never-before-seen photos and first-hand interviews with the legendary rocker, this rare, up-close-and-personal memoir gives fans full access to the life and career of the musician The New York Times called "a guitar God!" 40,000 first printing.
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Shining star : braving the elements of Earth, Wind & Fire
by Philip Bailey
A personal account by the lead singer of Earth, Wind & Fire traces his professional and spiritual journey against a backdrop of the group's meteoric rise to stardom, describing the diverse influences that shaped the band's style and his own experiences as a solo performer
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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530-666-8085, 226 Buckeye St., Woodland, CA 95695
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