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Popular Culture September 2018
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Robin
by Dave Itzkoff
The New York Times culture reporter and author of Mad as Hell presents a compelling portrait of Robin Williams that illuminates his comic brilliance, conflicting emotions and often misunderstood character, sharing insights into the gift for improvisation that shaped his wide range of characters, his struggles with addiction and depression and his relationships with friends and family members.
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The Never-ending Present : The Story of Gord Downie and the Tragically Hip
by Michael Barclay
In the first print biography of the Tragically Hip, Michael Barclay talks to dozens of the band’s peers and friends about not just the Hip’s music but about the opening bands, the American albatross, the band’s role in Canadian culture, and Gord Downie’s role in reconciliation with Indigenous people. When Downie announced he had terminal cancer and decided to take the Hip on the road one more time, the tour became another Terry Fox moment; this time, Canadians got to witness an embattled hero reach the finish line.
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Growing Pains : The Future of Democracy (And Work)
by Gwynne Dyer
Dyer examines the global challenges facing us all today and explains how they have contributed to a world of inequality, poverty, and joblessness ― conditions which he argues inevitably lead to the rise of populism. The greatest threat to social and political stability, he argues, lies in the rise of automation, which will continue to eliminate jobs, whether politicians admit that it is happening or not. To avoid a social and political catastrophe, we will have to find ways of putting real money into the pockets of those who have no work.
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| Ghostbuster's Daughter: Life with My Dad, Harold Ramis by Violet Ramis StielWhat it is: a heartfelt and intimate memoir from Violet Ramis Stiel chronicling her close relationship with her father, comedy legend Harold Ramis.
Why you might like it: By balancing candid reflections of family dynamics with behind-the-scenes anecdotes of her father's career in Hollywood, Ramis Stiel "renders a three-dimensional image of her father as an emblematic figure in comedy" (Publishers Weekly). |
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Hitman : my real life in the cartoon world of wrestling
by Bret Hart
An account of the pro-wrestler's professional and personal life describes his experiences as a sixth son of a legendary Canadian wrestling promoter, struggles with addiction, and efforts to recover from a life-threatening stroke.
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| Yes: My Improbable Journey to the Main Event of WrestleMania by Daniel Bryan with Craig TelloWhat it is: an engaging, conversational memoir of Daniel Bryan's unlikely ascent to WWE stardom, hindered by his being "undersized" and his disinterest in fame and fortune.
Art alert: flip-book style animations add a whimsical touch to the lower corners of the book's pages.
About the author: Outside the ring, Bryan is an avid supporter of environmental advocacy and was named PETA'S Most Animal-Friendly Athlete of 2012. |
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Chris & Nancy : The True Story of the Benoit Murder-suicide & Pro Wrestling's Cocktail of Death
by Irvin Muchnick
Exploring the steroid-fueled world of professional wrestling, this riveting chronicle lays bare the devastating events that led to the 2007 murder-suicide of Chris Benoit, his wife Nancy, and their seven-year-old son, Daniel. Benoit`s performance-enhancing drug addictionmassive amounts of doctor-prescribed human growth hormone were found in Benoit’s homeand subsequent suicide proved to be the tipping point for the professional wrestling world, resulting in unprecedented scrutiny of the sport’s subpar health and safety standards. Using public records, dozen of interviews with those inside and outside of wrestling, and investigative results, this authoritative analysis provides an uncompromising look at the price athletes pay in this rough-and-tumble world.
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| Foxcatcher: The True Story of My Brother's Murder, John du Pont's Madness, and... by Mark Schultz with David ThomasWhat it's about: the fraught relationship that brothers and Olympic gold medalists Mark and Dave Schultz had with self-styled coach and eccentric du Pont family heir John du Pont, culminating in the shooting death of Dave by John in 1996.
Want a taste? "We were his newest trophies...and we were more fun to play with than his seashells and birds because we were collectibles that he could manipulate."
Media buzz: Foxcatcher is the basis of the Academy Award-nominated film of the same name. |
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Wrestling Babylon : piledriving tales of drugs, sex, death, and scandal
by Irvin Muchnick
Professional wrestling’s most notorious scandals and drug-fueled spectacles are laid out using insider details and investigative journalism in this powerful exposé of the sport. Featuring pieces previously published in magazines such as Penthouse and People, this book examines the demise of the old Mafia-like territories, whose wake, with the help of cable television and deregulation, helped fuel the astonishing growth of professional wrestling. These solemn and thoroughly investigated accountsof Hulk Hogan’s drug use, the untimely death of Jimmy Superfly” Snuka’s girlfriend, the ill-fated Von Erich clan, and various scandals associated with World Wrestling Entertainment’s Vince McMahongo beyond the theatrics to illustrate what really goes on behind the curtain and where the sport now stands
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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