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Popular Culture March 2020
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Bohemian Rhapsody
by Lesley-Ann Jones
This is the definitive biography of Freddie Mercury, written by award-winning rock journalist Lesley-Ann Jones, who toured widely with Queen and formed lasting friendships with the band. Now, having secured access to the remaining band members and those who were closest to Freddie from childhood to death, Lesley-Ann has written the most in-depth account of one of music's best loved and most complex figures.
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Anthony Bourdain : the last interview and other conversations
by Anthony Bourdain
Anthony Bourdain always downplayed his skills as a chef (many disagreed). But despite his modesty, one thing even he agreed with was that he was a born raconteur—as he makes clear in this collection of sparkling conversations. His wit, passion, and deep intelligence shine through all manner of discussion here, from heart-to-hearts with bloggers, to on-stage talks before massive crowds, to intense interviews with major television programs. Without fail, Bourdain is always blisteringly honest—such as when he talks about his battles with addiction, or when detailing his thoughts on restaurant critics. He regularly dispenses arresting insight about how what’s on your plate reveals much of history and politics. And perhaps best of all, the heartfelt empathy he developed travelling the world for his TV shows is always in the fore, as these talks make the “Hemingway of gastronomy,” as chef Marco Pierre White called him, live again.
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I Loved Her in the Movies: Memories of Hollywood's Legendary Actresses
by Robert Wagner
in his third memoir on life in Hollywood (after Pieces of My Heart and You Must Remember This), iconic actor Robert Wagner looks to his leading ladies, the "female movie stars that defined my generation." Beginning in the 1930s (when Wagner was just a child) and moving through the '50s, '60s, and '80s, Wagner touches on colleagues, friends, and wives alike, from Joan Crawford and Bette Davis to Natalie Wood and Marilyn Monroe. While there's no real "dirt," Wagner shares plenty of personal stories, making this an excellent choice for movie fans.
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| Five Came Back: A Story of Hollywood and the Second World War by Mark HarrisStarring: directors Frank Capra, John Ford, John Huston, George Stevens, and William Wyler, who put their talents to use during World War II by creating military training films, propaganda, and documentaries.
Read it for: a perceptive look at how the war impacted their lives and careers -- particularly Stevens, whose experiences filming the horrors of Dachau informed his directing of 1959's The Diary of Anne Frank.
Media buzz: Five Came Back is the basis for the Emmy Award-winning Netflix docuseries of the same name narrated by Meryl Streep. |
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West of Eden : an American place
by Jean Stein
An oral history of five outsider families who rose to power and fortune in Hollywood and Los Angeles traces their humble origins, the dreams that inspired their ambitions, the setbacks that challenged their achievements, and their enduring legacies
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Frank & Ava : in love and war
by John Joseph Brady
A full-length account of the relationship between Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner is set against a backdrop of golden-age Hollywood in the aftermath of young Gardner's first two marriages, detailing the period taboos and mercurial dynamics that challenged their years together.
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My First Time in Hollywood : Stories from the Pioneers, Dreamers and Misfits Who Made the Movies
by Cari Beauchamp
Over forty legends of the film business recount their first trip to Hollywood. Actors, directors, screenwriters, cinematographers, and editors-half of them women-recall the long joinery, their initial impressions, their struggle to find work, and the love for making movies that kept them going. Drawn from letters, speeches, oral histories, memoirs, and autobiographies-and illustrated with over sixty vintage photographs and illustrations-each story is intimate and unique, but all speak to our universal need to follow our passions and be part of a community that feeds the soul.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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