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Biography and Memoir May 2018
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Things That Make White People Uncomfortable
by Michael Bennett
A Super Bowl Champion and two-time Pro Bowler uses his uncensored humor to discuss racism and violence and the responsibilities of Black athletes in the NCAA and NFL to speak out against injustice both on and off the field.
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Among My Souvenirs: The Real Story
by Connie Francis
Connie Francis (born Concetta Rose Marie Franconero, December 12, 1937) was the top-charting female vocalist of the late 1950s and 1960s. Throughout that period she was also the most versatile, with a succession of albums of widely differing genres that remain stock catalog items to the present day. She became the inspiration for many of the world's leading songwriters who, five decades on, continue to praise and thank her for what they consider to be definitive treatments of their works. An American icon in the truest sense of that term, she is now popularly and lovingly referred to as The Legendary Connie Francis.
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My Shot: Balancing it All and Standing Tall
by Elena Delle Donne
Elena Delle Donne, 2015 WNBA MVP and 2016 Olympic gold medalist, shares her inspirational story of being a young basketball prodigy who gave up an impressive basketball scholarship for family and self-discovery.
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The Gourmands' Way: Six Americans in Paris and the Birth of a New Gastronomy
by Justin Spring
Describes the lives of six Americans who wrote extensively about food and wine as they traveled, explored, immersed themselves in culture and struggled with their writing careers in France between 1945-1974, including Alice B. Toklas, Julia Child, Richard Olney, M. F. K. Fisher, Alexis Lichine and A. J. Liebling.
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Montaigne in Barn Boots: An Amateur Ambles through Philosophy
by Michael Perry
What it is: Bestselling writer Michael Perry (The Jesus Cow) draws parallels between his life and that of medieval French philosopher Michel de Montaigne.
Read it for: Perry’s warm and humorous tone, which might provoke laughter as he describes his (and Montaigne’s) views on aging, sex, marriage...and kidney stones.
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| Patriot Number One: American Dreams in Chinatown by Lauren HilgersWhat it's about: After attracting powerful enemies in his home village of Wukan, Chinese dissident Zhang Liehong immigrated to New York City in 2014, finding solace among fellow Chinese exiles and activists.
Why you should read it: Timely and nuanced, Patriot Number One thoughtfully explores the struggles of modern immigration.
Reviewers say: "This book is hard to put down" (Library Journal). |
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Make Trouble: Standing Up, Speaking Out, and Finding the Courage to Lead--My Life Story
by Cecile Richards
The president of Planned Parenthood and daughter of the late Texas Governor Ann Richards shares the story of her lifetime spent fighting for women's rights and social justice, offering insight into her work as a labor organizer, the challenges of balancing her career with her family responsibilities and her views about the importance of taking risks, making mistakes and standing up for what is right.
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A Kind of Mirraculas Paradise: A True Story About Schizophrenia
by Sandra Allen
A first book by a Brown-educated former BuzzFeed editor stands as cautionary tribute to life with schizophrenia and describes her relationship with her afflicted uncle and how he was marginalized and labeled throughout his formative years before embarking on an adulthood shaped by the limitations, prejudices, and ignorance of mental healthcare in America.
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The Neuroscientist Who Lost Her Mind: My Tale of Madness and Recovery
by Barbara K. Lipska
Describes how the author, a leading expert on the neuroscience of mental illness, endured months of terrifying symptoms related to a brain melanoma before immunotherapy enabled a cure, recounting in vivid detail her recollection of the experience and what it revealed about the role of mental illness, brain injury and age on behavior, personality and memory.
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Loulou & Yves: The Untold Story of Loulou de la Falaise and the House of Saint Laurent
by Christopher Petkanas
An oral biography celebrating the world of haute couture and one of its most notable muses traces de la Falaises's upbringing by English aesthetes, the bohemian spirit that captured the attentions of Yves Saint Laurent and her role in inspiring and motivating the designer's troubled genius throughout the creations of his most accomplished collections.
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Odd Girl Out: My Extraordinary Autistic Life
by Laura James
From childhood, Laura James knew she was different. She struggled to cope in a world that often made no sense to her, as though her brain had its own operating system. It wasn't until she reached her forties that she found out why: Suddenly and surprisingly, she was diagnosed with autism. With a touching and searing honesty, Laura challenges everything we think we know about what it means to be autistic. Married with four children and a successful journalist, Laura examines the ways in which autism has shaped her career, her approach to motherhood, and her closest relationships. Laura's upbeat, witty writing offers new insight into the day-to-day struggles of living with autism, as her extreme attention to sensory detail--a common aspect of her autism--is fascinating to observe through her eyes.
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Hell's Princess: The Mystery of Belle Gunness, Butcher of Men
by Harold Schechter
Hell’s Princess is a riveting account of one of the most sensational killing sprees in the annals of American crime: the shocking series of murders committed by the woman who came to be known as Lady Bluebeard. The only definitive book on this notorious case and the first to reveal previously unknown information about its subject, Harold Schechter’s gripping, suspenseful narrative has all the elements of a classic mystery—and all the gruesome twists of a nightmare.
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Unwifeable
by Mandy Stadtmiller
From the popular, “candid and bold, tender and tough” (Cheryl Strayed) dating columnist for New York magazine and the New York Post comes a whirlwind and “gutsy” (Courtney Love) memoir recounting countless failed romances and blackout nights, told with Mandy Stadtmiller’s unflinching candor and brilliant wit. With hysterical insight, unabashed sexuality, and unprecedented levels of raw, honest pain, Unwifeable is a “blisteringly candid” (Sarah Hepola, New York Times bestselling author of Blackout) book that you can’t help but respond and relate to—perfect for fans of Amy Schumer and Chelsea Handler.
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The Gambler: How Penniless Dropout Kirk Kerkorian Became the Greatest Deal...
by William C. Rempel
What it is: the rags-to-riches life story of billionaire Kirk Kerkorian, who died at the age of 98 in 2015. Journalist William Rempel examines Kerkorian's activities as an aviator in World War II, his investments in the high-stakes world of Las Vegas real estate, and his complicated personal life, which became tabloid fodder despite his reclusive nature.
Reviewers say: "A remarkably detailed and fascinating look at the career of an idiosyncratic tycoon" (Booklist).
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Maybe Esther: A Family Story
by Katja Petrowskaja
A Kiev native traces the story of her family in 20th-century Russia, Ukraine, Poland and Germany, conveying in a series of short meditations the formative experiences of ancestors ranging from an assassin and a Bolshevik revolutionary to an orphanage manager and a victim of the Nazis.
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| The Age of Eisenhower: America and the World in the 1950s by William I. HitchcockWhat it is: a measured reevaluation of the "do-nothing" president that demonstrates the extent of his accomplishments in office.
About the author: William I. Hitchcock is a history professor at the University of Virginia and the author of The Bitter Road to Freedom: A New History of the Liberation of Europe, for which he was a Pulitzer Prize finalist.
Further reading: Jean Edward Smith's Eisenhower: In War and Peace. |
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| The Recovering: Intoxication and Its Aftermath by Leslie JamisonWhat it is: a candid and galvanizing memoir of Leslie Jamison's recovery from the alcohol addiction that dominated her 20s.
What's inside: perceptive profiles of famous alcoholics throughout history -- including writer Raymond Carver and singer Billie Holiday -- that explore the link between addiction and creativity.
Try this next: Olivia Laing's The Trip to Echo Spring: On Writers and Drinking. |
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| The Duchess: Camilla Parker Bowles and the Love Affair That Rocked the Crown by Penny JunorWhat it's about: Royal biographer Penny Junor sympathetically delves into the life of "the other woman" deemed responsible for the dissolution of Prince Charles and Princess Diana's marriage.
Topics include: Camilla's romance with Charles prior to his marriage; how she handled her highly publicized vilification once their extramarital affair was revealed.
Is it for you? This persuasive portrait recasts Camilla from reviled to redeemed, arguing that her support of the royal family strengthens their standing. |
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| Publishing: A Writer's Memoir by Gail GodwinWhat it's about: novelist Gail Godwin's 50-year career as a writer, during which she navigated the evolving corporatization of the publishing industry.
What's inside: Black and white line drawings by architect Frances Halsband complement Godwin's illuminating prose.
Further reading: Godwin previously published her journals from 1961-1969 in the two-volume The Making of a Writer.
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| The Accidental Life: An Editor's Notes on Writing and Writers by Terry McDonellWhat it's about: Magazine editor Terry McDonell, who's worked for Rolling Stone, Esquire, and Sports Illustrated, reflects on his 40-year career and the luminaries (Hunter S. Thompson and Tom Wolfe, among others) whose careers he helped shape along the way.
Want a taste? McDonell likens his friendship with Thompson to the plot of Treasure Island: "Adventurous boy kidnapped by pirates; joins pirates."
Don't miss: Word counts accompany McDonell's short, witty chapters. |
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| Manderley Forever: A Biography of Daphne Du Maurier by Tatiana de RosnayWhat it is: a compelling portrait of prolific author Daphne Du Maurier (Rebecca, Jamaica Inn), whose popularity throughout her career did not translate to critical praise -- she was often inaccurately (and dismissively) called a romance novelist.
What sets it apart: Through extensive research and insights from family members, Tatiana de Rosnay depicts the depth of Du Maurier's talents and influence, affording her the admiration that eluded her in life.
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| Where the Past Begins: A Writer's Memoir by Amy TanWhat it is: a captivating, nonlinear chronicle of the forces that have shaped Amy Tan's writing, including her tumultuous upbringing and her love of music and drawing.
Featuring: Tan's difficult mother, in whom her fiction fans will recognize a familiar character type.
For fans of: reflective literary memoirs like Richard Ford's Between Them. |
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| Sailor and Fiddler: Reflections of a 100-Year-Old Author by Herman WoukWhat it's about: In this engaging memoir, centenarian Herman Wouk reveals the stories behind his 16 published works with humor and clarity.
About the author: Wouk is a Pulitzer Prize winner (for 1951's The Caine Mutiny) whose works have been published in 27 languages.
To be continued? The author teases a posthumous publication of "the whole Herman Wouk story" -- his diary. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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