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Biography and Memoir January 2019
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Soulmates on Ice : From Hometown Glory to the Top of the Podium
by Meagan Duhamel
What it is about: The Northern Ontario pairs skaters, who won a complete set of Olympic medals, reflect on how they developed a working relationship and honed their resilience in a sport that often left them bloodied and bruised.
Why you might like it: Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford tell the path they followed to the top of the world in figure skating.
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From My Mother's Back : A Journey from Kenya to Canada
by Njoki Wane
What it is: In this warm and honest memoir, Njoki Wane shares her journey from her parents' small coffee farm in Kenya, where she helped her mother in the fields as a child, to her current work as a professor at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto.
Why you might like it: Wane uses memories, painful and tender, to show how her early lessons and the support given by her family allowed her to succeed as a woman of colour in the academy.
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Beastie Boys Book
by Mike D
What it is about: Featuring contributions by the group's surviving members and complemented by rare visuals, a panoramic chronicle of the Beastie Boys traces their early collaborations, genre-breaking achievements and evolution as musicians and social activists.
Is it for you: Beastie Boys Book upends the typical music memoir- you will find rare photos, original illustrations, mix tape playlists, pieces by guest contributors, and many more surprises.
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Defying Limits : Lessons from the Edge of the Universe
by Dave Williams
What it is about: The Canadian physician and astronaut recounts his life, chronicling his childhood and the challenges he faced and sharing the process of entering the astronaut program.
Is it for you: An inspirational, uplifting, and life-affirming memoir about passion, resilience and living life to the fullest, from Dr. Dave Williams, one of Canada's most accomplished astronauts.
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Becoming
by Michelle Obama
What it is about: An intimate and uplifting memoir by the former First Lady chronicles the experiences that have shaped her remarkable life, from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago through her setbacks and achievements in the White House.
Reviewr's say: "Obama's narrative is the story of an African-American striver, born to a working-class family in a Chicago ghetto, who got Princeton and Harvard degrees and prominent jobs in law and public relations, attended at every step by the nagging question, Am I good enough?" (Publisher's Weekly)
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Born into It : A Fan's Life-[Ebook]
by Jay Baruchel
What it is about: In Born Into It, Baruchel's lifelong memories as a Canadiens' fan explode on the page in a collection of hilarious, heartfelt and nostalgic stories that draw on his childhood experiences.
For fans of: The Montreal Canadiens professional ice hockey team.
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The Greatest Love Story Ever Told : An Oral History
by Nick Offerman
What it is about: The popular comedic couple trace the story of their relationship, sharing anecdotes, family photos and secrets that reveal how they overcame considerable social differences through their shared values and mutual love of music and laughter.
Reviewers say: Widely admired celebrity couple Mullally (Will and Grace) and Offerman (Parks and Recreation) chat their way comfortably through a book about their lives and marriage (Booklist Review).
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| Rise: How a House Built a Family-[Eaudiobook] by Cara BrookinsWhat it is about: After leaving her abusive husband, Cara Brookins set out to create a new home for her family.
What happened next: Brookins and her four children built the home -- from the ground up -- by themselves. Though the process was not without its challenges, it gave the family a healing start to a life free of violence and trauma.
For fans of: inspiring, can-do memoirs such as Cheryl Strayed's Wild. |
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Raw : my journey into the Wu-Tang
by U-God
What it is: A dramatic account of the lesser-known story behind the meteoric rise of the Wu-Tang Clan, written by one of its founding members, traces his early years in 1970s Brownsville, New York, and how he and his fellow group members escaped the projects to make hip-hop history.
Author's say: "It's time to write down not only my legacy, but the story of nine dirt-bomb street thugs who took our everyday life--scrappin' and hustlin'and tryin' to survive in the urban jungle of New York City--and turned that into something bigger than we could possibly imagine"(Lamont "U-God" Hawkins).
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| Mid-Life Ex-Wife: A Diary of Divorce, Online Dating, and Second Chances-[Ebook] by Stella GreyWhat it is: Guardian columnist Stella Grey's hilarious adventures in online dating following her unexpected divorce at age 50.
Why you might like it: Brimming with practical tips and insights, Grey's frank yet optimistic memoir is "an unforgettable glimpse into the search for love in the twenty-first century" (Booklist).
Who it's for: singletons of any age contemplating online dating. |
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| The Neuroscientist Who Lost Her Mind: My Tale of Madness and Recovery by Barbara K. Lipska with Elaine McArdleWhat it's about: In 2015, neuroscientist Barbara K. Lipska was diagnosed with melanoma that spread to her brain and led to dementia and schizophrenia-like symptoms. After her treatment plan gave her a miraculous "second chance at sanity," she began a long road to recovery, grappling with the memories -- and irony -- of her illness.
Want a taste? "I am living through some of the processes of a disease that I've spent my life studying and trying to cure." |
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