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Biography and Memoir February 2020
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| The Shadow of Vesuvius: A Life of Pliny by Daisy Dunn eBook on OverDrive
What it is: a non-linear dual portrait of Roman author and naturalist Pliny the Elder and his nephew Pliny the Younger, a lawyer and senator.
Read it for: an illuminating glimpse into the tumultuous Roman Empire of the 1st century; insights into how the pair influenced future generations of scholars and thinkers.
Did you know? Charles Dickens drew inspiration from the Younger's work to create the character of Jacob Marley in A Christmas Carol. |
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| A Bookshop in Berlin: The Rediscovered Memoir of One Woman's Harrowing Escape... by Françoise Frenkel eAudiobook on RBDigital
Starring: Berlin-based Polish Jewish bookseller Françoise Frenkel, who fled the Nazis in 1939 and spent the next four years evading capture in occupied France.
Read it for: a nail-biting tale of courage and survival.
What sets it apart: Originally published to little fanfare in 1945 Switzerland, Frenkel's memoir lingered in obscurity until a copy resurfaced in 2010, leading to its English language publication nearly 75 years after its initial release. |
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| Mary Ball Washington: The Untold Story of George Washington's Mother by Craig Shirley eBook on OverDrive
What it's about: how "Honored Madam" Mary Ball Washington's prickly relationship with her eldest son George Washington shaped him as a man, politician, and president.
Who it's for: readers seeking fresh perspectives about figures on the periphery of history.
Reviewers say: "a sharp and fully dimensional view of the singular Mary Bell Washington" (Kirkus Reviews). |
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| Looking for Lorraine: The Radiant and Radical Life of Lorraine Hansberry by Imani Perry eBook and eAudiobook on RBDigital
What it is: a revealing biography of acclaimed A Raisin in the Sun playwright and social activist Lorraine Hansberry.
Topics include: Hansberry's conflicted views on her privileged upbringing; career beginnings writing for Pan-Africanist newspaper Freedom; brushes with the FBI; her closeted sexuality.
Why you might like it: Library Journal calls this concise and engaging portrait "a must-read for fans of black and queer history." |
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| The New Negro: The Life of Alain Locke by Jeffrey C. Stewart eAudiobook on Hoopla & RBDigital
What it is: a sweeping and thought-provoking biography of Alain Locke, the first black Rhodes Scholar and father of the Harlem Renaissance.
Awards buzz: The New Negro won the National Book Award in 2018 and the Pulitzer Prize in 2019.
Is it for you? Weighing in at over 900 pages, Jeffrey C. Stewart's extensively researched work doesn't shy away from Locke's flaws, like his penchant for misogyny or his willingness to indulge his patrons' racism for his own financial gain. |
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| Black Fortunes: The Story of the First Six African Americans Who Survived Slavery... by Shomari Wills eBook & eAudiobook on Hoopla
What it's about: how six men and women -- all former slaves or children of slaves -- became millionaires in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Featuring: Mississippi teacher O.W. Gurley, who developed Tulsa, Oklahoma's affluent Black Wall Street; cosmetics and hair care entrepreneur Madam C.J. Walker, soon to be portrayed by Academy Award winner Octavia Spencer in the Netflix series Self Made. |
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