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Biography and Memoir January 2020
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A forgotten hero : Folke Bernadotte, the Swedish humanitarian who rescued 30,000 people from the Nazis
by Shelley Emling
In one of the most amazing rescues of WWII, the Swedish head of the Red Cross saved more than 30,000 people from concentration camps in the last three months of the war. Folke Bernadotte did so by negotiating with the enemy--i.e., shaking hands with Himmler, head of the Gestapo. The book chronicles Folke's life and extraordinary journey, from his early years, to his saving thousands of lives during the war, to his assassination in 1948.
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Agrippina : the most extraordinary woman of the Roman world
by Emma Southon
We wish the Canadian publisher had gone with the title of the British edition: Agrippina: Empress, Exile, Hustler, Whore--it's so much more suggestive of her wide range of activities. She held a unique position in the first Roman imperial family. As great niece of Tiberius, sister of Caligula, wife of Claudius, and mother of Nero she stood at the centre of power in the Roman empire for three generations. Agrippina's life sheds light on the Julio-Claudian dynasty and Rome at its height--the chaos, blood, and politics of it all--as well as the place of women in the Roman world.
"[A} page turner is rare in academic writing, but this is one!"--Amazon reviewer
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| All Blood Runs Red: The Legendary Life of Eugene Bullard -- Boxer, Pilot, Soldier, Spy by Phil Keith with Tom ClavinStarring: the first African American fighter pilot, Eugene Bullard, a war hero whose remarkable life has been largely forgotten by history. What he did: Bullard achieved fame as boxer "Black Sparrow," served in the French Foreign Legion during both world wars, ran a Paris nightclub during World War II that he used to spy on Germans, and much more. Don't miss: the surprising connection Bullard's life had to Casablanca; a jaw-dropping who's who of famous figures. |
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Ian McKellen : a biography
by Garry O'Connor
In 2014, Sir Ian McKellen was paid 1.2 million pounds to write his memoirs. Nine months later, he returned the advance, saying, "I don't want to go on a voyage of discovery." Fortunately, acclaimed biographer O'Connor signed on for that voyage and has produced the definitive life of the award-winning actor and tireless gay activist. O'Connor, who befriended McKellen in 1958 at Cambridge, offers a full account that incisively evaluates his stage and screen career; he also delves into McKellen's private life, sharing his struggles, triumphs, sacrifices, and foibles to create a rich portrait of an actor who found his greatest rewards after he publicly came out at the age of 49.
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| In the Dream House by Carmen Maria MachadoWhat it's about: In this inventive collection of short essays, award-winning author Carmen Maria Machado (Her Body and Other Parties) unflinchingly recounts a relationship with an unstable woman that devolved into physical and psychological abuse. What sets it apart: Machado's fragmented, genre-defying prose plays with storytelling tropes, offering a multilayered view of her relationship as a choose your own adventure, a noir, a stoner comedy, and more. Book buzz: In the Dream House was longlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction. |
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My life on the line : how the NFL damn near killed me, and ended up saving my life
by Ryan O'Callaghan
Football gave Ryan O'Callaghan a scholarship to Cal and the chance to earn millions in the NFL, but it also afforded him something far more important: a place to hide. As a closeted gay man, his helmet and pads became tools of deception. O'Callaghan, who retired in 2011 after four seasons, eventually found the courage to live his truth in retirement. His memoir offers an unsparing look at the nexus of sexuality and football.
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Little weirds
by Jenny Slate
The actress, stand-up comedian, and best-selling children’s book author explores her internal self, dreams, and insecurities through bursts of writing on a wide range of subjects from heartbreak and divorce, to the smell of honeysuckle and a French-kissing rabbit.
"This book is something new and wonderful--honest, funny, positive, completely original, and inspiring in the very best way: it made me remember I was alive"--George Saunders
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In Hoffa's shadow : a stepfather, a disappearance in Detroit, and my search for the truth
by Jack L Goldsmith
Exploring Jimmy Hoffa’s rise and fall and why the golden age of blue-collar of America came to an end, the stepson of Charles “Chuckie” O’Brien, Hoffa’s right-hand man and suspected killer, tells the untold story of the man involved in one of the 20th century’s most persistent mysteries.
"A thrilling, unputdownable story that takes on big subjects--injustice, love, loss, truth, power, murder--and addresses them in sentences of beauty and clarity"--Bill Buford (former fiction editor, New Yorker)
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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