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Biography and Memoir December 2020 |
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| Where I Come From: Stories from the Deep South by Rick BraggWhat it is: a collection of previously published pieces written by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and memoirist Rick Bragg that celebrates his relationship to the American South's "gentler, easier nature."
Who it's for: Fans of Bragg and lovers of witty repartee will enjoy this breezy collection that feels like having a chat with an old friend.
Topics include: Southern music and cuisine; encounters with Southern celebrities Pat Conroy, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Harper Lee; the wonders of Tupperware. |
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You never forget your first : a biography of George Washington
by Alexis Coe
What's in it: A whimsically irreverent portrait of America’s first President includes coverage of Washington’s entitled upbringing by a single mother, his dog “Sweetlips,” his numerous military defeats and the partisan nightmares that spun from his back-stabbing cabinet.
Why you might like this: Alexis Coe combines rigorous research and unsentimental storytelling, finally separating the man from the legend.--provided by publisher.
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In Faulkner's shadow : a memoir
by Lawrence Wells
A question to answer: What happens when you marry into a family that includes a Nobel Prize winner who is arguably the finest American writer of the twentieth century? This author fills this lively tale with stories that answer just that. In 1972, Wells married Dean Faulkner, the only niece of William Faulkner, and slowly found himself lost in the Faulkner mystique.
Name dropping: In his dual role as publisher of the Faulkner Newsletter and Yoknapatawpha Review; and author, Wells encountered and befriended Larry Brown, Barry Hannah, Willie Morris, and many other writers. He became both participant and observer to the deeds and misdeeds of a rowdy collection of talented authors living in Faulkner's shadow.
Why you might like this: Full of personal insights, this features unforgettable characters and exciting behind-the-scene moments that reveal much about modern American letters and the southern literary tradition. It is also a love story about a courtship and marriage, and an ode to Dean Faulkner Wells and her family"
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A very punchable face : a memoir
by Colin Jost
What's in it: In a collection of humorous essays, the Saturday Night Live head writer and Weekend Update co-anchor tells the story of his life so far.
Includes: You're gonna need stitches--Why I love my Mom--Oops, I fell asleep in a graveyard--The time Jimmy Buffett saved my life (and I don't just mean with his music)--and more!
By publisher: ...for every absurd moment (watching paramedics give CPR to a raccoon), there is an honest, emotional one (recounting his mother's experience on the scene of the Twin Towers' collapse on 9/11). A Very Punchable Face reveals the brilliant mind behind some of the dumbest sketches on television and lays bare the heart and humor of a hardworking guy--with a face you can't help but want to punch".
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2020 Debuts Downloadable from CMRLS.Freading.com |
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| Miss World 1970: How I Entered a Pageant and Wound Up Making History by Jennifer Hosten; foreword by Gugu Mbatha-RawWhat it's about: Grenadian flight attendant Jennifer Hosten's participation in the 1970 Miss World competition, which she won -- becoming the first Black woman to do so.
Read it for: a glimpse into the political turmoil surrounding the event, including feminist protests and apartheid-era South Africa's inclusion of two candidates -- one Black, one white -- to represent the country.
Movie buzz: Miss World 1970 is the basis for the film Misbehaviour, starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw (who penned the book's foreword). |
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Casting Off : A Memoir
by Elspeth Sandys
Where it picks up: At the end of the first volume of Elspeth Sandys' absorbing memoir, What Lies Beneath, an adult Elspeth has solved the riddle of her birth parents and begun to piece together the events of her early life and find her place in the world.
Where it leads: Begins on the eve of Elspeth's first marriage. She and her husband will soon depart New Zealand for England, joining a throng of Kiwis who chose to uproot themselves from their native land. New attachments will be formed: new loves; of people; of places; will take the place of the old. But the home country will continue to exercise a pull.
Why you might like this: Elspeth Sandys' refreshing honesty and her skill as a writer of fiction and drama propel the reader through an absorbing life story that is equally a commentary on the meaning of memoir and the peculiarities of memory.
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Property of the U.S. Army : a Vietnam veteran's story of survival and recovery
by Edward B. Adams
What it's about: "PROPERTY OF THE U.S. ARMY" They had stamped it on his T-shirt, his footlocker, and the plastic stock of his M-16. Decades later, he'd find they'd stamped it on his soul. Ed was just twenty years old when a Vietcong landmine ripped off both his legs below the knee. After only four months and four days in combat, Ed found himself in a hospital bed fighting for his life - a life he would barely recognize when he returned to his small-town Ohio home.
Why you might like this: After five decades of struggling through alcoholism, drugs, failed marriages, and physical abuse, Ed shares his story for the first time, processing the lifelong impact of combat ... of coming home to a nation that didn't want him ... of physical and mental wounds that never fully healed. As Ed reveals his truths to readers, he discovers something for himself: that war is hell but that life and liberty are always worth fighting for"
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| The Art of Resistance: My Four Years in the French Underground by Justus RosenbergWhat it is: a riveting account of Purple Heart and Bronze Star recipient Justus Rosenberg's time spent fighting in the French Resistance, which he joined after fleeing his native Poland as a teen.
About the author: As of this writing, the 99-year-old Rosenberg is the Professor Emeritus of Languages and Literature at Bard College.
Reviewers say: "has all the suspense of a tense spy thriller" (Publishers Weekly); "a welcome addition to the World War II memoir shelf" (Kirkus). |
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Understanding John Lennon
by Francis Kenny
What it's about: This year marks the anniversary not only of what would have been John Lennon's 80th birthday but also the 40th anniversary of his death in New York. Understanding John Lennon takes us back to where it all began.
Why you might like this: While other writers have only touched on the cause of John's genius, Francis Kenny reveals its roots in the post-war nature of Liverpool, John's family with its complex history, and the pain and hurt John felt during his childhood, revealing how his early life experiences shaped his brilliance as a songwriter and musician. Of all the books on The Beatles, this is the only one by an author who was himself born and raised under the same influences as the band's, in the heart of Liverpool and still lives there.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Central Mississippi Regional Library System
100 Tamberline Street
Brandon, Mississippi 39042
601-825-0100
http://www.cmrls.lib.ms.us
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