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Biography and Memoir August 2019
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| Places and Names: Reflections on War, Revolution, and Returning by Elliot AckermanWhat it is: a reflective memoir in essays detailing former marine Elliot Ackerman's five tours of duty in Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
Don't miss: Ackerman's unlikely friendship with a former jihadi.
About the author: A National Book Award finalist for the novel Dark at the Crossing, Ackerman has also earned a Silver Star, a Bronze Star, and a Purple Heart for his military service. |
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The Annotated Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant
by Ulysses S. Grant; edited by Elizabeth D. Samet
What it is: the classic 1885 autobiography of America's 18th president, freshly updated with vivid footnotes, maps, and illustrations.
About the editor: Elizabeth D. Samet is a Professor of English at The United States Military Academy.
What sets it apart: Samet's insightful introduction discusses Grant's literary influences, including Washington Irving and John Wesley.
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The lost prince : a search for Pat Conroy
by Michael Mewshaw
What it is: Michael Mewshaw presents an intimate memoir of his friendship with America’s poet laureate of family dysfunction, from their childhood in Rome to when, shortly before his 49th birthday, Conroy asked a terrible favor and was never seen by Mewshaw again.
About the author: Mewshaw's five-decade career includes award-winning fiction, nonfiction, literary criticism and investigative journalism. He is the author of the nonfiction works Sympathy for the Devil: Four Decades of Friendship with Gore Vidal and Between Terror and Tourism; the novel Year of the Gun; and the memoir Do I Owe You Something? He has published in The New York Times,The Washington Post,Los Angeles Times, and numerous international outlets. He spends much of his time in Key West, Florida.
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Beneath the tamarind tree : a story of courage, family, and the lost schoolgirls of Boko Haram
by Isha Sesay
What it is: The award-winning host of CNN Newsroom Live presents a definitive account of Boko Haram's 2014 abduction of 276 Chibok schoolgirls, sharing first-person insights based on the author's escape with 21 survivors.
Why you might like this: Beneath the Tamarind Tree is a gripping read and a story of resilience with a soaring message of hope at its core, reminding us of the ever-present truth that progress for all of us hinges on unleashing the potential of women.
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What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Blacker: A Memoir in Essays
by Damon Young
What it is: a candid collection of humorous and bittersweet musings on contemporary black manhood.
Topics include: gentrification's impact on author Damon Young's Pittsburgh neighborhood; the relationships forged in barbershops and on basketball courts; the use (and misuse) of racial epithets.
Author alert: Debut author Young is the co-founder of the website Very Smart Brothas and a senior editor at The Root.
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Congratulations, who are you again? : a memoir
by Harrison Scott Key
What it is: Hilarious, brutally honest and totally practical, the winner of the Thurber Prize for American Humor shares his outrageous journey to becoming a great American author and the lessons he learned along the way.
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Feel free : essays
by Zadie Smith
What it is: In a collection of essays arranged into five sections—In the World, In the Audience, In the Gallery, On the Bookshelf, and Feel Free—the best-selling author of Swing Time discusses important questions about our world that readers will immediately recognize.
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Bad feminist : essays
by Roxane Gay
What it is: A collection of essays spanning politics, criticism, and feminism from one of the most-watched young cultural observers of her generation, Roxane Gay.
What's in it: "Pink is my favorite color. I used to say my favorite color was black to be cool, but it is pink, all shades of pink. If I have an accessory, it is probably pink. I read Vogue, and I'm not doing it ironically, though it might seem that way. I once live-tweeted the September issue." In these funny and insightful essays, Roxane Gay takes us through the journey of her evolution as a woman (Sweet Valley High) of color (The Help) while also taking readers on a ride through culture of the last few years (Girls, Django in Chains) and commenting on the state of feminism today (abortion, Chris Brown).
Why you may like it: The portrait that emerges is not only one of an incredibly insightful woman continually growing to understand herself and our society, but also one of our culture. Bad Feminist is a sharp, funny, and spot-on look at the ways in which the culture we consume becomes who we are, and an inspiring call-to-arms of all the ways we still need to do better
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The Best Cook in the World: Tales from My Momma's Table
by Rick Bragg
What it's about: In this heartfelt and nostalgic tribute to the cuisine of his Alabama childhood, author Rick Bragg (All Over but the Shoutin') shares the stories behind his family's recipes.
Recipes include: pinto beans and ham bone, baked possum.
Want a taste? "She cooks in dabs, and smidgens, and tads, and a measurement she mysteriously refers to as 'you know, hon, just some.'"
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In real life : my journey to a pixelated world
by Joey Graceffa
What it is: A confessional memoir by the popular YouTube personality shares candid accounts of his intimate struggles with familial hardship, educational setbacks, bullying and rejection while encouraging readers to embrace their differences and stay optimistic.
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Hungry heart : adventures in life, love, and writing
by Jennifer Weiner
What it is: The #1 New York Times best-selling author of In Her Shoes presents a collection of uproarious essays that impart her unstinting views on such topics as family life, sex, weight, her mother's late-in-life coming out and her own experiences as an unlikely feminist.
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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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