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Biography and Memoir April 2021
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Kamala's way : an American life by Dan Morain A revelatory biography of the first Black woman to be elected Vice President, charting how the daughter of two immigrants in segregated California became one of this country's most effective power players. In Kamala's Way, longtime Los Angeles Times reporter Dan Morain charts her career from its beginnings handling child molestation cases and homicides for the Alameda County District Attorney's office and her relationship as a twenty-nine-year-old with the most powerful man in the state: married Assembly Speaker Willie Brown, a relationship that would prove life-changing. Morain takes readers through Harris's years in the San Francisco District Attorney's Office, explores her audacious embrace of the little-known Barack Obama, and shows the sharp elbows she deployed to make it to the US Senate. He analyses her failure as a presidential candidate and the behind-the-scenes campaign she waged to land the Vice President spot. Along the way, he paints a vivid picture of her values and priorities, the kind of people she brings into her orbit, the sorts of problems she's good at solving, and the missteps, risks, and bold moves she's made on her way to the top. Kamala's Way is essential reading for all Americans curious about the history-making Vice President-Elect.
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Overlander : One Man's Epic Race to Cross Australia by Rupert GuinnessA powerful memoir about a bike race that led to an inspiring personal journey. In March 2017 Rupert Guinness set out on the trip of a lifetime: to race across Australia in the inaugural Indian Pacific Wheel Race. This was no ordinary bike race - unlike the Tour de France, which Guinness had made his name reporting for decades - competitors would ride completely unassisted from Fremantle in Western Australia to the Opera House in Sydney on the other side of the country. There would be no help, just riders and their bikes crossing one of the most beautiful - and often inhospitable - places on earth. Rupert wanted to rediscover the rich but little recognised history of the pioneering cyclists whose rides throughout Australia from the 1860s unveiled a largely unknown interior - but what he discovered was the extraordinary strength and endurance of the human spirit. A searing tragedy on the road stopped everyone in their tracks, and competitors had to make some of the toughest decisions they had ever faced. A powerful memoir of a race and of a journey of the human spirit, across one of the most challenging landscapes in the world.
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Butterfly : from refugee to Olympian, my story of rescue, hope, and triumph by Yusra MardiniYusra Mardini fled her native Syria to the Turkish coast in 2015 and boarded a small dinghy full of refugees bound for Greece. When the small and overcrowded boat's engine cut out, it began to sink. Yusra, her sister and two others took to the water, pushing the boat for three and a half hours in open water until they eventually landed on Lesbos, saving the lives of the passengers aboard. This is the story of that remarkable woman, whose journey started in a war-torn suburb of Damascus and took her through Europe to Berlin and from there to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
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One good run the legend of Burt Munro : The Legend of Burt Munro by Tim HannaNow a motion picture The World s Fastest Indian starring Sir Anthony Hopkins. One Good Run is the amazing story of Kiwi motorcycling legend, backyard engineering genius and land speed record holder Burt Munro. He broke several international speed records with a motorbike he modified in his Christchurch shed and still holds several records in the US. Burt's inspiring story is loved by fans of motorcycle racing.
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Walking with ghosts : a memoir
by Gabriel Byrne
The award-winning stage and screen actor documents his working-class Dublin childhood, his failed ambition to become a priest, the role of street life in shaping his characters and his experiences in Hollywood and on Broadway.
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Inspire : Life Lessons from the Wilderness by Ben Fogle Writing during the unprecedented period of the coronavirus pandemic, Ben revisits some of his most meaningful encounters with nature, from idyllic childhood summers on Canadian lakes and his time spent castaway on a remote Hebridean island to close calls swimming with crocodiles in Botswana. Drawing on a wealth of personal anecdotes, Ben reflects on the significance of nature to all our lives and shows us how, even in lockdown, we can all live a little more wild. He asks: What can rowing across the Atlantic teach us about boredom and about patience? Can coming down from Everest take more resilience than climbing it in the first place? How can the isolation of the South Pole highlight what's most important? And how can we tap into the same reflective state in our daily lives? A primer on positivity, this is a story about overcoming obstacles, surpassing your own expectations and inspiring your own journey...
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This Farming Life by Tim SaundersThe joys and the harsh realities of farm life, from a writer whose family has farmed the same piece of land for five generations. Farmer Tim Saunders manages to incorporate some writing into his days and here he describes his life through the seasons. Summer: shearing, slaughter, crop harvest and conservation; Autumn and its floods, trading stock, drenching and dogging; Winter, the maize harvest and lambing; and Spring, with docking, pet sheep and weaning. He explores how a sheep and beef farm that has been in the same family for five generations functions, and describes the everyday lives of farmers and their enduring love of the land and the animals they work with. This is powerful and poignant writing that outlines a lifestyle often taken for granted, and it goes some way to explaining why farmers love what they do and are also conflicted by what they do.
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Becoming Dr. Seuss : Theodor Geisel and the making of an American imagination by Brian Jay JonesThe definitive, fascinating, all-reaching biography of Dr. Seuss Dr. Seuss is a classic American icon. His work has defined our childhoods and the childhoods of our own children. More than twenty-five years after his death, his books continue to find new readers, now grossing over half a billion dollars in sales. His whimsical illustrations and silly, simple rhymes are timeless favorites because, quite simply, he makes us laugh. Theodor Geisel, however, led a life that goes much deeper than the prolific and beloved children's book author. In fact, the allure and fascination of Dr. Seuss begins with this second, more radical side. He had a successful career as a political cartoonist, and his political leanings can be felt throughout his books--remember the environmentalist of The Lorax? Geisel was a complicated man, who introduced generations to the wonders of reading while teaching young people about empathy and how to treat others well.
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Dolly Parton, songteller : my life in lyrics
by Dolly Parton
A 60-year celebration of the country music and pop culture legend’s remarkable life and career explores the songs that have defined her journey and contains rare photos and memorabilia that share additional insights into classic Parton lyrics.
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| Sitting Pretty: The View from My Ordinary Resilient Disabled Body by Rebekah TaussigWhat it is: a witty and engaging memoir about author Rebekah Taussig's life as a wheelchair user, with frank discussions of how disability intersects with issues like sex, dating, self-image, relationships, the media, and more.
Why you should read it: Sitting Pretty is a refreshingly candid and welcome voice in the growing body of literature about disability written by disabled people themselves. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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