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Popular Culture March 2021
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| Walking with Ghosts by Gabriel ByrneWhat it is: celebrated Irish actor Gabriel Byrne's humble and intimate memoir detailing his working-class origins and his 40-year career.
Topics include: Byrne's childhood spent in seminary school, which he left after he was molested by a priest; how alcoholism spurred his complicated relationship with fame.
Book buzz: Byrne's lyrical writing style has earned him comparisons to Irish literary icons James Joyce and Seamus Heaney. |
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Unfinished : A Memoir
by Priyanka Chopra Jonas
What it is: A remarkable life story rooted in two different worlds, Unfinished offers insights into Priyanka Chopra Jonas’s childhood in India; her formative teenage years in the United States; and her return to India, where against all odds as a newcomer to the pageant world, she won the national and international beauty competitions that launched her global acting career.
Why you'll like it: Whether reflecting on her nomadic early years or the challenges she has faced as she has doggedly pursued her calling, Priyanka shares her challenges and triumphs with warmth and honesty.
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| You'll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey: Crazy Stories About Racism by Amber Ruffin and Lacey Lamar Starring: NYC-based comedian and Late Night with Seth Meyers writer Amber Ruffin; and her sister Lacey Lamar, who lives in Omaha, NE.
What's inside: Lacey's firsthand accounts of the racist treatment she's received living in the Midwest, paired with the sisters' funny yet frank commentary on each incident and illustrative photographs.
Who it's for: With its conversational tone, this “must-read” (Library Journal) will appeal to Black women who can relate to the authors' experiences and to readers looking for eye-opening insights on racism. |
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| Just As I Am by Cicely TysonWhat it is: an engaging memoir by iconic Emmy and Tony Award-winning actress Cicely Tyson, published just two days before her death in January at age 96.
Topics include: how Tyson broke barriers and combatted stereotypes in the entertainment industry, including being the first Black actress to wear her natural hair on TV and earning an Oscar nomination for 1972's Sounder, her first lead film role; her volatile relationship with Miles Davis, to whom she was married for eight years. |
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| The Princess Diarist by Carrie FisherWhat it is: actress Carrie Fisher's self-deprecating behind-the-scenes account of making the first Star Wars movie at age 19.
Featuring: Fisher's earnest diary entries and poems written during the film's production, which reveal her crush on (and eventual affair with) co-star Harrison Ford; her present-day recollections on the relationship.
Want a taste? “If Harrison was unable to see that I had feelings for him (at least five, but sometimes as many as seven) then he wasn't as smart as I thought he was -- as I knew he was." |
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| Everything's Trash, But It's Okay by Phoebe Robinson; foreword by Ilana GlazerWhat it is: comedian Phoebe Robinson's irreverent follow-up to the New York Times bestselling You Can't Touch My Hair: And Other Things I Still Have to Explain.
Essays include: "The Top Ten Non-Trash Moments of My Life;" "Meeting Bono Twice Was My Reparations;" "How to Be Alone and Only Mildly Hate and Lukewarm Love It."
Try this next: For another freewheeling essay collection by a witty multi-hyphenate, try Samantha Irby's We Are Never Meeting in Real Life. |
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| Rabbit by Patricia WilliamsWhat it's about: comedian Patricia Williams' (aka "Ms. Pat") impoverished upbringing in 1980s Atlanta and her determination to find a better life for her own children.
For fans of: inspiring accounts of overcoming adversity that pull no punches, like Tiffany Haddish's The Last Black Unicorn.
Don't miss: Williams' caseworker offhandedly suggesting she turn to comedy when her criminal record made it difficult to find a job. |
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| Dear Girls: Intimate Tales, Untold Secrets & Advice for Living Your Best Life by Ali WongWhat it is: an upbeat and unfiltered collection of letters addressed to comedian Ali Wong's toddler-age daughters, offering hard-won advice from her life on and off the stage.
Topics include: Wong's Vietnamese Chinese upbringing; early career failings; marriage and motherhood; hobnobbing with celebrities.
Reviewers say: "A down-to-earth collection that is raw but not irreverent" (Kirkus Reviews). |
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Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (and Other Concerns)
by Mindy Kaling
What it is: The Emmy-nominated writer and actress best known as Kelly Kapoor on The Office shares her observations on a wide range of topics from favorite male archetypes and her hatred of dieting to her loving relationship with her mother and the haphazard creative process in the Office writers' room.
Reviewers say: “[Kaling is] like Tina Fey’s cool little sister. Or perhaps ...the next Nora Ephron.” (The New York Times)
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Warren County Library 2 Shotwell Drive Belvidere, New Jersey 07823 908-818-1280www.warrenlib.org |
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