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Biography and Memoir July 2022 |
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Anna : the biography
by Amy Odell
This definitive biography of the legendary fashion journalist and media mogul follows her journey from the trendy fashion scene of swinging 1960s London to becoming the editor-in-chief of Vogue magazine.
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The man who understood democracy : the life of Alexis de Tocqueville
by Olivier Zunz
A definitive biography of the French aristocrat who became one of democracy's greatest champions. In 1831, at the age of twenty-five, Alexis de Tocqueville made his fateful journey to America, where he observed the thrilling reality of a functioning democracy. From that moment onward, the French aristocrat would dedicate his life as a writer and politician to ending despotism in his country and bringing it into a new age. In this authoritative and groundbreaking biography, leading Tocqueville expert Olivier Zunz tells the story of a radical thinker who, uniquely charged by the events of his time, both in America and France, used the world as a laboratory for his political ideas. Placing Tocqueville's dedication to achieving a new kind of democracy at the center of his life and work, Zunz traces Tocqueville's evolution into a passionate student and practitioner of liberal politics across a trove of correspondence with intellectuals, politicians, constituents, family members, and friends. While taking seriously Tocqueville's attempts to apply the lessons of Democracy in America to French politics, Zunz shows that the United States, and not only France, remained central to Tocqueville's thought and actions throughout his life. In his final years, with France gripped by an authoritarian regime and America divided by slavery, Tocqueville feared that the democratic experiment might be failing. Yet his passion for democracy never weakened. Giving equal attention to the French and American sources of Tocqueville's unique blend of political philosophy and political action, The Man Who Understood Democracy offers the richest, most nuanced portrait yet of a man who, born between the worlds of aristocracy and democracy, fought tirelessly for the only system that he believed could provide both liberty and equality.
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My life : growing up Asian in America
by Teresa Hsiao
Through a series of essays, poems and comics, 30 creators including Melissa de la Cruz, Edmund Lee, Nathan Ramos-Park and Ellen K. Pao give voice to moments that defined them and shed light on the immense diversity and complexity of the Asian American identity. Illustrations.
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Black boy smile : a memoir in moments
by D. Watkins
At nine-years-old, D. Watkins has three concerns in life: picking his dad's lotto numbers, keeping his Nikes free of creases, and being a man. Directly in his periphery is east Baltimore, a poverty-stricken city battling the height of a crack epidemic just hours from the nation's capital. Watkins, like many boys around him, is thrust out of childhood and into a world where manhood means surviving by slinging crack on street corners and finding himself on the wrong side of pistols. For thirty years, Watkins is forced to safeguard every moment of joy he experiences, or risk losing himself entirely. Now, for the first time, Watkins harnesses these moments to tell the story of how he matured into the D. Watkins we know today--beloved author, college professor, editor-at-large of Salon.com, and devoted husband and father. Black Boy Smile lays bare Watkins' relationship with his father and brotherhoods with boys around him. He shares candid recollections of early assaults on his body and mind and how he coped through stoic silence disguised as manhood. His harrowing pursuit for redemption, written in his signature street style, pinpoints how generational hardship, left raw and unnurtured, breeds toxic masculinity. Watkins discovers a love for books, is admitted to two graduate programs, meets with his future wife, an attorney-- and finds true freedom in fatherhood. Equally moving and liberating, Black Boy Smile is D. Watkins' love letter to Black boys in concrete cities, a daring testimony that brings to life the contradictions, fears, and hopes of boys hurdling headfirst into adulthood. Black Boy Smile is a story that proves that when we acknowledge the fallacies of our past, we can uncover the path toward self-discovery. Black Boy Smile is the story of a Black boy who healed.
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Magic season : a son's story
by Wade Rouse
In a story of love, family and forgiveness against the backdrop of Americas favorite pastime, an award-winning memoirist and internationally best-selling author shares how he found solace with his dying father through their undying love of the St. Louis Cardinals.
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Here's the deal : a memoir
by Kellyanne Conway
The former and senior counsel to President Donald Trump discusses her journey to the White House as the first woman in American history to manage a winning presidential campaign and her tumultuous tenure there. Illustrations.
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Shine bright : a very personal history of black women in pop
by Danyel Smith
From a noted cultural critic comes a combination of memoir, criticism, and biography that tells the story of black women in musicfrom the Dixie Cups to Gladys Knight to Janet Jackson, Whitney Houston, and Mariah Careyas the foundational story of American pop. Illustrations.
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Every Good Boy Does Fine : A Love Story, in Music Lessons
by Jeremy Denk
A renowned pianist recalls his implausible artistic journey, including a move to New Mexico, far from the classical music nerve centers, a challenging college career, and eventual emergence as a MacArthur “Genius” and frequent performer at Carnegie Hall. Illustrations.
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Tiger & Phil : golf's most fascinating rivalry
by Bob Harig
Bob Harig's Tiger & Phil provides an in depth chronicle of the decades-long rivalry that drove the success of golf's two biggest stars, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. For two decades now there have been two golfers who have captivated, bemused, inspired, frustrated, fascinated, and entertained us, and in doing so have demanded our attention - Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. Even with all the ink that has been spilled on Tiger, no one has ever written about his relationship with Phil and how their careers have been inextricably intertwined. Furthermore, very little has been written about Phil Mickelson, who is more than just an adversary. He is a fascinating, Hall of Fame golfer whose story could be a book on its own. These two biggest names (and draws)in golf have, for better and for worse, been the ultimate rivals. But it is so much more complicated than that. Each player has pushed the other to be better. They have teased each other and fought. They have battled to the bitter end on the course making for some of the greatest moments in the game for the last 20 years. They have each gone through injury and health problems, legal problems, falling in and out of favor with the press. And over the course of their time together in the game they have gradually become not just rivals but friends.
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Chosen : a memoir of stolen boyhood
by Stephen Tukel Mills
At thirteen years old, Stephen Mills is chosen for special attention by the director of his Jewish summer camp, a charismatic social worker. Stephen, whose father had died when he was four, places his trust in this authority figure, who then grooms and molests him for two years. The boy tells no one, but the aftershocks rip through his life: self-loathing, drugs, petty crime, and horrific nightmares, all made worse by the discovery that his abuser is moving from camp to camp, state to state, molesting countless other boys. Only physical and mental collapse bring Stephen to confront the truth of his boyhood and begin the painful path to recovery-as well as a decades-long crusade to stop a serial predator and find justice. Astonishingly, the trauma of sexual abuse is shared by one out of every six men, yet few have spoken out. Chosen is a rare act of consummate courage, the indelible story of a man who faces his torment and his tormentor and, in the process, is made whole.
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Fly Girl
by Ann Hood
What it's about: novelist Ann Hood's time spent working as a TWA flight attendant in the late 1970s and early '80s.
Read it for: a lively and engaging behind-the-scenes account of airline crew life, peppered with anecdotes about unusual passengers and unforgettable travels.
Don't miss: Hood's rigorous training, which included learning how to deliver a baby, plate a chateaubriand, and fix a broken coffeemaker.
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Translating myself and others
by Jhumpa Lahiri
Drawing on Ovids myth of Echo and Narcissus to explore the distinction between writing and translating, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author talks broadly about writing, desire and freedom as she reflects on her emerging identity as a translator.
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Yoko Ono : An Artful Life
by Donald Brackett
For more than sixty years, Yoko Ono has fascinated us as one of the world's most innovative, radical artists. From a childhood of both extraordinary privilege and extreme deprivation in war-time Japan, she adopted an outsider's persona and moved to America where, after a spell at Sarah Lawrence College, she made a place for herself in bohemian arts circles. She was already twice divorced and established as a performance artist in the Fluxus movement and in Tokyo's avant-garde scene before her fortuitous meeting with the Beatles' John Lennon at a London Gallery in 1966. Their intense yet fraught relationship, reputed to have blown-up the Beatles, made headlines around the world, as did their famous bed-ins in protest of the Vietnam war, and their majestic, Grammy-winning musical collaborations. Through it all, and for decades after Lennon's tragic death, she remained defiantly herself. Yoko Ono: An Artful Life charts her journey of personal turmoil, artistic evolution, and activism, and at last tells her iconic story on her own terms.
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Managing expectations : a memoir in essays
by Minnie Driver
In an intimate collection, the beloved actor and natural-born storyteller chronicles her unconventional career path, navigating the depths of failure, fighting for success, discovering the wonder and challenge of motherhood and wading through immeasurable grief.
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Back to the Prairie: A Home Remade, A Life Rediscovered
by Melissa Gilbert; foreword by Tim Busfield
What it is: Little House on the Prairie actress Melissa Gilbert's chronicle of her attempts to rehab a Catskills cottage with her husband, The West Wing's Tim Busfield (who penned the book's foreword).
Featuring: recipes for spaghetti pie, loaded baked potato soup, and gingersnap pumpkin pie; the author's signature warmth and humor.
Try this next: Bright Lights, Prairie Dust: Reflections on Life, Loss and Love from Little House's Ma by Karen Grassle.
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Happy people are annoying
by Josh Peck
The actor, writer, YouTuber and television superstar presents this wonderfully candid memoir in which he reflects on the many stumbles and silver linings of his life while sharing surprising life lessons for anyone seeking to accept their past and make peace with the face in the mirror.
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Swing and a hit : nine innings of what baseball taught me
by Paul O'Neill
The five-time World Series champion and five-time All-Star elaborates on his most important hitting principles, lessons and memories, providing constant insights into the beauty and frustration of playing baseball. Illustrations.
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Long train runnin' : our story of the Doobie Brothers
by Tom Johnston
Written by the founding members of the iconic American rock band, this incredible true story brings to life the longevity, success and drama of The Doobie Brothersborn out of the late 1960s NorCal and standing alongside The Grateful Dead, The Allman Brothers and many others. Illustrations.
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Hometown Victory: A Coach's Story of Football, Fate, and Coming Home
by Keanon Lowe with Justin Spizman
What it's about: After a former high school friend and teammate died of an opioid overdose, San Francisco 49ers offensive analyst Keanon Lowe quit his job and returned to his Oregon hometown to coach an underfunded and underperforming high school football team.
Read it for: an inspiring sports story of overcoming the odds.
Movie buzz: A Disney+ film adaptation produced by Dwayne Johnson is currently in the works.
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The year of the horses : a memoir
by Courtney Maum
Alternating timelines and interwoven with historical portraits of women and horses alongside historys attempts to tame both parties, the author, to treat her depression, returns to her childhood passion of horseback riding, becoming reacquainted with herself not only as a rider but as a mother, wife, daughter, writer and woman.
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My Seven Black Fathers: A Young Activist's Memoir of Race, Family, and the Mentors Who...
by Will Jawando
What it is: Maryland politician and community leader Will Jawando's uplifting "love letter to Black men" that pays tribute to seven influential male role models in his life.
Featuring: Jawando's biological father and stepfather; Mr. Williams, his 4th grade math teacher; Mr. Holmes, his high school choir director; Jay, his mother's openly gay coworker; businessman Deen Sanwoola, who helped him discover his Nigerian heritage; and Barack Obama.
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Iredell County Public Library
201 North Tradd Street
Statesville, North Carolina 28677
704-878-3090www.iredell.lib.nc.us/ |
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