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Biography and Memoir December 2020
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The Growing Season: How I Built a New Life -- and Saved an American Farm
by Sarah Frey
What it's about: Growing up impoverished in rural Illinois, Sarah Frey always longed to leave her family farm, until a change of heart at age 18 inspired her to save the business from foreclosure.
About the author: Now known as "America's Pumpkin Queen," Frey is the CEO of the billion-dollar Frey Farms, one of the country's largest produce suppliers.
Who it's for: Aspiring entrepreneurs and fans of rags-to-riches stories will enjoy this heartwarming and inspiring read.
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Not Forsaken : A Story of Life After Abuse: How Faith Brought One Woman from Victim to Survivor
by Jennifer Michelle Greenberg
Jenn Greenberg was abused by her church-going father. Yet she is still a Christian. In this courageous, compelling book, she reflects on how God brought life and hope in the darkest of situations. Jenn shows how the gospel enables survivors to navigate issues of guilt, forgiveness, love, and value. And she challenges church leaders to protect the vulnerable among their congregation.
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The Dead Are Arising: The Life of Malcolm X
by Les Payne and Tamara Payne
What it is: a richly detailed revisionist biography of Malcolm X that reveals previously unexplored aspects of his life and legacy.
What's inside: interviews with Malcolm X's colleagues, adversaries, family, and friends; archival materials from the FBI and NYPD.
Author alert: Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist Les Payne spent nearly three decades working on The Dead Are Arising before his death in 2018; his daughter and co-researcher Tamara finished his work.
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Prince Philip revealed : A Biography
by Ingrid Seward
The editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine presents a biography of the British consort to discuss his aristocratic childhood in Paris, more than seven-decade marriage to Elizabeth II and loyal service as a statesman and philanthropist. Illustrations.
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Bright precious thing : a memoir
by Gail Caldwell
The Pulitzer Prize-winning Boston Globe literary critic and best-selling author of Let’s Take the Long Way Home chronicles the women’s movement from the 1960s through the #MeToo era to evaluate its impact on her feminist pursuits.
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Say I'm dead : a family memoir of race, secrets, and love
by E. Dolores Johnson
"Fearful of violating Indiana's anti-miscegenation laws in the 1940s, E. Dolores Johnson's black father and white mother fled Indianapolis to secretly marry. Johnson searched her father's black genealogy and then was amazed to suddenly realize that her mother's whole white side was missing in family history. Johnson went searching for the white family who did not know she existed. When she found them, it's not just their shock and her mother's shame that have to be overcome, but her own fraught experiences with whites."
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I'll Be Seeing You
by Elizabeth Berg
What it's about: bestselling novelist Elizabeth Berg's (The Story of Arthur Truluv) relationship with her aging parents, whom she helped care for during their final years.
Is it for you? Berg's candid and insightful memoir will resonate with readers who are caring for older family members.
Food for thought: "The failing of an aging parent is one of those old stories that feels abrasively new to the person experiencing it."
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The luckiest man : life with John McCain
by Mark Salter
A tribute to the late Senator by one of his most trusted confidantes draws on elements from McCain’s early biography as well as his later-in-life political philosophies to discuss his peripatetic youth, naval service and private life.
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Undaunted : my fight against America's enemies, at home and abroad
by John O. Brennan
The former director of the CIA chronicles his thirty-year career, detailing his experiences with different presidents and discussing major U.S. national security policies and actions during his tenure, particularly his eight years serving in the Obama administration
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Golem girl : a memoir
by Riva Lehrer
The vividly told, full-color memoir of an artist born with disabilities who searches for freedom and connection in a society afraid of strange bodies. Illustrations.
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The Man Who Ate Too Much: The Life of James Beard
by John Birdsall
What it is: a richly detailed biography of chef and cookbook author James Beard (1903-1985) that expands upon author John Birdsall's James Beard Award-winning essay "America, Your Food Is So Gay."
Read it for: a nuanced portrait of the charismatic yet complicated "Dean of American Cookery," who pioneered new cuisine while grappling with his closeted sexuality, depression, and difficult workplace reputation.
Don't miss: lush descriptions of Beard's culinary creations that will whet readers' appetites.
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Make life beautiful
by Syd McGee
The powerhouse couple behind the Studio McGee design firm traces the rise of their rapidly growing brand while counseling readers on how to apply classic interior design principles to build an authentically fulfilling life.
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This thing called life : Prince's odyssey, on and off the record
by Neal Karlen
An in-depth portrait of the iconic late music artist by his long-time friend and two-time Rolling Stone interviewer includes coverage of Prince’s childhood in 1970s Minneapolis, his private loneliness and his complicated relationship with his father. Illustrations.
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Cary Grant : a brilliant disguise
by Scott Eyman
The best-selling author of Pieces of My Heart presents a heavily researched portrait of the Hollywood legend that includes coverage of Grant’s early start as a teen acrobat, his complicated relationships and his Golden Era performances. Illustrations.
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The girl with the self-esteem issues : a memoir
by Rosie Mercado
The influential former co-host of Face the Truth documents her improbable rise to fame as an overweight teen divorcee, sharing hard-won advice on such topics as abuse, weight loss and the motivational power of small victories.
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Mad at the World: A Life of John Steinbeck
by William Souder
What it's about: the complicated life and career of Pulitzer and Nobel Prize-winning novelist John Steinbeck (1902-1968).
Read it for: a nuanced portrait of a man whose deep devotion to his craft did not extend to his relationships.
Don't miss: Steinbeck pitting his wife and mistress against each other to determine the "winner" of his affections; his response when asked if he deserved his Nobel.
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Family in six tones : a refugee mother, an American daughter
by Lan Cao
The author of Monkey Bridge describes her experiences of being a refugee immigrant and mother, reflecting on how her family has been impacted by war while exploring how cultural differences have shaped her relationship with her American daughter.
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Hitler : downfall, 1939-1945
by Volker Ullrich
From the author of Hitler: Ascent, 1889-1939 comes an account of the dictator’s final years, when he got the war he wanted but his leadership led to catastrophe for his nation, the world and himself. Illustrations
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Where I Come From: Stories from the Deep South
by Rick Bragg
What 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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I have something to tell you : a memoir
by Chasten Buttigieg
"A moving, hopeful, and refreshingly candid memoir by the husband of former Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg about growing up gay in his small Midwestern town, his relationship with Pete, and his hope for America's future"
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| Spirit Run: A 6,000-Mile Marathon Through North America's Stolen Land by Noé ÁlvarezWhat it is: a lyrical memoir by the son of Mexican immigrants that chronicles his working-class Washington State upbringing and his 2004 participation in the four-month, 6,000-mile Indigenous people's Peace and Dignity Journey, a relay-style run from Canada to South America.
What's inside: dangers (a mountain lion, unfriendly motorists, injuries); tensions between the runners; gatherings with Native American and First Nation groups; thoughtful musings about running and place. |
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| Good Morning, Destroyer of Men's Souls: A Memoir of Women, Addiction, and Love by Nina Renata AronWhat it is: a disturbing and heartwrenching chronicle of Nina Renata Aron's troubled relationship with charismatic addict K, with whom she had a brief dalliance as a teenager in San Francisco. The pair later reconnected to the detriment of Aron's happy marriage.
Read it for: a nuanced and empathetic exploration of the relationship between addiction and enabling; an incisive, well-researched investigation into the role gender plays in codependency. |
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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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| 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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| The Watergate Girl: My Fight for Truth and Justice Against a Criminal President by Jill Wine-BanksWhat it's about: While serving as the only female prosecutor during the Watergate trial, Jill Wine-Banks navigated sexism (including the press-appointed nickname "the mini-skirted lawyer"), burglary attempts, wire-tapping, and combative encounters with FBI agents and Nixon acolytes.
Read it for: a juicy behind-the-scenes account of a career-defining case.
Don't miss: the epilogue, which Wine-Banks uses to draw comparisons between the Nixon and Trump administrations. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books! |
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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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