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Popular Culture March 2019
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The Kids in the Hall : one dumb guy
by Paul Myers
A definitive, authorized—and utterly hilarious—story of the legendary sketch comedy troupe features exclusive interviews, intimate memories and a behind-the-scenes glimpse into how they created their greatest sketches and most beloved characters.
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Bookends: Collected Intros and Outros
by Michael Chabon
What it is: an upbeat collection of introductions and afterwords penned by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Michael Chabon.
Read it for: Chabon's enthusiastic discussion of his favorite books (including some of his own); insights into his literary influences and writing process.
Notable favorites include: Andrew Bolton's Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy; Norton Juster's The Phantom Tollbooth; Ray Bradbury's "The Rocket Man;" Chabon's Summerland.
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The flame : poems, notebooks, lyrics, drawings
by Leonard Cohen
An eloquent valedictory collection of lyrics, poems, notebook sketches and self-portraits maps the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee's singular creative journey through the weeks just prior to his death.
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The circuit : a tennis odyssey
by Rowan Ricardo Phillips
An award-winning poet describes the historic 2017 tennis season, from the Australian Open, which pitted Roger Federer against rival Rafael Nadal to the U.S. Open which saw the shocking return of Maria Sharapova.
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| Coach Wooden and Me: Our 50-Year Friendship On and Off the Court by Kareem Abdul-JabbarWhat it is: a sensitive portrait of the friendship between NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Basketball Hall of Fame coach John Wooden, which began after Wooden recruited Abdul-Jabbar for the UCLA Bruins in the 1960s and endured until Wooden's 2010 death at age 99.
Read it for: the lessons Abdul-Jabbar learned from Wooden over the years, including the importance of properly attired feet during games. |
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The Last Pass: Cousy, Russell, the Celtics, and What Matters in the End
by Gary M. Pomerantz
What it's about: the complicated friendship between teammates Bill Russell and Bob Cousy, who led the Boston Celtics to six NBA championship titles in seven years beginning in 1957.
Why you might like it: The Last Pass reveals the poignant lessons Cousy learned both on and off the court as his accomplishments were elevated at the expense of Russell's own and he failed to stand up to the racist treatment his teammate received.
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| The Secret Game: A Wartime Story of Courage, Change, and Basketball's Lost Triumph by Scott EllsworthWhat it's about: the secret March 1944 exhibition game between the North Carolina College for Negroes (now North Carolina Central University) and the Duke University Medical School teams.
Why it matters: The match-up was the first racially integrated college basketball game in the Jim Crow-era South.
Try this next: For another engaging look at an untold chapter of college basketball history, check out Lydia Reeder's Dust Bowl Girls. |
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| The Legends Club: Dean Smith, Mike Krzyzewski, Jim Valvano, and an Epic College... by John FeinsteinStarting lineup: Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) coaches Dean Smith (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) Mike Krzyzewski (Duke University), and Jim Valvano (North Carolina State University).
What it's about: the trio's fierce rivalry throughout the 1980s as they navigated recruiting wars and sought (and won) national championships.
Further reading: Johnny Moore and Art Chansky's The Blue Divide and Joe Menzer's Four Corners similarly explore North Carolina rivalries. |
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| Strong Inside: Perry Wallace and the Collision of Race and Sports in the South by Andrew MaranissWho it's about: Perry Wallace, who became the first black player in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) after he joined Vanderbilt University's Commodores in 1967.
Is it for you? Candid interviews with Wallace illuminate the racist hostility he endured both on and off the court.
Reviewers say: "The combination of sports and sociopolitical history will appeal to both basketball fans and students of civil rights" (Booklist). |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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