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Biography and Memoir
January 2014
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"Florence Nightingale is our most famous nurse, and her dynamic organizational skills changed the face of nursing for ever. But she was not alone, and the history of nursing records many groups of dedicated women who devoted their lives to raising the standards of nursing."
~ Jennifer Worth (1935-2011) British Nurse and musician, Call the Midwife
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New and Recently Released!
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| Johnny Cash: The Life by Robert HilburnIn Johnny Cash, former Los Angeles Times music critic Robert Hilburn compellingly presents all the downs and ups of the country music star's life. Growing up on an Arkansas farm, Cash dreamed of performing to large audiences, but didn't know how to achieve his dream. Eventually, he moved to Nashville and -- after quite a bit of effort -- persuaded record executive Sam Phillips to listen to his songs. Years of stardom, struggles with drugs, divorce and remarriage, and apparent transition to has-been status followed -- until he renewed his career with the help of producer Rick Rubin and took his music in unexpected new directions. Hilburn's thoroughly researched and "spellbinding" (Publishers Weekly) biography will please any music fan. |
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| The Last Cowboy: A Life of Tom Landry by Mark RibowskyTexas native Tom Landry was a stupendously successful professional football coach who took over a losing expansion team, the Dallas Cowboys, in 1960 and transformed it into a winning machine that became known as "America's Team." His systematic and innovative approach to coaching gradually brought widespread changes to pro football as well as to the Cowboys, as he employed computer analysis of the players' styles and developed new offensive and defensive systems. Celebrity biographer Mark Ribowsky recounts Landry's early life and coaching career in detail, though he's unable to shed much light on the emotional life of the notoriously reserved coach. The Last Cowboy is sure to fascinate both those who love the Cowboys and those who love to hate them. |
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| American Mirror: The Life and Art of Norman Rockwell by Deborah SolomonThe heartwarming, idealized scenes of Americana that artist Norman Rockwell painted, mainly for covers of The Saturday Evening Post magazine, are instantly recognizable as his work. Yet Rockwell himself lived a far from ideal life, having had an unhappy childhood and two failed marriages. In American Mirror, art historian Deborah Solomon sympathetically explores Rockwell's personal challenges and flaws as she engagingly analyzes his artwork. She highlights the often overlooked social and emotional significance of his paintings, providing an insightful view of the iconic artist and demonstrating his skill as a "master storyteller" (Publishers Weekly). |
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| The Man He Became: How FDR Defied Polio to Win the Presidency by James TobinIn 1921, in the midst of a successful political career, Franklin D. Roosevelt contracted polio and became a paraplegic. With a great deal of difficulty and the support of his family and close friends, Roosevelt learned to cope with his disability and eventually won election to the presidency four times, leading the U.S. out of the Great Depression and through World War II. Award-winning biographer James Tobin argues in The Man He Became that Roosevelt's struggle to deal with the effects of polio made him a different -- and better -- person. The book's theme of the "human spirit triumphing over calamity" (Library Journal) enlivens a compelling account of Roosevelt's life from 1921 on. |
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| Elizabeth of York: A Tudor Queen and Her World by Alison WeirElizabeth of York married Henry Tudor (Henry VII) in 1485 after years of factional struggle in the Wars of the Roses. This marriage helped Henry to establish a stable reign over England in place of violent political upheaval. Vividly depicting details of Elizabeth's life, biographer Alison Weir explains not only Elizabeth's significance in the line of royal succession but also the value of her status as Henry's consort. Readers who are enthralled by Weir's colorful portrait of Elizabeth of York may also enjoy Peter Ackroyd's Foundation, which is the 1st volume of his detailed history of England, concluding with the reign of Henry VII. |
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Focus on: Women in Medicine
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Fans of Jennifer Worth's memoir Call the Midwife and its translation to television will find these biographies and memoirs of women in medical careers informative and engaging.
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| Final Exam: A Surgeon's Reflections on Mortality by Pauline W. ChenDr. Pauline Chen, a transplant surgeon, found out early in her medical training that it was difficult for her to face death and that her professors and colleagues had learned to suppress their emotional reactions to their patients' mortality. Throughout her continued training and her well-regarded career, Chen has tried to resist the medical profession's practice of denial and emotional disengagement from patients. In Final Exam, she describes her experiences dealing with human mortality, starting with a cadaver she dissected in medical school and continuing through recent experiences with care for the dying. While noting that attitudes within the medical profession are changing, she argues thoughtfully and with passion for more empathy among hospital practitioners and clinicians. |
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| Another Day in the Frontal Lobe: A Brain Surgeon Exposes Life on the Inside by Katrina FirlikMost of us can say this about our work: "well, it's not brain surgery." That's not the case for neurosurgeon Katrina Firlik, who regularly gets hands-on with this most precious organ. If you've ever been curious about what we carry within our skulls, or wondered just what it takes to be a neurosurgeon, Firlik's experiences during her seven years of neurosurgery residence training will provide some enlightening answers. In this upbeat memoir, she describes her job as part mechanic and part scientist and explains the tools and skills used to treat brains affected by tumors, strokes, and bullets, among other things. |
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| Nightingales: The Extraordinary Upbringing and Curious Life of Miss Florence Nightingale by Gillian GillThe New York Times review of Nightingales notes, "It's hard to like Florence Nightingale. It's impossible not to admire her," and by the time you finish this book, you'll know exactly why. By placing Nightingale in the context of her times, and by exploring her devoted, though sometimes oppositional, relationship with her family, biographer Gillian Gill builds a picture of a daughter, sister, and very determined, intelligent, and courageous medical reformer. Nightingales offers a well-rounded portrait of the woman behind the legend. For more insight into Florence Nightingale's character, read her Letters from Egypt detailing her views of the country, its history, and the Egyptian people. |
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| The Blue Cotton Gown: A Midwife's Memoir by Patricia HarmanAuthor Patricia Harman is a midwife married to an ob-gyn specialist; together they run a women's health clinic. In this appealing and informative memoir, Harman relates details of her personal life and explains how she interacts with her patients and their families. Based on a year from Harman's journal, The Blue Cotton Gown realistically includes details of stress, personal health issues, and the clinic's financial problems. Harman also compellingly recounts stories from patients at this small West Virginia health center that's devoted to womens' emotional and physical needs. |
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| Ambulance Girl: How I Saved Myself by Becoming an EMT by Jane Stern"This is my story, about life and death, fear and joy, good and evil as seen from the back of an ambulance in a small town in Connecticut," declares Jane Stern, an accomplished co-author of books on popular culture, in this humorous and poignant memoir of her experiences as a volunteer emergency medical technician (EMT). Stern explains why she decided, at the age of 52, to train as an EMT, describes some of her more memorable calls, and reveals how her time in uniform helped her to emerge from clinical depression. Ambulance Girl provides an intriguing and often humorous behind-the-scenes view of emergency medicine that explains how Stern learned to "see rescue workers as a noble brotherhood" (Kirkus Reviews). |
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