| Chasing History: A Kid in the Newsroom by Carl BernsteinWhat it's about: Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist Carl Bernstein's experiences working as a teen copyboy and reporter for the Washington Star in the 1960s.
Read it for: an amusing and nostalgic look back at a bygone era of newspaper journalism; a clear-eyed portrait of Washington, D.C. during a time of social and political unrest.
Don't miss: Bernstein covering John F. Kennedy's inauguration and funeral; a run-in with the Beatles. |
|
| Manifesto: On Never Giving Up by Bernardine EvaristoWhat it is: Booker Prize-winning Girl, Woman, Other novelist Bernadine Evaristo's debut memoir chronicling her life and career.
Topics include: growing up working-class and mixed-race in 1960s South London; early career experiences as an actor and playwright; Evaristo's relationship with her sexuality; becoming the first Black woman and first Black Briton to win the Booker Prize.
Who it's for: readers who enjoy inspiring memoirs of finding resilience in the face of adversity. |
|
| Garbo by Robert GottliebWhat it is: a revealing and extensively researched biography of Greta Garbo, who rose above her impoverished Swedish origins to become one of Classic Hollywood's most enigmatic (and reclusive) stars.
Featuring: "A Garbo Reader," which compiles profiles, quotes, and articles about Garbo; hundreds of eye-catching photographs.
Reviewers say: "this comprehensive biography may be the final word" on Garbo (Library Journal). |
|
|
|
The beautiful struggle : a memoir by Ta-Nehisi CoatesAdapted for teen readers, a father-son memoir documents the National Book Award-winning author’s youth in the “murder capital” of 1980s Baltimore and his relationship with his father, Vietnam veteran Paul Coates, throughout the latter’s activism as a Black Panther and Afrocentric scholar.
|
|
|
|
On her own ground : the life and times of Madam C.J. Walker by A'Lelia Perry BundlesWritten by her great-great-grandaughter, the biography of one of history's great entrepreneurs and philanthropists, Madam C. J. Walker, is told through personal letters, records, and never-before-seen photographs from the family collection.
|
|
| King of the Blues: The Rise and Reign of B.B. King by Daniel De ViséWhat it is: the first full-length biography of legendary blues musician B.B. King, written by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Daniel De Visé.
Why you might like it: Written in an engaging, fast-paced style, De Visé's nuanced account illuminates King's career trials and triumphs within the context of the civil rights movement.
Don't miss: interviews with King's surviving loved ones and colleagues. |
|
| Ida B. the Queen: The Extraordinary Life and Legacy of Ida B. Wells by Michelle DusterWho it's about: groundbreaking investigative journalist, activist, and NACCP co-founder Ida B. Wells.
Read it for: an accessible tribute to a civil rights icon penned by Wells' great-granddaughter, historian Michelle Duster.
For fans of: vividly illustrated biographies like Erica Armstrong Dunbar's She Came to Slay: The Life and Times of Harriet Tubman. |
|
| All Blood Runs Red: The Legendary Life of Eugene Bullard -- Boxer, Pilot, Soldier, Spy by Phil Keith with Tom ClavinStarring: the first African American fighter pilot, Eugene Bullard, a war hero whose remarkable life has been largely forgotten by history.
What he did: Bullard achieved fame as boxer "Black Sparrow," served in the French Foreign Legion during both world wars, ran a Paris nightclub during World War II that he used to spy on Germans, and much more.
Don't miss: the surprising connection Bullard's life had to Casablanca; a jaw-dropping who's who of famous figures. |
|
| Odetta: A Life in Music and Protest by Ian ZackWho it's about: influential folk musician Odetta Holmes, who became known as the "Voice of the Civil Rights Movement" after performing at the 1963 March on Washington.
Why you should read it: This thoughtful and well-researched chronicle draws from interviews and Holmes' personal papers to explore how she defied the era's racism through her music.
Reviewers say: "A much-needed biography of a crucial American artist and activist" (Booklist). |
|
Contact your librarian for more great books!
|
|
|