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Biography and Memoir May 2022
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| Finding Me by Viola DavisWhat it is: a candid and hopeful memoir from revered actress Viola Davis, the first Black performer to achieve the triple crown of acting by winning an Academy Award, an Emmy Award, and a Tony Award.
Topics include: Davis' impoverished childhood in Rhode Island spent coping with her alcoholic father's abuse; honing her craft at the prestigious Juilliard School; career triumphs and setbacks.
Try this next: For another memoir written by an iconic Black actress of stage and screen, check out Just as I Am by Cicely Tyson. |
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| Left on Tenth: A Second Chance at Life by Delia EphronHow it began: Shortly after losing both her husband, Jerry, and her sister, writer Nora Ephron, to cancer, You've Got Mail screenwriter Delia Ephron found a second chance at love with Peter, a man from her past.
What happened next: After receiving her own cancer diagnosis, Delia navigated the ups and downs of treatment with a doting Peter by her side (the pair eventually married in her hospital room).
Book buzz: Ephron's intimate memoir was named a "Most Anticipated Book of 2022" by TIME and a "Best Memoir of 2022" by Marie Claire. |
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| Unmasked: My Life Solving America's Cold Cases by Paul Holes with Robin Gaby Fisher What it's about: cold case investigator Paul Holes' involvement in high-profile cases, including the capture of the Golden State Killer.
What's inside: a sobering glimpse of the psychological toll of investigative work; empathetic profiles of cold-case victims and survivors; insightful details on lesser-known crimes.
For fans of: I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara. |
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Odyssey : young Charles Darwin, the Beagle, and the voyage that changed the world
by Tom Chaffin
An illuminating and lively narrative of Charles Darwin's formative years and his adventurous voyage aboard the H.M.S. Beagle.
The voyage of the Beagle has been by far the most important event in my life and has determined my whole career.--Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin--alongside Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein--ranks among the world's most famous scientists. In popular imagination, he peers at us from behind a bushy white Old Testament beard.
Acclaimed historian Tom Chaffin reveals young Darwin in all his complexities--the brashness that came from his privileged background, the Faustian bargain he made with Argentina's notorious caudillo Juan Manuel de Rosas, his abhorrence of slavery, and his ambition to carve himself a place amongst his era's celebrated travelers and intellectual giants.
Drawing on a rich array of sources-- in a telling of an epic story that surpasses in breadth and intimacy the naturalist's own Voyage of the Beagle--Chaffin brings Darwin's odyssey to vivid life.
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| Easy Beauty by Chloé Cooper JonesHow it begins: "I am in a bar in Brooklyn, listening to two men, my friends, discuss whether my life is worth living."
What it's about: philosophy professor Chloé Cooper Jones' experiences living with sacral agenesis, a congenital spinal condition that causes her immense physical and emotional pain.
Read it for: Jones' thought-provoking and life-affirming exploration of societal beauty standards, parenthood, and identity. |
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The king's shadow : obsession, betrayal, and the deadly quest for the Lost City of Alexandria
by Edmund Richardson
Beneath the plains of Afghanistan lie the remains of a fabulous city: Alexandria Beneath the Mountains, founded by Alexander the Great. For centuries, it was a meeting point of East and West.
Then it vanished.
In 1833, it was discovered by the unlikeliest person imaginable: Charles Masson, spy, archaeologist, deserter, and the greatest of nineteenth-century travelers.
This is an astounding journey through nineteenth-century India and Afghanistan, a world of espionage and dreamers, murder, betrayal, and boundless hope.
At the edge of empire, amid the deserts and the mountains, The King's Shadow is a story about how our wildest dreams can change the world.
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| Riverman: An American Odyssey by Ben McGrathWho it's about: charismatic adventurer and canoer Dick Conant, who disappeared in 2014 and has been presumed dead ever since.
Read it for: an engaging mix of biography, travelogue, and mystery penned by New Yorker staff writer Ben McGrath, who had a chance encounter with Conant shortly before he disappeared.
For fans of: Into the Wild by John Krakauer. |
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| Ancestor Trouble: A Reckoning and a Reconciliation by Maud NewtonWhat it's about: debut author Maud Newton's attempts to sort through her troublesome family history with the help of DNA testing and extensive genealogical research.
Why you should read it: Newton confronts her family's history of racism and white supremacy, mental illness, and religious fanaticism with candor and vulnerability.
Don't miss: the author communing with dead relatives at an Ancestral Lineage Healing Intensive. |
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Camera Man: Buster Keaton, the Dawn of Cinema, and the Invention of the Twentieth...
by Dana Stevens
What it is: an engaging mix of biography and cultural history that explores how silent film icon Buster Keaton came of age alongside the nascent film industry.
Read it for: a thoughtful and engaging portrait that places a giant of the silver screen within the context of his times.
Try this next: Buster Keaton: A Filmmaker's Life by James Curtis.
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| Hello, Molly! by Molly ShannonWhat it's about: After the death of her mother, sister, and cousin in a car crash when she was four, Molly Shannon channeled her grief into a desire to make others laugh, later finding success as an actress, comedian, and Saturday Night Live cast member.
Why you might like it: Equal parts heartbreaking and hilarious, Shannon's page-turning debut offers surprising insights into the inspiration behind her famous characters.
Reviewers say: "Supremely inspiring, this will leave fans astonished" (Publishers Weekly); "a cut above most celebrity memoirs" (Kirkus). |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Carrollton Public Library 1700 Keller Springs Road, Carrollton Texas 75006 4220 North Josey Lane, Carrollton Texas 75010
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