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Biography and Memoir July 2024 |
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| I've Tried Being Nice: Essays by Ann LearyBestselling novelist Ann Leary's (The Foundling) debut essay collection offers a witty and self-deprecating account of the author's attempts to stop being a self-proclaimed "people pleaser," with varying (and relatable) degrees of success. For fans of: Enough Already by Valerie Bertinelli. |
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| Night Flyer: Harriet Tubman and the Faith Dreams of a Free People by Tiya MilesNational Book Award-winning author Tiya Miles' (All That She Carried) nuanced and demythologizing biography of abolitionist Harriet Tubman offers fresh insights on her life, particularly how her religious faith and ecological knowledge informed her work as an Underground Railroad conductor. Try this next: Combee: Harriet Tubman, the Combahee River Raid, and Black Freedom During the Civil War by Edda L. Fields-Black. |
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| Traveling: On the Path of Joni Mitchell by Ann PowersNPR music critic Ann Powers plumbs the life and career of legendary singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell in this thoughtful and lyrical portrait named one of Observer's Best New Biographies of 2024. Further reading: Joni Mitchell: In Her Own Words / Conversations with Malka Marom by Malka Marom. |
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Say More : Lessons From Work, the White House, and the World by Jen PsakiSharing her journey to the Briefing Room and beyond, a former White House Press Secretary, current MSNBC host, and one of the most prominent voices in American politics today, explains her straightforward approach to communication and offers unique yet universal advice about how to be a more effective communicator in any situation. You might also like: I'll Take Your Questions Now: What I Saw at the Trump White House by Stephanie Grisham.
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Home and alone by Daniel SternIn his debut memoir, Home and Alone, Daniel Stern is the Everyman narrator on a ride into the human side of Hollywood. Touching and hysterical, often at the same time, Stern gives readers a peek at the highs and lows of a Hollywood career, and a closer look at the movies they love and the people who make them. The hard work and commitment he has put into his on-screen successes are applied with the same intensity to every aspect of his life. From creating monumental public art projects and founding a Boys & Girls Club, to visiting troops in Iraq and learning to birth a cow, he has lived it all. Home and Alone is for anyone who needs reminding that nothing is impossible if you put your mind to it. You might also like: Walking with Ghosts by Gabriel Byrne.
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Books You Might Have Missed
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| Zodiac: A Graphic Memoir by Ai Weiwei; illustrated by Gianluca CostantiniChinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei's debut graphic memoir offers autobiographical sketches and folktales centered around the 12 animal signs of the Chinese zodiac. Italian cartoonist Gianluca Costantini's expressive black-and-white illustrations complement Weiwei's intimate prose. For more insights on the author's life, check out his 2021 memoir 1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows. |
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| Radiant: The Life and Line of Keith Haring by Brad GoochBrad Gooch's engaging biography of pop art pioneer and activist Keith Haring (1958-1990) draws upon hundreds of interviews with Haring's loved ones and colleagues to present a "thorough, intricately detailed, and enthralling portrait of a singular artist" (Booklist Reviews). Try this next: The Loft Generation : From the de Koonings to Twombly : Portraits and Sketches, 1942-2011 by Edith Schloss. |
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| The Other Fab Four: The Remarkable True Story of the Liverbirds, Britain's First Female Rock Bandby Mary McGlory and Sylvia SaundersMary McGlory and Sylvia Saunders co-wrote this upbeat chronicle of their life as members of the Liverbirds, one of the first all-women rock bands in the world, which they co-founded alongside Valerie Gell and Pamela Birch in 1963. The quartet's working-class Liverpudlian origins earned them comparisons to the Beatles, with whom they were briefly acquainted. Try this next: Girl in a Band by Kim Gordon. |
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The Riddles of the Sphinx : Inheriting the Feminist History of the Crossword Puzzle by Anna ShechtmanA renowned puzzle creator offers a memoir and history of the crossword puzzle as an unexpected site of women's work and feminist protest. Schectman excavates the hidden history of the crossword and the overlooked women who have been central to its creation and evolution, from the "Crossword Craze" of the 1920s to the role of digital technology today. You might also like: The equivalents : a story of art, female friendship, and liberation in the 1960s by Maggie Doherty.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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