Biographies
 
Led Zeppelin: The Biography
by Bob Spitz

Separating fact from fiction, which is sometimes astonishing and somethings disturbing, the award-winning biographer brings the band's artistic journey to full and vivid life, showing how the 60's become the 70's, and how innocence became decadence as they took things to an entirely new level.
Mott Street: A Chinese American Family's Story of Exclusion and Homecoming
by Ava Chin

Beautifully written, meticulously researched and tremendously resonant, this sweeping narrative history of the Chinese Exclusion Act traces the story of her pioneering family members' epic journey to lay down roots in America, piecing together how they bore and resisted the weight of the Exclusion laws. Illustrations.
Choosing to Run: A Memoir
by Des Linden

This inspirational memoir from the two-time Olympian and Boston Marathon winner traces her unique path to the top of professional running and how she built her own personal business model and brand. 
Brazen: My Unorthodox Journey from Long Sleeves to Lingerie
by Julia Haart

The star of the Netflix docuseries My Unorthodox Life describes how she escaped a life controlled by the dictates of an ultra-orthodox Judaism sect to start her own shoe company and creative director of a world-leading lingerie brand.
Enough Already: Learning to Love the Way I am Today
by Valerie Bertinelli

The actress and TV personality returns with a look at turning 60 and learning to love herself the way she is despite a past spent judging herself too harshly.
Little Sister: My Investigation into the Mysterious Death of Natalie Wood
by Lana Wood

In this true crime memoir, the author presents a candid account of the life and death of her sister, revealing decades-old secrets and setting the record straight on one of Hollywood’s most notorious celebrity deaths. 
Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty
by Patrick Radden Keefe

The award-winning author of Say Nothing presents a narrative account of how a prominent wealthy family sponsored the creation and marketing of one of the most commonly prescribed and addictive painkillers of the opioid crisis.
Chasing History: A Kid in the Newsroom
by Carl Bernstein

The Pulitzer Prize winning coauthor of All The Presidents Men recounts the world of the 1960s as he experienced it as a young reporter learning his craft at the Washington Star.
Blood and Treasure: Daniel Boone and the Fight for America's First Frontier
by Bob Drury

A narrative account of the life of historical frontiersman Daniel Boone goes beyond pop-culture depictions to offer insight into his Revolutionary War heroism and nation-shaping achievements as witnessed by 18th-century colonists and Native Americans.
The Confidence Men
by Margalit Fox

This gripping nonfiction thriller follows two British officers who team up to con their iron-fisted captors by using a Oujia board and their keen understanding of the psychology of deception to build a trap for their captors that will ultimately lead them to freedom. 
The Doctors Blackwell: How Two Pioneering Sisters Brought Medicine to Women- and Women to Medicine
by Janice P. Nimura

The vivid biography of two pioneering sisters who, together, became America's first female doctors and transformed New York's medical establishment by creating a hospital by and for women. 
Rise
by Lindsey Vonn

One of the most decorated female skiers of all time and a fixture in the American sports landscape for almost 20 years shares her incredible journey, offering a fascinating glimpse into the relentless pursuit of her limits, which pushed her body and mind past their breaking points. 
Dog Flowers
by Danielle Geller

An award-winning essayist draws on archival documents in a narrative account that explores how her family’s troubled past and the death of her mother, a homeless alcoholic, reflected the traditions and tragic history of her Navajo heritage.
Taste: My Life Through Food
by Stanley Tucci

From award-winning actor and food obsessive Stanley Tucci comes an intimate and charming memoir of life in and out of the kitchen.
Sunshine Girl
by Julianna Margulies

Known for her outstanding performances on The Good Wife and ER, Julianna Margulies now unleashes her sharp talent with a powerful debut memoir chronicling her life and her work, examining from within, her journey from chaos to calm.
Stronger
by Cindy McCain

Cindy Hensley was just out of college when she met and fell in love with the celebrated Navy hero John McCain. They embarked on a thrilling life together that put her at the center of American politics for over four decades. In this moving and inspiring memoir, Cindy McCain tells the story of her adventurous life with John for the first time.
Inventor of the Future
by Alec Nevala-Lee

Drawing on in-depth research, interviews and unpublished documents, this first authorized biography of the celebrated inventor, pioneering architect and futurist covers all aspects of his career, his fraught relationships and his tumultuous private life.
Bright Lights, Prairie Dust
by Karen Grassle

The actress who played Ma on Little House on the Prairie looks back on her life growing up with a loving but alcoholic father and show she overcame her own dependence on alcoholic and depression. 
The Ride of Her Life
by Elizabeth Letts

The #1 New York Times best-selling author of The Perfect Horse and The Eighty-Dollar Champion presents the triumphant true story of 63-year-old Maine farmer Annie Wilkins who, in 1954, rode her horse across America, fulfilling her dying wish to see the Pacific Ocean.
When Harry met Minnie
by Martha Teichner

The Emmy Award-winning CBS Sunday Morning correspondent describes how she adopted a dying friend’s Bull Terrier as a companion to her own, forging unexpected heartwarming and heartbreaking bonds along the way.
Unstoppable
by Joshua Greene

Unstoppable is the ultimate immigrant story and an epic David-and-Goliath adventure. While American teens were socializing in ice cream parlors, Siggi was suffering beatings by Nazi hoodlums for being a Jew and was soon deported along with his family tothe darkest place the world has ever known: Auschwitz. Siggi used his wits to stay alive, pretending to have trade skills the Nazis could exploit to run the camp. After two death marches and near starvation, he was liberated from camp Mauthausen and went to work for the US Army hunting Nazis, a service that earned him a visa to America. On arrival, he made three vows: to never go hungry again, to support the Jewish people, and to speak out against injustice. He earned his first dollar shoveling snow after a fierce blizzard. His next job was laboring in toxic sweatshops. From these humble beginnings, he became President, Chairman and CEO of a New York Stock Exchange-listed oil company and grew a full-service commercial bank to more than $4 billion in assets.
The Secret Life of Dorothy Soames
by Justine Cowan

Documents the author’s investigation into her late mother’s tragic experiences as an illegitimate orphan who endured an early life of discrimination, physical abuse and harsh labor serving England’s ruling class at infamous Foundling Hospital.
Hiding in Plain Sight: Lady Bird Johnson in the White House
by Julia Sweig

The award-winning author of Inside the Cuban Revolution assesses the less-recognized political partnership between First Lady Claudia Alta “Lady Bird” Johnson and the 36th president, discussing her policy initiatives, environmental advocacy and encouragement of women in the workplace.
The Greatest Beer Run Ever
by John J. Donohue

A U.S. Marine Corps veteran-turned-merchant mariner recounts how in 1967 he accepted a neighborhood challenge to sneak into Vietnam, track down local friends on the front line and share beer over messages of love from home.
Half Broke
by Ginger Gaffney

A top-ranked horse trainer at an alternative prison ranch in New Mexico describes how her work rehabilitating abandoned horses and traumatized inmates helped her form profound bonds and overcome difficult personal challenges.
Buses Are a Comin' : Memoir of a Freedom Rider
by Charles Person

One of the Civil Rights Movement’s pioneers—and the youngest of the original Freedom Riders—provides a front-row view of the struggle to belong in America and into history to help defeat segregation’s violent grip of African American lives. 
We Came, We Saw, We Left
by Charles J. Wheelan

Charlie Wheelan and his family do what others dream of: they take a year off to travel the world. This is their story. What would happen if you quit your life for a year? In a pre-COVID-19 world, the Wheelan family decided to find out; leaving behind work, school, and even the family dogs to travel the world on a modest budget. Equal parts "how-to" and "how-not-to"-and with an eye toward a world emerging from a pandemic-We Came, We Saw, We Left is the insightful and often hilarious account of one family's gap-year experiment. Wheelan paints a picture of adventure and connectivity, juggling themes of local politics, global economics, and family dynamics while exploring answers to questions like: How do you sneak out of a Peruvian town that has been barricaded by the local army? And where can you get treatment for a flesh-eating bacteria your daughter picked up two continents ago? From Colombia to Cambodia, We Came, We Saw, We Left chronicles nine months across six continents with three teenagers. What could go wrong?
Elizabeth & Margaret: The Intimate World of the Windsor Sisters
by Andrew Morton

A biography of Queen Elizabeth II and her sister Margaret examines their early idyllic youth as the closest of sisters as well as their often fraught relationship after their father’s death and Elizabeth’s ascension to the throne.
True Believer: The Rise and Fall of Stan Lee
by Abraham Riesman

A revelatory portrait of the Marvel Comics legend examines Stan Lee’s influential decades of achievement as an artist and entrepreneur as well as the lesser-known private setbacks that overshadowed his career.
The Adventurer's Son: A Memoir
by Roman Dial

An Alaska Pacific University scientist and National Geographic Explorer recounts his two-year effort to uncover the fate of his adventurer son, who in 2014 disappeared into the untracked rainforest of Corcovado National Park.
The Growing Season
by Sarah Frey

The “Pumpkin Queen of America” proprietor of Frey Farms, Illinois’ largest H-2A visa employer, describes her tenacious journey to escape poverty and create a billion-dollar farming business without abandoning the rural land of her childhood.
Eat a Peach
by David Chang

The star of Ugly Delicious traces his upbringing as a youngest son in a deeply religious Korean-American family, his search for identity, his struggles with manic depression and his unlikely rise as one of his generation’s most influential chefs. 
Always Young and Restless
by Melody Thomas Scott

The renowned actress behind the character Nikki Newman of The Young and the Restless tells all in this scintillating memoir, divulging the insider details of her dramatic life and sixty-year career.
The Answer Is...
by Alex Trebek

Longtime Jeopardy! host and television icon Alex Trebek reflects on his life and career. 
Hill Women
by Cassie Chambers

Nestled in the Appalachian mountains, Owsley County is one of the poorest counties in both Kentucky and the country. Buildings are crumbling and fields sit vacant, as tobacco farming and coal mining decline. But strong women find creative ways to subsist in their hollers in the hills. Cassie Chambers grew up amidst these hollers, and through the women who raised her, she traces her own path out of and back into the Kentucky mountains. Appalachian women face issues that are all too common: domestic violence, the opioid crisis, a world that seems more divided by the day. But they are also community leaders, keeping their towns together in the face of a system that continually fails them. With nuance and heart, Chambers uses these women's stories paired with her own journey to break down the myth of the hillbilly and illuminate a region whose poor communities, especially women, can lead it into the future.
Rocket Man
by Mark Bego

In the 1970s, when popular music on both sides of the Atlantic fragmented into disco, soul, hard rock, pop, and folk, Elton John embraced them all with his signature creative panache. Emerging in the late 1960s as a singer/songwriter, Elton was widely acknowledged as the most prolific pop and rock star of the decade by the mid-1970s. His peerless musical style and ability to jump from sensitive ballads to bawdy rock anthems to campy pop have made him a musical superstar for the ages.
Frontier Follies: Adventures in Marriage & Motherhood in the Middle of Nowhere
by Ree Drummond

The Food Network star and author of the best-selling Pioneer Woman Cooks series shares heartwarming, laugh-out-loud stories and reflections about her life in the country with her four children and rancher husband.
The Making of a Miracle: The Untold Story of the Captain of the 1980 Gold Medal-Winning US Olympic Hockey Team
by Mike Eruzione

The captain of the 1980 U.S. Men’s Olympic Hockey team traces his blue-collar upbringing in Massachusetts, minor-league achievements and encounters with such individuals as Al Michaels, Herb Brooks and an elite array of Russian Hall of Famers.
Strung Out: One Last Hit and Other Lies that Nearly Killed Me
by Erin Khar

The “Ask Erin” columnist traces her 15-year struggle with opioids, discussing the cultural factors that are shaping addiction today and how her complicated recovery process has been shaped by stigma and parenthood.
A Woman Like Her
by Sanam Maher

A journalist, in this skillfully reported and cleverly told account, reconstructs the life of a Pakistani media star who, in 2016, was murdered in a suspected honor killing, exposing a culture divided between accelerating modernity and imposed traditional values.
A Delayed Life
by Dita Kraus

A Holocaust survivor and the real-life Librarian of Auschwitz finally tells the riveting story of her harrowing life.
The Art of Her Deal
by Mary Jordan

Traces Melania's journey from Slovenia, where her family stood out for their nonconformity, to her days as a fledgling model known for steering clear of the industry's hard-partying scene, to a tiny living space in Manhattan she shared platonically with a male photographer, to the long, complicated dating dance that finally resulted in her marriage to Trump.
Dancing with the Octopus: A Memoir of a Crime
by Debora Harding

Traces the author’s remarkable counterintuitive healing journey in the aftermath of trauma, relating how she survived a violent abduction only to endure her family’s denial, an abandonment that compelled her to learn her imprisoned attacker’s story. 
You Never Forget your First
by Alexis Coe

A whimsically irreverent portrait of America’s first President includes coverage of Washington’s entitled upbringing by a single mother, his dog “Sweetlips,” his numerous military defeats and the partisan nightmares that spun from his back-stabbing cabinet.
Whiskey in a Teacup
by Reese Witherspoon

Academy award–winning actress, producer, and entrepreneur Reese Witherspoon invites you into her world, where she infuses the southern style, parties, and traditions she loves with contemporary flair and charm.
On Call in the Arctic
by Thomas J. Sims

A writer and actor who became a doctor describes his time working as the only physician in Nome, Alaska, where he provided care to a frontier town and surrounding Alaska Native villages in very remote areas.
Ghost: My Thirty Years as an FBI Undercover Agent
by Michael McGowan

Extraordinary and unprecedented, an FBI field operative who has worked more undercover cases than anyone in history, taking readers through some of his biggest assignments, presents an insider’s account of one of the most iconic institutions of American government.
Half Broke
by Ginger Gaffney

A top-ranked horse trainer at an alternative prison ranch in New Mexico describes how her work rehabilitating abandoned horses and traumatized inmates helped her form profound bonds and overcome difficult personal challenges.
82 Days on Okinawa
by Art Shaw

A 75th-anniversary account of the Battle of Okinawa is told from the first-person perspective of a Bronze Star hero and commander of the Deadeyes unit, which played a crucial role in the surrender of Japanese forces. 
Good Boy: My Life in Seven Dogs
by Jennifer Finney Boylan

The best-selling author of She’s Not There, New York Times opinion columnist and human rights activist offers a memoir of the transformative power of loving dogs.
American Sherlock: Murder, Forensics, and the Birth of American CSI
by Kate Winkler Dawson

Describes the life of America’s first forensic scientist, who invented tools that are still being used today—including blood-spatter analysis, ballistics, lie-detector tests and fingerprints—and solved at least 2,000 cases over 40 years.
The House of Yan: A Family at the Heart of a Century in Chinese History
by Lan Yan

One of the most influential businesswomen of China today brings to life a century of Chinese history from the last emperor to the present day, including the Cultural Revolution that tore her family apart. 
Denali: A Man, A Dog, and the Friendship of a Lifetime
by Ben Moon

An account of the true story behind the short film of the same name describes the deep bond the author shared with his beloved dog and how they supported each other through respective cases of cancer. 
The Impossible First: From Fire to Ice - Crossing Antarctica Alone
by Colin O'Brady

A multiple world-record holder and premier endurance athlete recounts his triumphant recovery from a disabling burn accident in early adulthood and his inspiring 932-mile solo crossing of Antarctica.
The Cartiers: The Untold Story of the Family Behind the Jewelry Empire
by Francesca Cartier Brickell

A Cartier great-granddaughter with exclusive access to long-lost family archives tells the story of the three brothers who turned their grandfather’s humble Parisian jewelry store into a global luxury icon.
Bing Crosby: Swinging on a Star: The War Years 1940-1946
by Gary Giddins

In a much-anticipated follow-up to the universally acclaimed first volume of a comprehensive Bing Crosby biography, an NBCC Winner and preeminent cultural critic focuses on Crosby's most memorable period, the war years and the origin story of White Christmas. 
Do You Mind If I Cancel?: (Things That Still Annoy Me)
by Gary Janetti

Gary Janetti, the writer and producer for some of the most popular television comedies of all time, and creator of one of the most wickedly funny Instagram accounts there is, now turns his skills to the page in a hilarious, and poignant book chronicling the pains and indignities of everyday life.
 
All Blood Runs Red: The Legendary Life of Eugene Bullard--Boxer, Pilot, Soldier, Spy
by Philip A Keith

Describes the life of the first African-American military pilot to fly in combat, the son of a former slave, who left the racial tensions of Georgia for Europe and became a celebrated boxer before the war.
My Own Words
by Ruth Bader Ginsburg

A first book by the Supreme Court Justice since her 1993 appointment collects engaging, serious and playful writings and speeches on topics ranging from gender equality and the workings of the Court to Judaism and the value of looking beyond U.S. shores when interpreting the Constitution.
Nanaville: Adventures in Grandparenting
by Anna Quindlen

The Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and best-selling author of Object Lessons and the memoir, Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake, presents a heartwarming ode to grandparenthood that celebrates her transitioning family roles and her bonds with her grandchildren.
Flat : reclaiming my body from breast cancer
by Catherine Guthrie

The author describes her experiences surviving two bouts of breast cancer and how her diagnosis impacted her own view of her body and her relationships with her family and partner
The Bridesmaid's Daughter: From Grace Kelly's Wedding to a Women's Shelter 
by Nyna Giles

The youngest daughter of Carolyn Scott describes her mother's descent from a Ford model and bridesmaid to Princess Grace to a mentally ill resident of a homeless shelter, sharing insights into the private experiences that shaped her mother's battle with mental illness.
Invisible: The Forgotten Story of the Black Woman Lawyer who Took Down America's Most Powerful Mobster
by Stephen L. Carter

The best-selling author of ""The Emperor of Ocean Park"" traces the story of his grandmother, an African-American attorney who, in spite of period barriers, devised the strategy that sent mafia chieftain Lucky Luciano to prison in the 1930s.
The Book of Eating: Adventures in Professional Gluttony
by Adam Platt

A food critic describes his childhood as a diplomat's son in Asia and the extensive range of foods it exposed him to, family meals, his professional experiences, and his efforts to diet and lose weight.
Inside Out: A Memoir
by Demi Moore

The actress reflects on her Hollywood career, her relationship with her mother, her marriages, and the struggles with addiction, body image problems, and childhood trauma that plagued her even as she achieved professional success.
Anne Frank's Diary: The Graphic Adaptation
by David Polonsky

Authorized by the Anne Frank Foundation in Basel, a first graphic adaptation of the young holocaust diarist's poignant story includes extensive quotations from the definitive edition and faithfully conveys the immediacy and spirit of Frank's experiences in hiding.
Becoming
by Michelle Obama

An intimate and uplifting memoir by the former First Lady chronicles the experiences that have shaped her remarkable life, from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago through her setbacks and achievements in the White House.
Blood: A Memoir
by Allison Moorer

An award-winning musician shares the story of how her parents’ murder-suicide forever changed both her and her sister’s lives and explores the meaning of inheritance, destiny, shame and trauma and how it shaped her art.
Educated: A Memoir
by Tara Westover

Traces the author's experiences as a child born to survivalists in the mountains of Idaho, describing her participation in her family's paranoid stockpiling activities and her resolve to educate herself well enough to earn an acceptance into a prestigious university and the unfamiliar world beyond.
A Forever Family: Fostering Change One Child at a Time
by Rob Scheer

The founder of Comfort Cases, an organization that makes life better for thousands of foster children, shares his own experiences in foster care and how he was able to chart his own path and achieve his wildest dreams.
Gator: My Life in Pinstripes
by Ron Guidry

The legendary Yankees pitcher reflects on his years playing for one of the most storied teams in sports history, tracing his relationships with such contemporaries as Billy Martin, George Steinbrenner and Reggie Jackson.
The Girl who Smiled Beads: A Story of War and What Comes After
by Clemantine Wamariya

Traces the author's harrowing experiences as a young child during the Rwanda massacres and displacements, which separated her from her parents and forced the author and her older sister to endure six years as refugees in seven countries, foraging for survival and encountering unexpected acts of cruelty and kindness before she was granted asylum in a profoundly different America.
The Harder You Work, The Luckier You Get: An Entrepreneur's Memoir
by Joe Ricketts

The founder of TD Ameritrade shares the inside story of his rise from a working-class Nebraska prairie youth to a Wall Street billionaire, discussing the challenges, mistakes and sacrifices his family endured along the way.
Open Book: A Memoir
by Jessica Simpson

An unstinting memoir by the pop artist and fashion icon traces the story of her life before and after fame, the role of faith in her achievements and her difficult decision to step out of the limelight.
Longwood Public Library800 Middle Country RoadMiddle Island, New York 11953longwoodlibrary.org