Biography and Memoir
May 2022
Recent Releases
Finding Me
by Viola Davis

What 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.
 
Also available in eBook on Libby
 
Left on Tenth: A Second Chance at Life
by Delia Ephron

How 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).

Also available in eBook on Libby
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.

 
Constructing a Nervous System
by Margo Jefferson

What it is: An impressionistic memoir written by Pulitzer Prize-winning critic and author Margo Jefferson (Negroland).

Featuring: Moving tributes to Black creatives who have shaped Jefferson's sense of self, including Ella Fitzgerald, Hattie McDaniel, and Josephine Baker.

 
Easy Beauty 
by ChloƩ Cooper Jones

How 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 ChloĆ© 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. 
Riverman: An American Odyssey
by Ben McGrath

Who 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.

 
Ancestor Trouble: A Reckoning and a Reconciliation
by Maud Newton

What 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. 
On the Line: A Story of Class, Solidarity, and Two Women's Epic Fight to Build a Union
by Daisy Pitkin

What it's about: In 2003 Phoenix, AZ, industrial laundry facility workers Daisy Pitkin and Alma (a pseudonym) teamed up to fight their employer's dangerous labor practices and unionize.

Read it for: A moving account of a young labor organizer coming into her own and finding transformative solidarity with her colleagues. 

 
Hello, Molly!
by Molly Shannon

What 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.

Also available in eAudiobook on Libby
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