| Finding Renée Richards: The Groundbreaking Story of Tennis's Trans Pioneer by Julie KliegmanJournalist Julie Kliegman weaves the controversy surrounding trans women athletes into their biography of Renée Richards, a transgender ophthalmologist and amateur tennis player who made waves in 1977 when she successfully sued for the right to compete in the U.S. Women’s Open. Richards, today happily retired at age 90 and interviewed by the author, drops a surprising bombshell at the book’s conclusion. Try this next: Fair Play: How Sports Shape the Gender Debates by Katie Barnes. |
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In Deep Water: A True Story of Sharks, Survival, and Courage by Michael J. TougiasThe terrifying true story of a fight for survival for 28 hours in shark-infested waters.This fast-paced story has a number of surprising turns in both the survival ordeal and the rescue efforts. Based on interviews with the three survivors and the crew of the Jayhawk helicopter who rescue them, In Deep Water is a white-knuckle tale of bravery and brotherhood and a battle against the ocean's deadliest predators.
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| The Wound Is Where the Light Enters: A Memoir of Resilience by Chris YoungFor a teenaged Chris Young, selling drugs was the only available escape from his poverty-stricken and violent domestic life. Upon being handed a mandatory life sentence after multiple felony arrests, Young startled everyone at his hearing by advocating for himself armed with nothing but his extensive reading of the books in the prison library, a speech that eventually secured his early release. Young’s story of overcoming tremendous odds is a “resonant, inspirational tale of redemption” (Booklist) that underscores the racism and injustice corrupting the penal system. |
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| The People's Historian: The Outsized Life of Howard Zinn by Dave ZirinRevisionist historian and liberal activist Howard Zinn’s sense of justice began developing early. Journalist Dave Zirin’s inspiring biography shows how Zinn’s experiences as a teenaged labor organizer and a young WWII airman were instrumental in forming his perspective as a history scholar, anti-war agitator, and author of The People’s History of the United States -- the book that made Zinn famous and earned him many enemies for its radical retelling. Try this next: Francis Fukuyama’s In the Realm of the Last Man. |
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| Monsters in the Archives: My Year of Fear with Stephen King by Caroline BicksShakespeare scholar Caroline Bicks occupies the University of Maine’s inaugural Stephen E. King Chair in Literature, a fortuitous position that quickly led to a dialogue and friendship with Mr. King. In an accessible voice, Bicks reveals creepy parallels between the works of the Bard and those of the Master of Scares, and even shares some nuggets of writing wisdom from the famous author himself. If this interests you, seek out King’s On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. |
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| Partially Devoured: How Night of the Living Dead Saved My Life and Changed the World by Daniel KrausCelebrated author and screenwriter Daniel Kraus comes clean about the immense influence that George A. Romero’s 1968 zombie classic Night of the Living Dead had on him as a film fan and writer. Kraus doesn’t just discuss the film -- he vivisects it, guiding the reader practically frame-by-frame, in an engrossing thesis that casts the redefining of horror cinema as a metaphor for the grisly death of modern culture, “oozing with grief…while simultaneously bursting with life” (Booklist). It’s a can’t-miss feature for horror fans. |
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| Yours Cruelly, Elvira: Memoirs of the Mistress of the Dark by Cassandra PetersonShe’s best known as the busty, pun-slinging vamp and horror hostess Elvira, but TV personality Cassandra Peterson’s backstory is one of grit and perseverance. Growing up in Colorado in a home rife with abuse and addiction, Peterson knew early on that she wanted to become a showgirl, decamping to Las Vegas fresh out of high school. After this early start, she came to many things late in life -- fame as Elvira, motherhood, and, finally, true love with her same-sex partner when she was 51. Peterson’s memoir is candid, ghoulishly funny, and inspiring. |
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| It Came from the Closet: Queer Reflections on Horror by Joe Vallese, editorPut together by NYU writing professor Joe Vallese, It Came from the Closet is an essay anthology featuring 26 queer or trans writers reflecting on the excitement, revulsion, and sense of belonging they found in horror cinema and literature. The feelings of comfort and validation the contributors describe were often not to be found in a society that ironically viewed them as “monsters.” This thought-provoking collection, while touching on disturbing themes, is shot through with humor, wit, and original ideas. |
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