Biography and Memoir February 2026 |
|
|
|
| Ain't Nobody's Fool: The Life and Times of Dolly Parton by Martha AckmannMartha Ackmann’s biography of country music legend Dolly Parton goes beyond the glamour to reveal the grit that propelled her to international stardom. Parton’s phenomenal talent was discovered while she was a teenager. Her business savvy and philanthropic generosity would be discovered later, namely by sexist Nashville executives trying to control her skyrocketing career. For the story of another feminist music star who refused to be put in a box, try Madonna: A Rebel Life by Mary Gabriel. |
|
|
|
La Lucci by Susan LucciAward-winning actress and legendary television icon Susan Lucci--affectionately known as La Lucci since her early days on All My Children--is set to captivate audiences once again with her second memoir, entitled La Lucci. This deeply personal and compelling new book explores Susan's journey through love, joy, reinvention, and resilience in the face of profound loss--both personal and professional. La Lucci is a celebration of life, love, and the courage to embrace new beginnings. La Lucci promises to be a remarkable book that will resonate with readers everywhere.
|
|
| Hated by All the Right People: Tucker Carlson and the Unraveling of the Conservative Mind by Jason ZengerleJournalist Jason Zengerle offers a discerning summary of conservative pundit Tucker Carlson’s career to date while sounding a sobering critique of today’s TV news landscape. Always right-leaning but once a proponent of nuanced political debate, Carlson seemed to abandon these ideals after signing on with Fox News, instead flirting with agitprop, conspiracies, and white supremacism. For fans of: Hoax: Donald Trump, Fox News, and the Dangerous Distortion of Truth by Brian Stelter. |
|
|
|
When Caesar Was King: How Sid Caesar Reinvented American Comedy by David MargolickFrom longtime New York Times and Vanity Fair writer David Margolick comes the first definitive biography of Sid Caesar: founding father of television comedy and icon to generations of Americans. Every week, twenty million people tuned their TVs to his NBC extravaganza, Your Show of Shows, and witnessed his virtuosity in sketches and film spoofs, pantomime and soliloquy. TV's first true comic creation was also its first spectacular flameout. But in his wake came the disciples he personally nurtured--including Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, Neil Simon, and more. Deeply researched, brimming with love for Caesar and the culture from which he sprang, and reanimating a New York City that has all but vanished, this rollicking and poignant book traces the rise and fall of a legend.
|
|
Focus on: Black History Month |
|
| Bring Judgment Day: Reclaiming Lead Belly's Truths from Jim Crow's Lies by Sheila Curran BernardFilmmaker Sheila Curran Bernard’s biography of Black folk and blues musician Huddie “Lead Belly” Ledbetter seeks to right historical wrongs. Curran’s research drawn from original sources details how the musician’s life and career were repeatedly compromised by people trying to punish and exploit him, including his racist managers, folklorists John and Alan Lomax. It’s a shocking and infuriating read about a hugely talented and important interpreter of American song, and long overdue. |
|
|
|
Juneteenth Rodeo
by Sarah Bird
Timeless photos offer a rare portrait of the jubilant, vibrant, vital, nearly hidden, and now all-but-vanished world of small-town Black rodeos.
|
|
|
|
The Black Fives: The Epic Story of Basketball's Forgotten Era by Claude JohnsonThe Black Fives is a groundbreaking, timely history of the largely unknown early days of Black basketball, bringing to life the trailblazing players, teams, and impresarios who pioneered the sport. An advocate fiercely committed to our history, for more than two decades Johnson has conducted interviews, mined archives, collected artifacts, and helped to preserve this historically important African American experience that otherwise would have been lost. This essential book is the result of his work, a landmark narrative history that braids together the stories of these forgotten pioneers and rewrites our understanding of the story of basketball.
|
|
|
|
Cynthia Erivo draws from her singular experience to show us how to embrace being too much and to live up to the fullest iteration of ourselves. It is never too late to build the life you're seeking. Cynthia Erivo learned the music to Wicked a decade before she needed it, not knowing those same lyrics would change her life. Now she has performed those songs on the world stage, showing us there is always time to keep discovering ourselves. And to illustrate that it's often the parts of ourselves we are told to bury that make us shine. She urges readers to lean into the wisdom of their bodies, to understand and strive for a physical and mental balance. Because when we chase our deepest desires, each small step leads us closer to where we want to go.
|
|
|
|
Moses Malone: The Life of a Basketball Prophet
by Paul Knepper
The biography of legend Moses Malone, the first modern-day player to jump from high school basketball to the pros, paving a path for future star players like Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, and LeBron James to follow.
|
|
Contact your librarian for more great books!
|
|
|