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Biography and Memoir June 2025 |
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| Class Clown: The Memoirs of a Professional Wiseass: How I Went 77 Years Without... by Dave BarryAmerica’s most beloved wiseass finally tells his life story with all the humor you’d expect from a man who made a career out of making fun of pretty much everything. Class Clown isn’t just a memoir; it’s a vibrant celebration of a life rich with humor, absurdity, joy, and sadness. Dave says the most important wisdom imparted by his Midwestern parents was never to take anything too seriously. This laughter-filled book is proof that he learned that lesson well. |
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| Mark Twain by Ron ChernowIn his well-researched latest, Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer Ron Chernow (Alexander Hamilton) offers a nuanced and richly detailed portrait of writer Mark Twain that's been deemed a "monumental achievement" (Booklist) and "essential reading" (Kirkus Reviews). In this brilliant work of scholarship, a moving tribute to the writer’s talent and humanity, Chernow reveals the magnificent and often maddening life of one of the most original characters in American history. |
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| Karen: A Brother Remembers by Kelsey GrammerActor Kelsey Grammer reflects on the 1975 kidnapping, rape, and murder of his teenage sister Karen in this affecting account of grief and healing. In sharing his story, Grammer aims to help others who have experienced similar loss, offering solace and encouragement to cherish the love they knew, however brief, on their own path toward healing. This book is a moving tribute to Karen and the brother’s love that survives her. |
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| Marsha: The Joy and Defiance of Marsha P. Johnson by TourmalineAward-winning filmmaker Tourmaline expands upon her 2017 documentary film Happy Birthday, Marsha! for this inspiring and incisive portrait of pioneering trans activist and drag queen Marsha P. Johnson, who played a key role during the Stonewall riots in 1969 and co-founded the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR) in 1970. Library Journal says, "this is a raw, well-told biography of an LGBTQIA+ pioneer." |
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| The Art Spy: The Extraordinary Untold Tale of WWII Resistance Hero Rose Valland by Michelle YoungJournalist and Columbia architecture professor Michelle Young's unputdownable latest chronicles the daring exploits of French art historian and museum curator Rose Valland, who became a member of the French Resistance during World War II and fought tirelessly to save artworks looted by the Nazis. "Young vibrantly restores a hidden treasure to the pantheon of WWII heroes." (Booklist Reviews) |
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Free : my search for meaning
by Amanda Knox
Amanda Knox spent nearly four years in prison and eight years on trial for a murder she didn't commit--and became a notorious tabloid story in the process. Though she was exonerated, it's taken more than a decade for her to reclaim her identity and truly feel free. In harrowing (and sometimes hilarious) detail, Amanda tells the story of her personal growth and hard-fought wisdom, recasting her public reckoning as a private reflection on the search for meaning and purpose that will speak to everyone persevering through hardship.
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The Einstein of sex : Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld, visionary of Weimar Berlin
by Daniel Brook
More than a century ago, Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld, dubbed the 'Einstein of Sex,' grew famous (and infamous) for his liberating theory of sexual relativity. In an era when gay sex was a crime and gender roles rigid, Hirschfeld taught that each of us is their own unique mixture of masculinity and femininity. But he also enraged the Nazis, who ransacked his Institute for Sexual Science and burned his books. "This will stick with readers long after they finish the last page." (Publishers Weekly)
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The optimist : Sam Altman, OpenAI, and the race to invent the future
by Keach Hagey
A detailed account of Sam Altman's rise from a curious child in St. Louis to the co-founder of OpenAI, exploring his ambitious journey in Silicon Valley, his leadership struggles, and his unyielding belief in AI's potential. "Altman’s life isn’t uncheckered, but he emerges from these pages as someone far worthier than most tech giants of close attention. An exemplary blend of biography, financial technology reportage, and futurology." (Kirkus Reviews)
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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630-653-7599, 0S291 Winfield Rd.
Winfield, IL 60190
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